I just got my ultra minnow mold but for the life of me I cant get the barb to come out :mad: :mad: If I preheat the heck out of the mold with a torch then the barb comes out maybe half the time. Thanks for any tips
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I just got my ultra minnow mold but for the life of me I cant get the barb to come out :mad: :mad: If I preheat the heck out of the mold with a torch then the barb comes out maybe half the time. Thanks for any tips
I just got one myself a few weeks ago.I had problems with the 1/8 filling until I started experimenting with my pouring position. My mold works fine if I fill from the right side of the hole.If I pour down the middle it doesn't fill. I don't preheat mine because with heads this size heat molds up pretty fast.
Ditto JJJ - "don't preheat mine because with heads this size heat molds up pretty fast."
Careful with the torch - could warp your mold. Trying pouring at different angles.
Are you using a bottom pour pot? Makes pouring a lot easier.
Smoke your mold with a candle. Use a cigar shaped candle. Put flame of candle at the cavity and let it suet up with carbon. From spuce to bottom of collar. You'll have to hold mold above the flame. I guess I should make some clips and put on youtube.
TT
Pouring position, and smoking the mold is good advice.
Not heating your mold with a torch is good advice too.
To preheat your mold, set it on top of your melting furnace while your lead is heating up... then when your lead is hot pour your mold 3-5 times without hooks to heat it up further.
Flux your lead with parafin or beeswax before pouring, if the smoke doesn't ignite by itself use a grill lighter to ignite it.
It sounds like your lead isn't getting hot enough to me... what type furnace are you using?
Are you using pure lead or something else?
Your mold or your lead isn't hot enough IMHO.
thanks for the tips I have a bottom pour Lee pot. I think my pour tip might be clogged can you clean it with any thing?
Just test it with a quick pull of the handle and see if the lead comes out,quick spurt,if it does'nt then there might be something in the inside of the spout.I use a teaspoon when the lead is liquid and scrape all around the bottom spout,could be a hunk of something inside,a hook,who knows.Sand if you are melting wheel weights.
Soft Lead, I understand, is the biggie in pouring this mold .. along with all the good avice above.
JSC
That is the main reason to flux your lead with these pots!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by MO QWACK
Turn your pot on and turn the heat up to about 7 1/2 maybe 8, then take a piece of candle wax about the size of a 1/4 oz jig head (bigger won't hurt) and gently drop it in the pot. You will need something to stir the pot with as soon as you put the wax in, I use a wooden handled garden trowel. You will the want to quickly but gently stir your lead, scrape the sides and the bottom with the trowel! Be prepared for a flame when the wax ignites while stiring! When you're finished stirring there will be a bunch of junk floating on the top of your lead, skim it off with your wooden handled trowel or whatever. You will now have nice shiny lead in your pot! Flux your pot every time you add more lead!
As for the nozzle being stopped up, pout some of your clean lead thru the nozzle into your mold without any hooks 3 or 4 times. Then take a piece of wire or an old jig and straighten the hook and mash down the barb, run it up inside your nozzle and wiggle it around scraping the sides. Then pour your mold without hooks again once or twice... this should take care of any clogs in the nozzle and the fluxing will take care of clogs inside the pot.
Since you have a bottom pour pot, set your mold on top of your pot when you turn it on to help heat it. Then pour it 2 or 3 times without hooks to finish heating it before pouring with hooks. You can gently put the leads without hooks back in the pot when you take them from the mold.
There was a post on this mold at Tackle Underground. Cadman pours alot of them and he and others determined the biggest cause was that you had to use PURE LEAD in the mold.
Warm the mold and hooks but use pure lead. I'd preheat the mold by pouring lead with no hooks.
Some folks leave lead in their pots and let it cool, but personnally I don't. I clean my pot after every session. works for me as I've been using it for 25+ years.
Fatman