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Do not use anything water based in hot plastic. It will explode use only oil based scents
do not set your pyrex cup on a hot or cold surface
do not place it on a wet surface
Keep your area cleanish so you know where everything is and surfaces are dry
dont ever pour or inject without gloves eyewear long sleeves shoes and if possible a apron. caus elike above post says stuff fails and it flys. been saved from burns a few times because i wore the right gear.
JJ
Yup you guys have those things right for sure. plastic making can be very dangerous if you dont take the proper steps each time you make some baits.
Good safety gear is a must. Dont take short cuts ever or thats when you will get burned or hurt someone around you.
Wear a respirator and have a good ventilation system.
could someone add a basic instruction for the proper way to heat using a microwave. Such as a general amount of time first and then stirring and how much longer each time. I know microwaves very but would you heat it like a minute and then check and then 30 second intervals and so forth?
It just depends on how much plastic you are cooking at a time as to how long it will take. in a microwave it will heat really fast so you need to start heating its and stop and stir about every 30 to 45 seconds at a time is what I like to do. if you heat it up and dont stir it often you can have it make like a volocano and when you got to stir it it will be kind of a hard layer over the top and it will be holding in alot of heat and can burn your plastic. If you get it to hot it will start to really smoke and turn yellow then black so I say heat, stir heat, stir and when you get it to the right temperature then stir it some more. Just make sure to wear some hot gloves or something as the plastic will be about 300+ degs when ready to make your baits.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappieseeker
Make sure to use an old microwave dont use the one you eat out of and make sure you have pleanty of venilation to dont do it in the house with out proper venilation as all plastic has fumes that comes off when cooking it and arent good for anyone.
perch, thanks for the advice. I remember one guy getting hurt because he did something like that. He busted the hard layer and the plastic underneath erupted on him. How you you heat your molds and what about homemade molds like out of plaster of paris I would not think you could heat those or would you even need to?
You do have to be very careful with hot plastic.If it gets on your skin you can not remove it before it gives you a serious burn.
As for heating it I use an old low wattage microwave. Since I have been using it I have not burned my plastic. It takes a little longer but is well worth it.
I let mine cook for about 30 seconds and then stir it. I do this several times until it is ready. After doing it long enough you will know it is ready by the way it looks.
As for the mold if it is cold the plastic will harden too quickly. I use an injection mold and after about four shots it is warm enough to work right. You have to be careful because the aluminum mold will become too hot to touch. When this happens it is good to let it cool some or the mold will not seat well. I open the mold and remove the jigs after about ten seconds. I then hang them on a hook to cool so that they don't become deformed from laying on a hard surface.
I hope this has been helpful.
I dont usually heat my aluminum molds but if I do warm them up at all I just set them on a hot plate on a low setting and take the chill off of them never heat them up really hot as the more you pour or inject a mold the hotter it will get.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappieseeker
As for plaster of paris I havent used them but know guys that do and you dont want to heat them or they might crack on you.
I use a toaster oven for heating my plastics. I get very universal heating, as the whole batch is heated to the same temp.
Microwaves are great, but you have to be extremely careful with the time you heat, also don't use aluminum glitter if your heating in a microwave. It will burn through the Pyrex cup when heated in the microwave and shatter the cup. I learned the hard way.