I have been experimenting buying soft baits through Ali Express. I have found some really great lures. One thing I have noticed is some of the  soft swimbaits seem a touch less soft then I would like, so I started boiling them for about 45 seconds. What I have found is that the baits become much softer, and have a much better action after boiling them, even after they cool down. So my question is, what happens to the material after boiling them that makes them stay softer after cooling down? thanks

 

 

I don’t know the reals answer but boiling makes most things softer, like potatoes. Now about this lure you have pictured, why do I not fish that more often?? looks deadly 

I'm also not sure what exactly it does...somebody will come on here and drop some science on us...but I know it works. I just boiled some curl tail worms the other day..about half the pack was kinked...I dunked the tails in boiling water for about 30 seconds and laid em on a paper towel to dry. They are perfect now.

I have DeLong soft plastic worms that were boiled in the early 70's and are still softer over 45 years later.

They stay softer.

Tom

 

I’ve boiled my zoom flukes before because the tails have been bent or warped out of the package. Boiling them restored them to the correct shape. What I did notice though was my baits were definitely softer (so more action) and almost somewhat sticky. So I have the same experience as you.  The two ends of the forked tails often stick together and sometimes when I go to take one out of the package, it’s almost stuck to another bait and I have to take them apart. They haven’t been out of shape since though. All I know is that when a substance is heated, the molecules “vibrate” faster and then spread out, so the substance takes up more space (on a microscopic level, of course). Not sure if this has anything to do with baits becoming soft because once the bait cools down, the molecules should be bound tightly  together again. No clue but it sure is an interesting topic. My response doesn’t really help with your question but hopefully someone will chime in with some knowledge soon. 

30 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

looks deadly 

The mini spinnerbait or the razor???

This mini bait catches tons of fish, and plenty of 3lbers too. SMB love too.

8" Huddleston Deluxe before & after. Swims at a much lower speed after boiling the tail.

 

 

I don't actually boil my swimbaits, ect..I'll boil the water, then turn the heat off, once the water stops boiling, I'll take a good portion of the tail and work it back and forth in the water for about 30 to 45 seconds, same goes for flukes and kiethechs.

 

It really helps the action of the baits, and it warms your hand up real nice to on a cold day..haha

Soft plastics are made of Plastisol, which is composed of PVC and other polymers mixed with a plasticizer (which makes the product flexible and pliable). Although they are initially heated and poured into molds. Plastisol’s melting point is 320°-350°F. Boiling water is 212°F. So while boiling soft plastics will not remelt them, it likely affects the pliability and flexibility much as annealing metals alters the physical and sometimes chemical properties of a material to increase its ductility and reduce its hardness. 

 

It would be interesting to see the difference between boiled soft plastics that are allowed to cool naturally and those that are immediately quenched in both warm and cold water. 

13 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

It would be interesting to see the difference between boiled soft plastics that are allowed to cool naturally and those that are immediately quenched in both warm and cold water. 

Try it and report back!

I bought 10 bags of Lucky Strike curl tail worms at Wal Mart on clearance at 50 cents per bag. These worms are stiff. I dropped in boiling water, layed them on a paper towell, and they became much softer. Once the water reaches boiling, it doesn't take much time.

1 hour ago, waymont said:

Try it and report back!

I’ll leave that to the other fellas. I only boil water when I need to install new Quickfletches on arrow shafts lol.