Thread: Jig heads ...

Steve take a pair of smooth inside edge needle nose and squeeze the eyelet and it should crack it enough to get it off. I don't like heating a wire and pushing through it - I feel it leaves a sharp edge that can cut your line.

Yep I've made that mistake before.

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Yep. Made that same mistake myself. Now I make it a habit to clean the eyes
before I put the jigs on the rack in the pans I've made.
Do like the idea by "Fatman". Gonna have to pick up a pair of those pliers.
Tight lines - Dave

Easiest way to get paint that has baked on the eye is get a bodkin that has a thin needle at least for the first 1/2" and I use a cheap one for this, but I just use a Bic lighter and heat the first 1/2" and stick it through while it's in my vise and jet before I tie it. It will melt the past right out and one scrape with a thumb nail on each side and it's nice and ready! No need for pliers or anything else. I have used the same bodkin that probably cost me $3.00 for over 10 years doing this same thing. It's fast and easy! If you can't find a cheap bodkin for this I would say get a really large needle and put a wood handle on it and use that like I do this bodkin. So all you need is a sharp item of metal that you can heat up with a Bic and stick it through the eye!

Skip

I got them cleaned out with a hot bodkin and a pin vice what a pain in the arse to do ...
Steve-stabgnid

Steve what I do is when I dip the heads in paint I have some tooth picks that I took a knife to so they will fit through the eye and I stick that thought the eye before it's even cool and that way I have very few that I need to clean out before I tie. Now every once ion a while I may have to stick the eye back in the flame for just a second to heat back up if it takes me too long to get the paint out, but that's not usually how it goes. I admit getting set up is a pain, but I have used the same set of tooth picks for many years now and each color has at least one tooth pick with it's color on it. I keep them in a small jar that lets the ends stand out above the rim. I clean the tooth picks with my thumb nail as I get paint out of the eyes while painting. Don't think many do this like I do, but it works well for me and once use to doing this, it becomes just part of the routine and fits well.

Skip

I place a plastic tube over the eyes before dipping.

Originally Posted by canebreaker

I place a plastic tube over the eyes before dipping.

Having a hard time visualizing that. Maybe it's because I head the head in flame and then dip that I can't see something plastic not melting.

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