so i made my first hand pours this morning and must say i am pleased with the results.  i made some one sided simple baits first, two styles of chunks for jig trailers and a flat crawfish (the only one that did not come out as well as i would have liked).  i then made a two sided senko mold (plaster of paris style).  it cracked when i was taking the two halves apart but the worm section was unaffected and it actually worked out really well because  the broken half works like a guide of sort so i dont even need the popsickle sticks to align it perfectly.  i was very pleased with the senko mold as well except i ran into one problem.  on a few of the baits the tip was coming out hollow.  they looked great and may even fish fine but there is a small section that is hollow.  how do i go about not having this hollow section consistently?

this is so addictive!!!  i can see myself spending entirely too much time doing this sort of thing.

matt

matt, it was coming out hollow because you weren't overpouring.  The plastic shrinks when it cools and hence you end up with the hollow end.  YOu really have to add quite a bit of plastic to avoid that.

Senko style and other soft stick two sided molds have the same problem with air being trapped in the top third of the bait. The only way I've gotten around it is to fill the mold to within an inch of the top, let cool (and contract) and then pour the rest and slightly overfill. If the bait is solid to at least half, cut of the solid part, put it back into the cavity and pour hot plastic to the top. (Same idea, different sequence.)

You can sometimes pop the bubble with a metal or wooden skewer (kabob), but it's limited to how deep you can go. The most important solid areas are where the hook enters (worm front and mid way down) and small bubbles in other areas aren't a problem or for waqky rigging.

You're right, it is addictive and it's a good thing plastic can be recycled.

Matt just imagine whow you will feel when you take that first really good fish on something you made yourself. That is the the payoff, the feeling of success. Last night I caught a 6lb+ largemouth on a hand poured frog I made. That made me feel good!