Rubber Lure Melting Questions - The Pikers Pit (2024)

I've got a few rubber lures I'm selling for an auld pal, but I think they've started to perish or react with the boxes he kept them in.
The first question is about Bulldawgs-a couple of the ones he has have got a white, soft residue under the head where there seems to be lead inside the lure. If the lure is no longer reacting with the plastic of the storage boxes (I removed them two weeks ago), why is this still sticky to the touch?
Likewise, a Fox Demon has its rubber tail leaving a sticky residue from a small area of it, despite it not touching plastic.
Can anything counter/stop this or has deterioration stated and will keep going?
Below is a photo of the Bulldawg and the white area.

I’ve had something similar when storing soft plastics in cheap tackle boxes. I’ve now moved all my larger soft plastics to a dedicated Plano box and have had no problems. I use to store them vertically in a bucket with drilled holes round the rim and also never had a problem. Can’t help with the bulldawg as I haven’t experienced any problems with them. I have a fox deviant that has had some sort of reaction with the lead in the harness, as it appears to have stained the soft plastic, something else to look out for.

Hope this helps,

Jack

Jack H wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 20:52 -

I’ve had something similar when storing soft plastics in cheap tackle boxes. I’ve now moved all my larger soft plastics to a dedicated Plano box and have had no problems. I use to store them vertically in a bucket with drilled holes round the rim and also never had a problem. Can’t help with the bulldawg as I haven’t experienced any problems with them. I have a fox deviant that has had some sort of reaction with the lead in the harness, as it appears to have stained the soft plastic, something else to look out for.

Hope this helps,

Jack

Thanks Jack!
I'd have thought that once the source of the melting was removed (that is, taking the lure out the plastic box) that the melting process would stop immediately?
I'm also not 100% convinced that the lures have reacted with the boxes either. The boxes are all modern lure boxes and there shouldn't really be a problem with Dawgs and Fox rubbers I wouldn't think?

I build fishing rods.

davelumb wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 21:11 -

The plasticiser leaks out of soft baits. Some are more prone to it than others. Not much you can do about it in my experience.

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Ah right. This is making more sense Dave! The lures and boxes are fairly modern and (unless I'm wrong) the lures don't have a reputation for being reactive with modern boxes (unlike Z Man lures, for instance).
The lures are still fine for fishing with, but it's just a wee bit messy and sticky if you touch the wrong bit of them!

What you've got on the Dawg is lead oxide leaching through the plastic. Any dampness at all and lead will go crusty if it isn't sealed.

When old soft plastics get tacky you can wash them with soap and very hot water to take away a lot of it. I've got some old Action Plastics mag grubs that must be 25 years old and they're proper sticky, but can be cleaned up and then they're fine.

Steve Dennington wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 21:36 -

What you've got on the Dawg is lead oxide leaching through the plastic. Any dampness at all and lead will go crusty if it isn't sealed.

When old soft plastics get tacky you can wash them with soap and very hot water to take away a lot of it. I've got some old Action Plastics mag grubs that must be 25 years old and they're proper sticky, but can be cleaned up and then they're fine.

Thanks Steve-so when you say 'it isn't sealed' do you mean that the lure isn't sealed properly around the lead and water has got in and caused the lead to go crusty?
And is there anything that can be done to save the Dawgs?

gus666 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 21:46 -

Steve Dennington wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 21:36 -

What you've got on the Dawg is lead oxide leaching through the plastic. Any dampness at all and lead will go crusty if it isn't sealed.

When old soft plastics get tacky you can wash them with soap and very hot water to take away a lot of it. I've got some old Action Plastics mag grubs that must be 25 years old and they're proper sticky, but can be cleaned up and then they're fine.

Thanks Steve-so when you say 'it isn't sealed' do you mean that the lure isn't sealed properly around the lead and water has got in and caused the lead to go crusty?
And is there anything that can be done to save the Dawgs?

What I meant by "sealed" is that some manufacturers coat the lead on the internal harness with plastic (same stuff carp leads are coated with, I think) which prevents oxidisation of the lead. Bulldawgs' ballast is just bare lead, so it'll start to go crusty in time, particularly if tooth slashes have let water come into direct contact with the lead. There's nothing you can do to reverse the process unfortunately - I've got a few old ones that have gone the same way.

Steve Dennington wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02 2024 06:42 -

gus666 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 21:46 -

Steve Dennington wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01 2024 21:36 -

What you've got on the Dawg is lead oxide leaching through the plastic. Any dampness at all and lead will go crusty if it isn't sealed.

When old soft plastics get tacky you can wash them with soap and very hot water to take away a lot of it. I've got some old Action Plastics mag grubs that must be 25 years old and they're proper sticky, but can be cleaned up and then they're fine.

Thanks Steve-so when you say 'it isn't sealed' do you mean that the lure isn't sealed properly around the lead and water has got in and caused the lead to go crusty?
And is there anything that can be done to save the Dawgs?

What I meant by "sealed" is that some manufacturers coat the lead on the internal harness with plastic (same stuff carp leads are coated with, I think) which prevents oxidisation of the lead. Bulldawgs' ballast is just bare lead, so it'll start to go crusty in time, particularly if tooth slashes have let water come into direct contact with the lead. There's nothing you can do to reverse the process unfortunately - I've got a few old ones that have gone the same way.

Thanks for this Steve. Very interesting and explains a lot!