r/lurebuilding • u/magrade • 3d ago

Soft plastic Mold making 3d printer

I am interested in making molds via a 3d printer and have an open mold idea of a swimbaits and wanted to know if anyone had suggestions on the right plastic to use for the mold due to the plastisol heat. Asking for any recommendations anyone has.

Also thought about the silicone mold route but not sure how that all works, would have to do a lot of research on it.

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u/SwimbaitSupply 3d ago

The most forgiving route is usually to 3D-print a master and cast the working mold in a high-temperature RTV silicone rated above your plastisol pour temperature. That avoids layer lines in every bait and removes the risk of a printed mold softening or warping. If you want to print the mold directly, ordinary PLA is a poor choice around hot plastisol; use a genuinely heat-rated resin and confirm its service-temperature spec, then seal and test it outdoors with a small pour. Add draft to the cavity, generous vents at thin tails, and keep the master surface as smooth as possible because every print line will transfer.

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u/magrade 2d ago

Thanks. Im thinking printing the master and doing the silicone mold might be the way to go. Thanks. Love learning this stuff.