Thread: Solved My Laminate problem

Thanks for the tip. I was having problems with the tails curling and thought it was something I was doing wrong. Never thought about the two temps on the plastics causing it. I don't do production so the extra time is not an issue for me.

Originally Posted by crappiefarmer

I have been having issues with my laminates pulling apart for a while and after many different things, I found something that works for me. It slows down the process but works. I use a divider plate. do the normal thing there and then right after I shoot the second color, I tear off the plastic at the top of the mold that I topped off with and leave the mold together and put it in a toaster oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. It seems to help the plastic bond in the mold. it does not remelt in the mold.

Also another problem this solved was curled tails on my stingers. The second color coming in hot would warp the tail some how and was giving me fits. Putting the molds with the plastic still in it in the toaster oven seems to reset the tails. I have shot close to 100 stingers now and have not had more than 5 with warped tails.

The bad side to all this is the slow process. ten minutes in the toaster oven and cool down time afterwards is probably 20 minutes but baits come out real good. If You are having these troubles, try this. It is slower but it works.CF

This is a great post. I would love to see a few pics of this process. I had been just cutting the bait and putting half back in the mold then reinjecting with a contrasting color. I also do not do a lot of mass production so the time factor is not an issue with me either.

Originally Posted by shipahoy41

This is a great post. I would love to see a few pics of this process. I had been just cutting the bait and putting half back in the mold then reinjecting with a contrasting color. I also do not do a lot of mass production so the time factor is not an issue with me either.

Just putting divider plate in. shooting first color. Open mold and remove the side (top or bottom side) that You don't want. Then shoot second color. Before You remove the baits from the mold, Put the molds in a toaster oven at 350 to 400 degrees for ten minutes. Take them out and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes and then take the baits out of the mold. The laminates should be fused together a lot better if You were having splitting issues. Also the tails of stingers are less likely to be warped.CF

You may be taking the bait out of the mold too soon if the tails curl .Give it a couple minutes to cool in the mold so the heavy body part does not draw against the tail as the thick part cools . One of the things I do on all baits is build a hang board . I use 4'' finish nails spaced about 1'' apart in rows . Then when I remove the baits I hang them by the sprue . For bigger baits 3-4 inches I straighten light wire hooks and just run the point in hang them in rows that way . Plain old aberdeen hooks can be picked up for pennies now . Sickles have darn near killed the market for them .

If I get shear in my lams I just hit the half in the mold with a heat gun slap it together and shoot . Haven't had problems doing that .

Originally Posted by pondhopper

You may be taking the bait out of the mold too soon if the tails curl .Give it a couple minutes to cool in the mold so the heavy body part does not draw against the tail as the thick part cools . One of the things I do on all baits is build a hang board . I use 4'' finish nails spaced about 1'' apart in rows . Then when I remove the baits I hang them by the sprue . For bigger baits 3-4 inches I straighten light wire hooks and just run the point in hang them in rows that way . Plain old aberdeen hooks can be picked up for pennies now . Sickles have darn near killed the market for them .

If I get shear in my lams I just hit the half in the mold with a heat gun slap it together and shoot . Haven't had problems doing that .

I have waited on the molds to cool. Done all I know to do about the tail warping and the delamination. Have not tried a heat gun as I do not have one but I bet that would work. The toaster oven does work but slows me up.CF

On small baits with small appendages it is best to use a super soft plastic . The tougher the plastic the more shrinkage you have and less moisture content in the polymer matrix . A small appendage may curl due to that .

Using Cahoons soft formula. Do I need to try some softner?CF

Calhouns should be good as is . Shake the living tarnation out of it and try the softner . Give the mold 5 min . to set longer as it gets hotter . Hang the bait by the sprue horizontally . Let me know what happens .