Thought I Was Particular

I thought I was particular about my jigs and flies until I ran across this forum. Man you guys pay some attention to detail. Heck all I do is pour my jigs. Then dip them in white paint, then dip them in the color paint I want and punch the paint out of the eye. Some of the stuff you guys are talking about doing is pretty labor intensive.

Heck I loose most of my jigs in the tree tops. I never gave much thought about the paint wearing off. I loose them way before that happens.

Below is a picture of my casting table. However I cast jigs, sinkers and bullets. I would like to see some of the casting and tying tables that some of you guys have. I bet they are pretty elaborate. Tom.

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you definitely have a good setup it looks like you have enough lead to make a zillion jigs. I do not pour my own jigs any more. I buy them already made up. I am like you I usually don't have the jig long enough in the water. We usually lose them right left on rocks here. We usually you loose about 25 to 50 every time I go out. So for myself I do not worry about the paint job either , but for my customers. I do

We think that we have to fool the fish some how. LoLs Yes I lose a bunch of jigs but this has become a labor of love and purfection. I have a ball doing this and the wife would rather see me casting,painting, and tying jigs than at the beer joint getting in trouble. Be sides I have something to show for it rather than having money down the drain so to speak. Once in a while I still get in trouble but not in a bad way and these guys can help me out. and they don't have to post bail eather.

Nice set up wish mine was that clean and organized. Do a search as there was a thread that member post there setups was jelious of some of them. We have some work to do on mine yet. But every bird finds its own nest and I do like mine.

Redman

You have a nice set up for pouring. As far as painting, my take on it is that a good paint job matters more to the fisherman than the fish. Fish can't see the detail that humans can perceive. However, they can differentiate between dark and light colors, and they detect flash, etc. Can they see some of the scale finishes that I see on some larger jigs? I don't think so, but such a finish might give the fisherman more confidence when fishing that jig. That confidence is important.

Pete

do a search in the tying forum which is this one for man caves, a few of us has them posted....

I do not cast/pour my jig heads as when I started this I needed something to do, but I just wanted the painting and tying part and that is what I have kept to. I take the heads that come to me and I clean if need be as I don't want any extra lead or even seams and I file that off. I paint and cure all of them so paint is not coming off. I am even more particular with my tying as that is the part I really love doing. I started this to have something to do and now wish I had more time for other stuff, LOL!

Skip

Welcome from Alabama Enjoy the site.

Nice set up you have. I don't pour my jigs either.
Welcome to Crappie.com

Tom

Nice setup, I love that nice pile of lead ingots you got all stacked up!!!!!!!!!! When I'm able to pour/tie/powder coat I have to take everything out set it up and when done take it all down and put it away. I'd love to have a place to leave all my molding stuff set up like that. Do you have your lead split up between fishing lures and bullets (I know from the Cast Boolits site they use a lot harder lead mix than what we use for fishing lures).

Fatman

Nice setup Hogghead. Gotta love the basement. Welcome from Middle Tennessee. I started by looking for something to do when I was housebound during the winter. Used to reload myself, and now it's all been sold and tying and pouring is taking it's place. Explosives in the house didn't work for me, and I don't have a basement. I don't have a man cave, but here's my tying desk.Keeps me busy.
Yeah Fatman, the wheel weights make great bullets from what I understand. They make good lead shot too. Doesn't deform as bad on setback after ignition. I've been told that a mix of wheel and pure makes a good jig, what do you think?

I have probably got about 1,000# of WW in those buckets under the bench that needs to be cleaned up into ingots. I have about 2,000# more of WW already in ingots and on a shelf not in the photo. As well as about 1,000# of pure lead for MZ shooting and about 400# of linotype that I use to make a blend for certain bullets.

I normally cast all my sinkers and jigs out of straight WW. That seems to work fine for me. I guess you could call me a lead scrounger. But I shoot alot of Big Bore caliber rifles and hanguns, and I cast a 525 grain bullet for my MZ's. So lead goes pretty fast. But I think I stil have enough for what I will ever need.

Yet I still scrounge lead. I have a sheet of pure lead in the bed of my truck right now that I picked up from the doctors office where they were replacing the walls in his X-Ray room. That's the "GOOD STUFF". Tom.

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Hey Hogghead where in the world did you pick up the linotype lead. That is getting as rare as hens teeth. Wish that I had that much. It has a high content of Alimony and stays bright for ever.

Redman

Fortunately I do not have to pay any "alimony". I play cards with a guy who worked for the local newspaper for many many years. He always took the "linotype"(type set) when they were throwing it away. I bet he has several thousand pounds of the stuff. But he will not sell it. You know how those old pack rats can be. However I did talk him out of several buckets of it. We rabbit hunted together for a long time. And play cards together all the time. Actually I do not blame him for not selling it. As lead and alloys get harder to find, and more regulated, the prices just keep going up. And he has a few kids. Who knows what linotype will be worth in 20 or 30 more years??

I think the term you were searching for was "antimony". I use it whenever I want to harden up some bullets for a high velocity, hard cast bullet. However I reallly do not use that much of it. I do not shoot alot of higher velocity hard cast any more. As I get older I realize slow and heavy bullets is better than hard cast and fast. Just an opinion. Tom.

Yes Hogghead I stand corrected knew what I wanted to say but that what happens to old geezers when you let the fingers do the talking. I have maybe like 40 to 50 lbs. and use it sparingly. Keep thinking that I will find a stash that had been put away some where. The thrill of the hunt. I sure it will happen someday.

Redman

Have you guys ever noticed that when we talk about the part of the house that is ours, we are usually talking about a very small corner of it. And we're glad to be able to just get that! Would love to have a man-cave one day but right now have to settle for just the mailbox.

For those of you who have a shop, you're lucky to have a place to get away. As I get older, I spend more time getting ready and making jigs than getting to fish with them. Wonderful wife and wonderful home but maybe one day.

Yes Bronson what you say is true. On the down side when you get one it can be organized for you but the wife still thinks that you should clean it out and not keep so much of that junk. So those mail box days are not all that bad.

Redman