I was making some 3/8 and 1/2 oz jig heads/w barbs tonight. Most were coming out with the barbs/keepers. Only was getting 1 out of 6 or 7 jigs that would come out right. Mold was plenty hot, anybody have any ideas?
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I was making some 3/8 and 1/2 oz jig heads/w barbs tonight. Most were coming out with the barbs/keepers. Only was getting 1 out of 6 or 7 jigs that would come out right. Mold was plenty hot, anybody have any ideas?
Wrong lead, wrong hooks, wrong temps, wrong pouring angle, wrong lead pot or just a bad mold. LOL Really need some more info on what exactly you are doing.
I had a similar problem pouring the other day, I found out that with my 1/16 oz I had to poor fast because I was using the wrong size hook. Pouring fast made the jig come out good.
Pure lead? Maybe make sure you lead is as pure as possible. Try giving the mold cavities a shot of release agent so the lead flows quicker and slicker in those hard to fill areas.
Pouring out of a ladle or a bottom pour? Ladle would probably be best for that big a head. Can you post a pic of what your getting?
Yes I can post pics tonight. I was pouring out of a bottom pour pot.
Got the pot full of lead? You need a near full pot to force the lead from the nozzle under pressure from the weight.
Try using baby power on your mold, and use a little zinc in your lead.
I use candle smoke to help the lead flow smooth. I also have a couple of molds that I have to pour directly into the gate or they come out inconsistent. The smoke made a big difference, especially on the smaller heads.
I pour and sell thousands of jigs every year over 1/2 oz. I've never had good luck with that size of jig and a bottom pour pot. I do all of mine with a ladle. I have found a few things that can cause issues and ways to combat it.
I find that some molds (depending on the sprue opening) need to be poured faster than others. I also find that angling the mold towards me (hinge side up, handle side down) yields a better result. I use hooks that are not designed for certain molds (like Matzuo sickle hooks) and have needed to alter my molds to accommodate the longer leg from the eye to the bend. On my 5/8 oz mold (which will pour six) I can only pour 5 jigs when using a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. I also altered the section where the eye of the hook goes so I can really only pour 3 of those at one time.