Molding your own soft plastic fishing worms can be a fun activity, but one that also requires caution. Wear safety goggles, gloves, leather shoes, a long-sleeve shirt and pants to protect your skin from burns when handling the soft plastic, or plastisol, that you will use to make your fishing worms. Work in an area with adequate ventilation and wear a face mask to avoid excessive inhalation of plastisol vapors.
Plastisol
Soft plastic, or plastisol, is the primary material for molding fishing worms, according to Jann's Netcraft. Plastisol is a thick white liquid that you must thoroughly mix before heating in order to ensure the quality of your fishing worms. You can mix the plastisol in its container to gather and blend any material that has settled on the bottom.
Heating the Plastisol
You must heat the plastisol until it has a clear appearance and a fluid consistency, according to Jann's Netcraft. Coat the inside of a microwave-safe bowl with vegetable oil and fill it with 1/2 cup of mixed plastisol. The vegetable oil acts as a lubricant to prevent the plastisol from sticking to the bowl as it cools. Place the bowl into the microwave and heat it for one minute. Remove the bowl and stir the plastisol before heating it for an additional 30 seconds. Stir the plastisol again and continue warming it for 30 seconds at a time for up to three minutes. Intermittent heating is a way to avoid overheating and ruining the plastisol. Mix one ounce of plastic coloring into every one gallon of plastisol, depending on what color you want for your fishing worms, according to Zeiner's Bass Shop.
Preparing the Molds
Jann's Netcraft suggests lubricating the surfaces of your fishing worm molds with vegetable oil to keep the finished worm from sticking to the mold. Fill the fishing worm mold as close to capacity as possible because plastisol can shrink as it cools, according to Zeiner's Bass Shop. Save any plastisol that may overflow from the mold, because you can re-melt it for the next time you make fishing worms.
Removing the Worms From the Molds
Leave the fishing worm in the mold for three minutes to cool. Remove the fishing worms from the mold and place them in a pan of shallow water to continue cooling. You may also lay the fishing worms straight on a flat surface such as a counter top. Coat the fishing worms with worm oil, which is a specially formulated lubricant that provides them with a scent for attracting fish. Common scents for fishing worms include anise, shrimp and crawfish, according to Zeiner's Bass Shop.
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