i remember the method mix someone came out with in a mag a few years ago.....something along the lines of 5kg response pellets, 3 bottles of activator, bottle of hookbait enhancement, condensed milk and a few other bits and bobs. thats well over ?50 for the method mix......better be good!
out of interest, why do you want to make them soft? they'll be pretty soft within 30 mins of going in the water, and some baits go crumbly when re-hydrated.
one of the origional reasons was to mask silt smells, but then bloodworm smell of silt, dont they?
thought you were going to say whack em with a meat tenderiser then.
if they are really really really hard why not just drill one before you stick it on the hair.