How do you keep powder paint out of hook eyes?

I look at you guys' jigs and I don't see a speck of paint on the hook eye! I have to clean mine out right after the dip.

How do you do it? Hold the jig by the eye with the hemostat?

Thanks.

Yes, or needlenosed pliers. Easy and will save you lots of work.

I hold them by the bend of the hook, swish em through the power and then stick a wire through the hook eye before while the powder is still hot.

What you see are the finished jigs of course, that have had their eyes cleaned before the final cure. :)


I use a toaster oven and work at the proper temp (lowest possible) so that I get the thinner coat that leaves the eyes open. I work right on the edge where the powder sticks to all the lead or not. That leaves my eyes open on hooks size 6 and larger. On size 8s it is a little touchier and more cleaning is needed. The right temp has the hook metal cooling off just that little bit faster than the lead in the jig head; so the hook eye either picks up little or even no paint when dipped. If I can see through the eye after the dip then it will stay open and smooth out during the cure and I find that acceptable. The thinner coat, as long as it completely covers the lead, also results in just as tough a finish when cured but will not have the dripping nose that has to be dabbed away. The cure process finishes any incomplete melt from the initial dip and hardens off the finish; so I don't worry about getting a full melt right at the point of dipping as long as a get a good powder cover that survives the tap; if not I just reheat that particular jig and try it again.

I use a needle nose and grab the hook bend and leave the eye alone unless I got my heat too high and need to clean an eye or so. Then I adjust my heat a bit down.

Dip right or use a fluid bed and you'll get better at it. Seriously nothing is fool proof - although I've not had to clean many with the right angle into the fluid bed. Practice and clean out any that need it before curing.

Thanks for the advice.

no1son -- I think you hit the nail on the head...my jigheads were way too hot. I was holding them for a 12-second count over the alcohol burner. I lowered my heating time in 2-second increments and found that I got good paint coverage at ONLY 4-seconds! With much, much less paint in the hook eye. I still run a wire through it but it's not nearly as gummed up as before.

I did try holding the hook by the eye, but I had to clean the hemostat after every dip otherwise the eye would get full from the previously-collected paint on the hemostat. That powder paint can get into the tiniest places (the serrations in the hemostat).

Never really worried about it. If the paint is loose or using a fluid bed, the eye clog is minimal and can be gotten out easily with a commercially made jig eye paint getter outer thing lol another hook lol. I suppose if you're selling it's a big deal, but even jig heads I see in stores are clogged usually.

You wan to make sure that the jig eye is cleaned out before you cure them or it is a bear to clean them out. If they do clog during the heating process, take a piece of wire and heat it up red hot. The run it all the way through the jig eye. This will melt the paint in the jig eye and give it a smooth finish.

If you're dipping and the powder isn't glazed but still powdery on the jig use a small piece of mr clean eraser with a slit in it and run the eye in it, cleans it right out. Even ones I do get paint in and lately with the fluid beds it's a whole lot less I have an old pair of smooth jaw needle nose and just close it around the eye and pull cleans em right off.