I've been making DIY pill head jigs

When started tying only 2 years ago, I really wanted to make nice looking jigs. Sometimes the cost of materials, and jigs, or any type lure is just so expensive.

Now, I'm still a cheapskate, so when I saw pill head jigs for the first time, I wanted some, but prices for me were a bit much.

I now make DIY ball head jigs into pill head jigs...price is right and I get to practice making nice looking jigs or at least acceptable jigs. Maybe I'm not the only one doing this. I'd love to see others who have some.

Here are some I made, ready to tie up tonight...and some I've tied....Attachment 412787Attachment 412788Attachment 412789Attachment 412790Attachment 412791Attachment 412792

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Originally Posted by hankll

When I started tying only 2 years ago, I really wanted to make nice looking jigs. Sometimes the cost of materials, and jigs, or any type lure is just so expensive. I tried alternative materials, with not much satisfaction.

Now, I'm still a cheapskate, so when I saw pill head jigs for the first time, I wanted some, but prices for me were a bit much.

I now make DIY ball head jigs into pill head jigs...price is right and I get to practice making nice looking jigs or at least acceptable jigs. Maybe I'm not the only one doing this. I'd love to see others who have some.

Here are some I made, ready to tie up tonight...and some I've tied....Attachment 412787Attachment 412788Attachment 412789Attachment 412790Attachment 412791Attachment 412792

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Love it! I use to years ago. Would make them in my table top vice.

I bought a bunch of cheapo ebay jig heads last year, and about half of them had heads that were loose on the hook. Squeezing them in a vice like you did gets the head tight to the hook, and I really like the looks of them.

Nice jigs!

Nice. I have done this before too and usually works good, just don’t flatten to a pancake….lol. I use the flat part of needle nose pliers. I found the hardest part for me was getting them consistent.

I have flattened them with pliers so that I could put eyes on them

Looks like he is using pliers. Leaves little grooves which are then concealed by the 3D eyes.



When I first started crappie fishing I figured it would be cheaper to just buy my junk. That didn’t really work out for me as I started wanting things I couldn’t buy. Thanks for sharing you work with us.

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Originally Posted by Micanopy

Looks like he is using pliers. Leaves little grooves which are then concealed by the 3D eyes.



When I first started crappie fishing I figured it would be cheaper to just buy my junk. That didn’t really work out for me as I started wanting things I couldn’t buy. Thanks for sharing you work with us.

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I do use pliers, and the consistency was a problem. I'm working on a pair of pliers where the jaws are producing the dimpled flat spot for the eyes and producing the round circumference more consistently.
I'll show my results when I get the pliers done.

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Do you heat the heads or is the lead soft enough that you don't have to? Nicely done.

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Originally Posted by hankll

I do use pliers, and the consistency was a problem. I'm working on a pair of pliers where the jaws are producing the dimpled flat spot for the eyes and producing the round circumference more consistently.
I'll show my results when I get the pliers done.

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A setscrew through the handle of the pliers could make them pretty consistent

Good looking ties. :ThumbsUp

Nice innovative work!
For more consistency, you could tape the correct sized drill bit (or even an Allen wrench) to one side of the jaws to make them all the same thickness. This would even work in a vice if you have one. A woodworking vice has a nice smooth surface and would avoid the ridges.


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I use a.very old soft jaw vise. Flattens them but leaves no imprint.

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Originally Posted by MCG1

Do you heat the heads or is the lead soft enough that you don't have to? Nicely done.

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Lead is soft enough you can turn head on side and tap with a hammer or pinch with pliers/vice to give head flat sides.

I use to use pliers to flatten the heads but now I use a cheap drill table vise I got from Harbor Freight. I works great.

I used a vice for a drill press that had flat jaws. Just turn the handle to the same spot every time and you have the consistency.

Like the ingenuity. I wonder how a pair of Vice Grips with the jaws ground smooth would work.

I suspect he is flattening so he can add eyes, and he uses large eyes, which would mean that the tool marks are not seen later.

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Originally Posted by Timbertodd

Like the ingenuity. I wonder how a pair of Vice Grips with the jaws ground smooth would work.

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Better than grinding a good tool, take a pair of small pieces of metal and clean the jaw pads and put a dab of rtv or silicone on them. Put the metal where you want them and close the jaws and go to bed. Should hold enough to do enough for a while. If you watch the yard sales or maybe harbor freight, you could find a small vise that would make things real easy.

I use to use a cheap ex-long needle pliers I got from Harbor Freight. I was the only thing I found with smooth jaws.

On my vice I can remove the jaw faces and flip them over to the smooth side and reattach. Handy for any thing you don't want marks on.

I bought pliers with have smooth jaws to do this, maybe the same kind you would use on some plated nut to tighten without damaging it. No trouble with lines or anything.

Skip

A regular set of pliers will put the flats on at an angle.

Parallel jaw pliers would make the flats Parallel like standard pill head jigs

You could probably hang several, (however many the width of the vise will allow), off of a strip magnet and get them mashed all at one squeeze. Just a thought.

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Originally Posted by MCG1

Do you heat the heads or is the lead soft enough that you don't have to? Nicely done.

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No, at present I clamp them with a standard pair of pliars, then hit that with a hammer to flatten to the size I want. I've done this with jigs as small S 1/64 and was able to put the same eyes on that I use for 1/32 and 1/16.

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Originally Posted by Micanopy

I suspect he is flattening so he can add eyes, and he uses large eyes, which would mean that the tool marks are not seen later.

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Yes sir, exactly...plus the grooves are covered up by the powder coat paint as well.

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What are parallel jaw pliers? I am an idiot LOL

flymoron

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Originally Posted by DockShootinJack

A regular set of pliers will put the flats on at an angle.

Parallel jaw pliers would make the flats Parallel like standard pill head jigs

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https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/...AC_SL1500_.jpg

Those are parallel pliers. I found them at Amazon.

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Originally Posted by Jamesdean

Those are parallel pliers. I found them at Amazon.

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Thanks for the info, I ordered a pair


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