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I am ready to attempt pouring my own jigs...1/32 and 1/16 to start...any tips or hints on what to avoid and/or to do while poring to get a good mold.
I am using a Lee production pot and a Do-It mold.
Also what is the best type of paint to use to color a jig? I catch alot on just the plain leadheads you get from BPS...but I am partial to orange, yellow and red jigheads at times.
Is it easier to paint by hand or some type of dipping method?
some tips i would be sure to oil your mold before every use. and sometimes during it. also if your LEE is a bottom pouring then don't lift the handle hardly at all. Also be sure to pour a ton of the bars on the one side to warm the mold. this will make for a even flow of lead.
as for the paint i would use powder paints by pro tec it is a very easy clean way of painting and also the colors are great.
What kind of oil?Quote:
Originally Posted by Saline Lake Jigs
I would venture to say the wd-40 and hot lead would not be a good mix.
Dont oil the mold, oil the hinges of the mold. I use pneumatic air tool oil, but any top quality oil'll work.
WD-40 is a solvent not an oil.
Tip.
Wear eye protection.
Learn you mold and how it pours.
Tilt slightly forward to fill in the hook holder notch.
Use 'clean' soft lead. If you don't have, clean it by melting, scraping off all the sludge from the top, then pouring into smaller pieces. Use the small pieces to pour. Either buy a DoIt piece to make the smaller pieces or use a small cup cake tray.
Smoke your mold cavities with a candel.
Preheat mold and hooks before use.
Read doit and Lee instructions carefully.
and most of all
BE CAREFUL!
i dont pour bars in my molds...i just sit my mold on top of the pot for awhile...also take a candle and smoke your mold to get the best jig heads
I keep my mold hot by sitting it on top of the pot too. Works great.
I'm with Hook-up,he covered about everything.Pro-tec powder paint works great and BASS PRO SHOPS should have the colors you need to start.Get a catalog from Barlow's,Stamina and Netcraft and look them over. They have everything else you may need,molds,paint,jighooks,etc.
Do it for the love of it, not to save money. But it will give you a good feeling when you catch on your own creations.
PM me for my address if you need a Quality Control Tech.
I pour,paint,and tie my own jigs and and like these guys said you dont do it to save money you do it for the enjoyment i just get a quart of motor oil like 10-30 and an old metal coffe can and dump some of the oil in it then when im dun with that mold i just quinch the hing in the oil that i put in the coffee can and then wipe off the excess and then i use pro-tech powder paint to paint them and then i tie em and mabey this weekend ill get to use some of them :D
Some thoughts on pouring – no necessarily in order…
Start with a CLEAN, well lit, area (a dedicated spot with plenty of ventilation) with everything laid out before plugging the pot.
Safety glasses, apron, and gloves are highly recommended.
Wash your hands all the time.
No fluids around your pouring area.
Do-it web site has some excellent safety/pouring info.
Block out your pouring time – no visitors, calls, and especially no kids.
You said that you got a production pot – wise move – bottom feed is probably the safest way to pour. Do not try to move the stem until your lead is completely melted. The stem will not seat correctly if the lead is not completely melted – you can have a real problem.
I use an ingot mold for “drip pan”. Every once in awhile you might have to tweak the stem - to keep the pot from dripping.
If your lead is turning blue or you are getting too much slag – turn your heat down – lead is hotter than it needs to be.
I don’t smoke my molds (have bought some that have been smoked), never had to. If you tilt your molds (allows gas to escape from the mold), pre heat, and use soft/clean lead you should have good pours.
A small magnet is very useful for picking up loose hooks – like the ones that are on antennas. Hemostats, slotted screwdriver (for the stem), and small vise grips with a T pin (to clean the pour spout occasionally) are good tools to have close by.
I use high temp grease, if it’s necessary, to lube a mold – like mine kind of tight. I use WD-40 to free up rusted hinge pins (ebay buys).
After a few pours the mold is going to be hot – be careful when you are placing hooks – this is when you start getting fast.
Don’t use your pot for cleaning lead – especially wheel weights, too much foreign matter.
I leave an almost completely filled pot when I’m done. Keeps the pot rust down and it’s ready for the next time to pour.
I find powder painting the easiest but do use fingernail polish for ultra-lite stuff.
Be careful and safe, no short cuts (quickest way to the hospital). Go slow – except when you are putting hooks on a hot mold – LOL.
Like the others have said, it is very important to have your mold up to temperature when you begin pouring. A cold mold will result in the cavitiies not filling properly. I always warm my molds with a Propane torch before I begin pouring and do a couple of test pours without hooks in the mold to make sure the cavities fill completely. Once your test pours look good, place your hooks in the mold and get busy. You always want to make sure your lead in the pot is fully heated as well. If you add new lead, you always want to give it a few minutes before you attempt to pour. And like the others have said, a drop or two of oil on the hinge pin of your mold from time to time will keep it in good working order.
As far as painting goes, I am partial to Powder Painting. I think it gives you the most durable, best looking finish. I use Pro-Tec powder mainly, but have used other brands and had good results with all that I have used.
Thanks for the tips....I want to start making heads not to save money (I can buy alot of jigheads for the cost getting started), but as a hobby to do after hunting season. I reload and it a great feeling when you kill a deer with a bullet you loaded, and I will one day take it to the next step and start tying my own jigs.
Don't for get to flux your lead use pariffin wax pc. bought the size of a quater throw it on top of the lead when it smokes light it with match stirr the lead with a old spoon scrape all the slag of the top that rises your ready to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flatfish46
AMEN !!!!
Good List of things by LedHed and others ... FOLLOW THEM !!!
JSC
:)
Dutch, what mold(s) are you using? Some are more user friendly than others.