I was going to give pouring baits a shot over the winter, and I feel like coming up with my own baits to mold, vs. throwing a bait I can already buy into some resin and pouring those, or buying one for $50

First I planned on making a blank out of clay, harden it, and using Mod Podge to seal it. Then, gluing it to a pan, and pouring Resin in it to create a one piece mold. I'm going to take my time with the blank, try to make it as smooth and and precise as I can. So hopefully my mold will come out very clean, and I won't have some uneven, weird looking baits.

Even if it is a bit more expensive, it seems resin might be a bit easier to work with, as well as I already have a pint of it out in the garage from doing a bit of boat repair this year. From what I've read, I won't have to "seal" the resin, just coat it to allow the bait to release. Whereas plaster will have to be sealed, am I correct?

I've been reading up on what to do, but I'm curious if I'm going to wrong way with it. Is resin going to work better than plaster? What about using clay to make the original blank?

I know pouring my own isn't much cheaper, but it seems like fun and I think I would enjoy it. I plan on getting a few bottles of Plastisol, and as well melting down some baits I no longer plan on using, or were torn up. I've read all the basics, I just want to make sure my plan to make blanks and the molds will work alright.

You will struggle to get your hard master out of the resin mold. Hard master soft mold (RTV). Soft master hard mold ( resin POP).

Yeah thats why I was asking, I read that the resin with shrink a little and I figured a hard master would get stuck. So I guess I'll be looking into RTV molds, or I've also read that using sculpy and not firing it would work as well as molding an actual bait, since it will stay soft. So I may try it out either way.

Perhaps of interest...

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/pouring_plastic_worms.html

I did read that, and it was helpful for sure. But I'm more or less going to be "designing" my own baits. My main question was just if clay would work with resin, and that was answered. I may get into two piece molds eventually, but all the soft baits I use the most can be done with a one piece, so thats all I plan on doing for now.

I have made 1 and 2 piece resin and pop molds, but always from soft masters. Also have made water soluble rtv molds with mixed results. I have some alumilite to make some rtv molds, but haven't done it yet. RTV will be hard to "tweak" after set, but with hard masters, the rtv is the better one to use. POP while delicate, is easy to "tweak". Resin requires dremel and a steady hand. If your lure designs can be made by "frankenstiening" some exixting soft baits, the POP and resin would be options again.

Fuzzy, I was looking into the POP method for my first molds and have a possible stupid question. I read that you need to bake them to harden them for use. How did you bake yours in foam?

Fuzzy, I was looking into the POP method for my first molds and have a possible stupid question. I read that you need to bake them to harden them for use. How did you bake yours in foam?

Yes you must dry the pop molds out. I used my toaster oven on low. They need to be completly dried before sealing.

The molds in the foam block are water cure silicone (and all in that pic), not pop.