by rocko » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:37 pm
Luscious,
No need for another tutorial, I followed Larry's exactly. I used a Poe's Giant Jackpot lure to make the body mold. I simply placed it in an empty tube and poured in RTV silicone the designated depth. Add a cap with a hole in it and your set. Remove the master when the silicone is hard. Add your screw eyes and wire to the empty mold. Mix up your resin, pour it in, add the cap, and gently roll the mold. A few minutes later your shell is hard and you mix and add the foam. It bubbles up and you cut it off at the end of the shell. I epoxy up the end of the lure, over the open foam to toughen it up a bit.
I made my tail with sculpey clay and a pre-bent blade inserted. It will likely take several attempts to get it at the right angle and cup shape. I added a little sculpey to the baled to thicken it up just a little. Again, just make a one or two piece mold , insert a brass tube, and pour the rubber urethane. Place it over the wire, snug it up and bend a loop. I added a bead at the back end of the tail, so the brass would not rub against the wire.
The thickness question is tough to answer. Trial and error is reAlly the only option, as it depends on the density of the foam you are using and how high in the water you want your lure to run. I would recommend starting with the quantities I provided if your plopper is similar in size to Larry's commercial version. It works good for me.
My version really doesn't have much roll to it and the belly hook stays under. I needed no ballast to keep it upright.
If you browse the photo bucket album, you can see another plopper bait I make and actually prefer. I use the same slush molding technique, but the plopper blade is in the head and is thin stainless steel. I molded a collar around the blade to hold it in place and help keep it from bending or moving out of tune. Just another option and always fun to tinker.
Rocko