Dual Injection Molding - the process of injecting two colors at once

by Brennan Chapman

Dual, twin, laminate colors, whichever you prefer to call it, is the process of injecting two colors at once. This offers bait makers the ability to imitate natural forages that our game species target. It also allows us to make some pretty wild stuff. Depending on the clarity and forage in the body of water I am fishing that day, I could be shooting baits to imitate a shiner, bluegill, crawfish, or something bright that is sure to grab the attention of fish in water with poor visibility. 

To make things universal for you tackle crafters around the world, I chose the Midwest Finesse softbait mold for this segment, otherwise known as the “Ned”. It’s simplistic shape and unique presentation to fish, has proven time and time again, it’s worthiness to be thrown into the mix for both fresh and saltwater applications. While some of us are fortunate enough to have beautiful, clear water to fish regularly, one thing we all have in common no matter where we are located, is the accessibility to stained water. For the sake of keeping things universal once again, I chose a stained water color. 

Many are intimidated by the process, but dual injecting your favorite colors is actually very simple. The number one aspect to remember when dual injecting, is temperature. We all know that your Plastisol must reach 350 degrees to convert from a liquid to gel state, and this is still certainly the case with dual injecting. However, it is very important that your temperatures remain consistent when shooting. To be safe, I make sure that both of my measuring cups are within 15 degrees of each other before I draw plastic through my dual injector. This assures that one color is not drastically hotter than the other, causing it to flow faster through my mold, thus either overpowering one color, or even mixing them entirely. I typically start injecting between 300 and 330 degrees. Some molds however, shoot better at even higher temperatures. The intimidation factor for most folks, is figuring out how to operate their dual injector. The dual injector by Do-it is not only easy to function, but is easily broken down into single injectors, making it a cost effective tool for tackle crafters. Within a few attempts, you will be wondering to yourself, “Why didn’t I buy one of these sooner?” 

Combining the right colors may take a bit of practice. There are some colors that look great together, no matter the amount of colorant, glitter, hi-lite powder, etc.  There are however, many colors that are somewhat deceptive.  When a fluorescent or bright color is incorporated with a darker color, it can entirely change the hue of the bait, sometimes for better or worse.  When I am imitating a fall crawfish color here in the Midwest,  I typically dual inject Green Pumpkin X2 and Fluorescent Orange X2. If I add too much green pumpkin to my top color, not only does it change the top color to nearly black, but the hue of the fluorescent orange also transforms to a dark and opaque orange. Learning how colors shift after being dual injected is a cool process, as I have found some of my greatest creations this way. I guess the main takeaway from this, is to go lighter on your colors when you are experimenting with a new color combination. More times than not, you can add less colorant than you normally would for a single injection, and let the opposing color do the rest of the work for you.