wrote:

I have read about -- dont have one yet -- a small battery powered
"welder" that will melt plastics together, too.



Soft plastic bait material can easily be welded, just heat both ends,,
even with a cig lighter, and push together, I have one of those high
dollar plastic welding machines (110V), but most of the time I just use
a lighter. This technique is even used by lure designers, it is quick
and easy, so no mold is needed in the preliminary testing, they just cut
up other baits, and weld them to make a new one.

The next step is a single cavity pour mold, then plastic is heated in a
microwave oven then hand poured into the mold, this gives you enough
lures exactly the same, that can be field tested, before spending 5 to
10 thousand on a production mold

For your information
A single soft plastic bait cost from 1 to 3 cents each to manufacture,
regardless of it's design, after you have paid for your mold, (this is
actual manufacturing cost),, if the company is paying another company to
shoot their lures (something that many name brand companies do) then
their cost can go as high as 5 cents each. These prices are for the bulk
lures,, without any other things like screen painting , or eyes added.

If a bag of lures is selling at the store for 6 dollars, the store paid
3.75 for them, if that bag went though the whole market chain (rep's,
wholesalers, salesmen, then the store, the manufacture will get about
2.00 dollars for that bag of 6 dollar baits, out of that, the federal
government takes 9% off the top, just for the (fishing/hunting tax),
then you have packaging cost, freight, office expenses that comes out,
GAry "might" make a half a dollar off of each 6 dollar package, but his
normal priced baits he might make a quarter per package

--
Rodney Long,
Inventor of the Long Shot "WIGGLE" rig, SpecTastic Thread
Boomerang Fishing Pro. ,Stand Out Hooks ,Stand Out Lures,
Mojo's Rock Hopper & Rig Saver weights, Decoy Activator
and the EZKnot http://www.ezknot.com