Hooks and Mold?

Ok guys, I got my order of molds in and Lee pot! I have melted my lead down and fluxed...that was an interesting ordeal being my first time and poured lead in muffin pan for ingots! Now I heated my lead in Lee pot and just started pouring empty cavity over and over until I could get a consistent jig head...no problem! Now my problem is "How in the world do you get those small hooks to fit in a hot mold with big gloves on????? By the time I got hooks in mold and tried to pour....mold was cold and they didn't pour so well! How does everybody else do it? I figure as of right now to put seven hooks in mold that i could melt 10lbs of lead down with a lighter before getting hooks in place! Lol.

Not sure what kind of mold you have. I have Do-it molds, never wear gloves. It doesn't take to many scorched fingers to get fast at putting the hooks in!! I don't actually try to place it in the cavity, I place the hook next to the cavity and slide it in place. Before long someone will come along with better advice. But that's the way I do it.

I don't wear a glove while placing the hooks into the molds. Doesn't take long to get fast at moving your fingers away from the hot mold, like Redge said :)

No way to do it with gloves i place the hook in the mold and adjust it into the right spot by keeping my fingers on top of the hook by doing that my fingers really don't touch the hot mold,i can pour up to 1000 that way before i have to let the mold cool down some.Like everything else it takes alot of trial and error plus experience to get it down but stick with it and you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Thanks guys! I will just start practicing putting them in.

I grab the hook by the the bite/shank and stick the 90* angle/eye into the mold. Then any final alignments I just slide into place. I actually have found "loading" my hand with the hooks a certain way works even better and quicker. I use the top of the mold when pouring just as much as the cavities. I continuous pour and keep them all tied together, so they pop out of the mold in one piece. I've found that in doing this I get almost no misses, complete barbs or details and break-off is way faster.

I lay the mold flat on it's side and take off one glove and load the mold. Close it while it's on it's side and hold it then pour your lead, I tap the sprues if hard pull em out and reload.

When I'm pouring I usually have 4-5 different molds going so it doesn't really let the molds cool down too much. Pour all cavities on one let the jigs stay in pour another mold ... it's just repetition over and over.

Trust me once you get used to it you'll pour quick

These guys are right, ditch the gloves. Keep you finger tip on the hook and you will do fine, push the hook in place and dont concern yourself about perfect set. Practice and apply what you learn. Pour on my friend.

I hold the hook by the bend and with the other hand put a tiny bit of pressure on the 90* bend and set it into the mold, holding the pressure on the 90, while lowering the bend into place. This works well for me with a little practice.

Nice info.

Grab the bend and align jig eye into area then drop. I rotate jig molds after about 500. No gloves. I do use a small clamp on do-it molds to not fatigue wrist if I plan on pouring several hundred.

Need a good pair of tweezers!!!

I don't wear gloves either. I just guide it in with my finger. After several years the tip of the index finger gets pretty tough.

I was going to start a thread for this, and found this!! Awesome!! Great info guys.

Buy some cole slaw and some BBQ sauce, for when your fingers slow cook for several hours. Finger lickin good !
SORRY ~~~ I COULDN'T RESIST.
I burn my fingers a lot too.:fish

just like learning to play guitar... after time, you get a thick callus on finger tip. Once that happens, you can pour for hours on end.


Or like Jackie said, get some tweezers.

:cheers2