Newbie Looking to Make Soft Plastics

[Aruss1984]

I'm looking at getting into making my own soft plastic baits for a design that I use often.


1) Is there a particular brand of plastisol that is preferred over others?

2) I will be making some soft plastic skirt material as well, so does that soft plastic material differ from the main body plastic ( i.e. more buoyancy to allow the skirt to flare?)

3) If I wanted to add salt to the mixture, is there a measurement to follow so that it doesnt change the way the soft plastic sets (as Im sure this is sensitive)

4) Has anyone come across a Yamamoto Hula Grub mold? Thats the bait style I am looking to duplicate

I saw Anglingai.com with a 5" twin tail grub mold and skirt mold available, but I dont know how close it is to the Yamamoto

Thanks!

[Les Young]

I have the 4" heart throb mold from angling ai & the skirt mold & they do a great job. I use a hot knife like most do & weld them together. I use medium plastic on most things, but always have hard on hand to add a little if needed & i always use it in tube making. I'm currently using baitplastics brand, but have used calhouns & lureworks & like them all abut equally. The lureworks does come in a box like box wine is pretty handy that way. I've tries several different colorants & glitters, but i like lureworks the best for my use & buy in pint bottles & the glitter in half pound bags.

[Aruss1984]

That's great, thanks for the info. Do you find the mold to be similar to the Yamamoto Hula? Have you tried adding salt to recipe as well? The Yamamoto is quite salt heavy.

I have the 4" heart throb mold from angling ai & the skirt mold & they do a great job. I use a hot knife like most do & weld them together. I use medium plastic on most things, but always have hard on hand to add a little if needed & i always use it in tube making. I'm currently using baitplastics brand, but have used calhouns & lureworks & like them all abut equally. The lureworks does come in a box like box wine is pretty handy that way. I've tries several different colorants & glitters, but i like lureworks the best for my use & buy in pint bottles & the glitter in half pound bags.

[jdwo2212]

Check basstackle.com. They have a ton of molds that are really nice.

[Aruss1984]

Great thanks!

That's great, thanks for the info. Do you find the mold to be similar to the Yamamoto Hula? Have you tried adding salt to recipe as well? The Yamamoto is quite salt heavy.

[Aruss1984]

How you do you guys feel about Essential Series Plastisol? Based on reviews, I would prefer Deadon Plastics but shipping something that heavy to Canada is a bit costly. The only plastisol I can seem to find locally is the Essential Series Do-It sells. Any opinions on it?

[Riccochet]

How you do you guys feel about Essential Series Plastisol? Based on reviews, I would prefer Deadon Plastics but shipping something that heavy to Canada is a bit costly. The only plastisol I can seem to find locally is the Essential Series Do-It sells. Any opinions on it?

I've used it. It works. You'll need to pick up the hardener and softener as well since Essential does not come in different blends. It's also a good idea to get the heat stabilizer as well. So, plan on experimenting with it to find the right stiffness for the baits you'll be making. That's where Dead On makes life easy.

[Aruss1984]

Thanks for your help. I think I've found a way to get product from the US without having to pay crazy shipping fees. I think I will be going with Deanon plastic and their colorant. I will be ording my mold from angling AI as they were the only one that has the twin tail grub and skirt that I'm looking for. Im really excited to see if I can make them similar to the Yamamoto Hula grub.

I've used it. It works. You'll need to pick up the hardener and softener as well since Essential does not come in different blends. It's also a good idea to get the heat stabilizer as well. So, plan on experimenting with it to find the right stiffness for the baits you'll be making. That's where Dead On makes life easy.

[Jig_Man]

Salt will change the color of your bait. I use Kosher salt and make it into a powder with a coffee grinder. You will need to experiment with ratios to get what you like.

[Aruss1984]

Has anyone used the Deadon colors? Im trying to get as close to Yamamoto green pumpkin as I can. Or, are they all fairly similar?