This is Part 2 of this post – Click here to read Part 1

Silicon Molds:

I left off the last post after pouring the silicon mold. Pulling the mold apart is super easy and will leave you with this.

Now for the tricky part: pouring them. Heat up some clear soft plastic in a Pyrex container. These are  availible at most grocery stores. Using a microwave is the easiest cleanest way to work with this small of an amount of material. Make sure and heat it up slow so you don't burn it.

Pouring them is a very delicate process and I guarantee you will mess up a lot. However, it does not take too long to get the hang of it. Remember: you are pouring the eyes lens up, so the top of your pour is the finish. A good pour will end up looking like this with a good covex edge across it.

It only takes a minute before they are ready to pull out of the mold and paint. Soft plastic paint is availible at Lure Craft on-line and is super easy to use. First paint the pupil of the eye with a small detail brush. I used black here.

Let the paint set for a few minutes then paint over the whole back side of the eye with the color of your choice, I used a silver pearl mix for these.

After letting them sit for 10 minutes or so they are ready to glue into your favorite bait.

Here is an eye before glue in the socket of a 3:16 Rising Sun. You will need to glue them in with Mend It Soft Bait Glue available at most fishing stores.

 

Cover the whole eye with Mend it and it will seap in beween the eye and the bait creating a very real look.

That wraps it up! The eyes are now permanently part of your soft plastic bait. They also have a soft, more natural feel to them.

FInd more great bait tips and tricks in the Wired Angler How-To Category

Ever wonder how some of your favorite swimbaits are made? Or maybe just small parts of them?

I am going to start a new series of articles on in depth how-tos for some of these techniques. The first is one that involves a lot of processes, but I'm sure a lot you have pondered. Ever wonder how those eyes on a Hudd are made? It took about a minute of thinking for me to figure out, but wouldn't that be cool if you could put them on any swimbait? The answer is Hell yeah it would, I thought about manufacturing them, but screw it – here you go:

I devised an easy way to make soft plastic eyes that can be permanently glued on your favorite soft baits. The bait I will be modifying is one of my favorites: the Rising Sun by 3:16 Bait co.

You're gonna need a set of quality glass taxidermy eyes from a supplier such as Van Dyke's. Most baits take 8mm or 10mm. You are going to be casting them upside down to capture the paint pockets on the back. Here is a set of 8mm taxidermy eyes:

                          Notice the inset on the back of the eyes.             

You're gonna need a bit of modeling clay from a hobby or craft store. Flatten it on a work surface – I just use my bench but it can be done on a piece of cardboard or plexi. You can flatten it out with just about anything, really. I used a small piece of acrylic I had sitting on my workbench. After flattening the clay, carefully push the eyes face down. Push the eyes to the tip of the convex of the lens. Put them at least a inch apart.

Next, with a razor blade, cut a clean rectangular edge around the clay.

After the cut is complete you will need to build a fence around the clay to be filled with silicon. I made one really quickly out of some foam core and some more clay to hold it in place.

Now you are ready to pour the silicon in the mold. There are endless suppliers of silicon out there. Most hobby stores will have it in stock or you can get it on-line from suppliers such as Smooth On. Smooth On's OOMOO 30 is about the easiest to use silicone on the market. This is a consumer grade silicone that does not need to be vacuumed to release the trapped air. Most of the silicones I use in my shop are are a pain in the ass and very time consuming to use.

Mix up a small amount and fill the mold. Pour into one spot on the mold and let the silicon settle itself around the eyes. Some bubbles will rise, but should settle out. This is a really small mold – just be sure to follow the manufacturers directions very carefully.

Now the waiting begins. Most silicones will have to set for at least 12 hours to cure. In other words don't wait for it: go fishing or something. I will cover the rest in part two

Continue to Part 2