Newbie to plastics ???

Just got my first mold in yesterday. Baby shad stinger mold for crappie. Injection Mold. I know trial and error is the best way to learn sometimes. i am going to slip into this a little at a time so i want to know the cheaper starter program!! LOL. Don't want to spend 50.00 bucks on an injector right off does anyone have a cheaper solution. I know netcraft has a cheaper plastic one. I like making stuff or i would not be making jigs and plastics, anyone got a homemade injector. What about the turkey injector ect. 2: What kind of oil is worm oil? I have heard you can use olive oil and other household oils but i know plastics will swell with some oils and can run the fish off. 3:Do you spray your molds for easy removable of baits. 4:Do you warm your molds before injection? 5: Do you put your salt or garlic in the plastic or just put it in the bag with baits after making. 5: Will glitter from the craft store work in plastic or will it melt? Thanks in advance for your help Cub48

PS: I have read and am reading the pro and cons but want to know more!!!!

Buy a injector, That is what they are designed for. Anything else used that not designed for could be hazardous. There are different types of worm oils that You can get starting with Anise, then garlic scented, craw scented and more. If You just want to lube up the plastics in the bags, You can use a few drops of these to lube and add scent also. You can also Use pam spray in the bag. You can use somethings in the plastic as long as they are oil based. Do not use water around hot plastic and do not used water based items around hot plastic or You could be wearing Your hot plastic. Do not use store bought glitter unless You are 100% positive that it contains 0 metal in it. Microwave would terminate and give You a huge forth of july display along with ruining Your plastic. Other store bought glitters may not handle the heat and melt before Your plastic is ready to inject. This can discolor your plastic to an undesirable color and ruin a batch. Buy the stuff from the sites that sell it for plastic bait use. You know it is safe then. Spraying Your molds for bait removal is unnecessary most of the time and can actually make it worse buy the oil being used creating a seal between the two halves. If Shooting single colors, or using a dual injector for laminates, best to leave the molds dry. If You have any questions about different ingredients or something You are thinking of using, please run it through this forum first. There are people here that have done this for years and have either tried it or know if it will or won't work with no danger. I have heard of crayons being used for color for example. They were cut and ground up and only part used to get color but they worked. They are oil based and will work. Also heard that can be more expensive than just buying the colorant so go figure.CF

To inject your plastic it needs to be approximately 350 degrees....Water boils at approx. 212. Using the incorrect tools (injectors)...adding non-tested additives is an invitation to a very serious accident!

READ the safety warnings on this ...and other forums...and follow them! This is NOT a hobby that you can afford to have an accident!!!

If you can't afford the injector, gloves, ventilation...etc...then I would respectfully suggests that you try a different hobby....it is not worth the severe burns to take short cuts!

Thanks guys for your replys. It's not that i can't afford to buy an injector. I could buy the auto injector if i wanted it, but how many baits would i have to make to make it worth while. It is the fact if i can make one for 10.00 that will serve the same purpose that is the way i go. I have made all kind of things in my life time that worked as good or better than the one they sell. I have a wood lathe that i built, it works as good as a factory one. How did the guys that made the one they are selling come up with it. From what i have read theirs is not perfect like the end coming off when loading the plastic. They got the ideal from someone like us you think!!!! I know plastic is hot and if you get it on you it burns. It's like if you weld two pieces of metal you don't pick it up while it's hot !! As for a hobby, making things is a hobby to me as baits is just a part of it. I am going to start out with old plastics to get used to everything and see what works and don't work. then I will order the colors i use and a few pints or quarts of plastic to see which i like the best. As for the glitter i have some that i have used on other projects if i have a little plastic left i will try it but not in some i will reheat had not thought of the microwave reaction on the flakes. Had not thought of crayons as a color adjuster. But will order the bottles in my favorite colors and a bottle or two of flakes. Cub48

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Originally Posted by cub48

Thanks guys for your replys. It's not that i can't afford to buy an injector. I could buy the auto injector if i wanted it, but how many baits would i have to make to make it worth while. It is the fact if i can make one for 10.00 that will serve the same purpose that is the way i go. I have made all kind of things in my life time that worked as good or better than the one they sell. I have a wood lathe that i built, it works as good as a factory one. How did the guys that made the one they are selling come up with it. From what i have read theirs is not perfect like the end coming off when loading the plastic. They got the ideal from someone like us you think!!!! I know plastic is hot and if you get it on you it burns. It's like if you weld two pieces of metal you don't pick it up while it's hot !! As for a hobby, making things is a hobby to me as baits is just a part of it. I am going to start out with old plastics to get used to everything and see what works and don't work. then I will order the colors i use and a few pints or quarts of plastic to see which i like the best. As for the glitter i have some that i have used on other projects if i have a little plastic left i will try it but not in some i will reheat had not thought of the microwave reaction on the flakes. Had not thought of crayons as a color adjuster. But will order the bottles in my favorite colors and a bottle or two of flakes. Cub48

