I purchased Mend-it (a soft plastic bait repair “glue”) from Chark-bait.com and received a 1 oz. plastic bottle (12.00 plus 8.50 for standard shipping). Expensive, but if it worked as well as advertised it could save $$ in the long run. The first time I used it I was impressed. The second time I used it I was not so impressed, because it had thickened up considerably but still worked, the third time (supposed to be a charm, right?) it had thickened up so much I couldn’t get it out of the bottle.
Tonight (Jan 7, 2011) I spoke to Will Hesch, the owner of Central Coast Bass Fishing (the manufacturer of Mend-it) in Atascadero,
CA. He informed me that the problem is caused by the plastic bottle. The chemical is actually slowly evaporating THROUGH the bottle, NOT through a poor seal in the cap, which is what I thought.
He informed me that if I could get ahold of some MEK (methyl-ethyl-ketone or Butanone) about ½ tsp max, well mixed will return it to as-new condition. He suggested a hardware or paint store type paint can shaker for about 2 min.
If you want to try the product, I found it to be the cheapest (including postage) through him at
www.menditglue.com. 1 oz $12 plus $5 shipping. And they have changed the packaging to a glass bottle with a brush-in-cap style applicator. In the glass the chemical can’t evaporate like with the plastic bottle and it should last a looooooong time. They also have a ½ oz. bottle for $7.
And, No I’m not getting paid for this.
My grandson found a plastic worm at the Avery Pond boat ramp this past Saturday. It was pretty hacked up. I used the "Mend It" stuff from charkbait and if it weren't for the "scars" it would be like new.