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Hey If You want to make an Injector, I am not arguing with You. Yes some are made without a lock and the tip can blow off. I have a jacobs and two bass tackles and they have twist locks on them to keep the tips from blowing out. These are totally safe to use and rather than spend the time to machine out the parts and make my own injector, I just spent the 50 bucks on some I knew were good. Saved me a bunch of time. If You build Your own, make sure You have a high temp O ring for the nozzle and one for the plunger and have your tolerances set just right for the O ring grooves. They are pretty simple but do require some machine work to make. The pin for the twist lock on the nozzles could be a bit difficult for me probably. A lot of folks get into this hobby thinking that they can do it fairly cheap. They soon find that it will cost way more money than they thought originally mainly because they want to do more. Now if You want to shoot one color on one mold at a time that You will only do for Yourself, then You can probably do that but You will have a hard time keeping Your plastic from scorching from several reheats. The brighter colors especially. If You can handle throwing some plastic away because of that then that will be Your biggest expense. Plastic is expensive and a lot of guys will buy more than one mold to get more out of one heating to get through the plastic faster to eliminate browning of colors so they can get the most bang for their plastic buck. Most new people to this hobby say some of the same things that You did in Your post that they are easing into it, that they don't want to spend much money because maybe they don't have much to budget for it. That is why we tell folks to be ready to open Your wallets when undertaking this hobby. If You have the means to buy your own machine then that is not a problem for You. Go at Your own pace. Do Like You want to. But If You really find that You like this hobby, then You will spend a pile doing it.

If You are true blue do-it-Yourselfer then buy Your own CNC machine and cut Your own mold designs and make Your own personal designed baits that no one else will have. Build Your own CNC machine if You want to take it to the extreme. Then You will be self sufficient. sky's the limit on what You want to do and how far You want to go with it.

If You want to break it down to pure economics and making it worth Your while, then You have to make a pile of plastics to do that. This is a hobby that can make You a little money but not much for most people. It is like most hobbies to most people. Something You are just going to spend money on. It is something we love to do and gives us something to do in our free time. depending on the size of the baits you are making, figure out how much plastic are You using per shot. then how much is that amount worth in dollars. then add a dollar to it. 50 shots for a mold shooting a dozen baits or an average pack size with one dollar a pack profit will pay for the injector only. That is the only way I know to make economic sense out of it.CF

I was not putting my remarks to you crappie farmer. I would love to have a mill and do my own molds. What my reply to was if i couldn't afford to spend the money, to find myself another hobby. A hobby is something you enjoy doing. If i can't make an injector that will do the job i will buy one but i will enjoy the time i spent trying. Which injector do you like best the Bears or the Jacob's. I may sell a few baits but will give more away and use them. Cub48

I can understand where cub 48 is coming from. I make my own aulimin mold,like the satisfaction of doing it ,plus would not trade for BGSS, not putting it down ,just like mine better,has a skinnier tail. I always love to work with my hands,made bouy winder that winds up bouy and auto shuts off auto, and have on my bench a system that will co-ploit my maxium cable TM,then can use foot control when I want to which is most of the time. Retired now and have to do something besides stay in house. No intent to bring anyone down,just some rather make it than buy it

Welcome to the addiction!

Pretty sure its JSC that has instructions on making an injector from NAPA products.

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Originally Posted by cub48

I was not putting my remarks to you crappie farmer. I would love to have a mill and do my own molds. What my reply to was if i couldn't afford to spend the money, to find myself another hobby. A hobby is something you enjoy doing. If i can't make an injector that will do the job i will buy one but i will enjoy the time i spent trying. Which injector do you like best the Bears or the Jacob's. I may sell a few baits but will give more away and use them. Cub48

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I do not have a bears but have a jacobs. I like the jacobs and it has a twist lock nozzle. I don't think bears does unless they have recently changed it. The complaint on the jacobs is the tip hole is too small and will clog quicker than the larger hole injector. I guess the best of both worlds would be the bass tackle injectors. They have the bigger holes and a locking nozzle. I have the Bass tackle and jacobs and really like the jacobs better but I may be in the minority. Jacobs will shoot every brand mold out there I think but some of the bigger hole injectors won't work on some of jacobs but You can get an adapter to fit on jacobs molds from jacobs baits.CF

Buy a good injector AND READ THE STICKIES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE! I tried the cheap route and burned myself once or twice. I should have read the stickies!

You get what you pay for. If you always do (cheap) what you always did....you will always get what you always got (cheap) . Time to step up to the plate and get yourself a good injector.