where do you guys get your lead? dad got a big pile years ago from an agriculture auction. it was used as a counter balance on some kind of scale. wel, i finally used up my share this winter and i dont know where to look to find more. any ideas?
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where do you guys get your lead? dad got a big pile years ago from an agriculture auction. it was used as a counter balance on some kind of scale. wel, i finally used up my share this winter and i dont know where to look to find more. any ideas?
You should be able to find some at the scrap yards that buy metals.Also look for some roofers in the area as they always have some laying around.Good luck.
I never get mine from just one source. I collect lead from old batteries, find it while fishing, maybe find some on the job, this year I'll be using my metal detector during drought scanning for lead along the banks.
I Get Mine From Jiffy Lube"grease Money,"etc...any Tire ,and Autos...good Luck Bud"dont Forget To Add Tin,nickel"and Maybe Some old Timers Still Use Bees Wax"better Pour"lil Smoke"but Gets It Did"!;)
Grubs":d
Check wit the tire dealers in ya area...
mikeb
grubfarmer, i didnt quite follow that...
tire stores are a great idea.
i had a buddy in seattle whos father did commercial demolition. in the 80s they demoed a hospital and he managed to salvage plenty of 2 inch thick panels that were in an old x-ray room. those guys have lead for life. he has a pile 4' high with grass growing all up around it behind his barn!
Some of the bigger tire places won't give them out even for money, so check small independent garages. Check local muzzle loader groups they usually scrounge lead big time.
I'm lucky in that I've never had to buy it. I've got 2 independent garages that know what I want and save it for me. Pure is a little tougher to come by in my area but my landlord had a pile of old water pipe laying around and I helped get rid of a bunch of it.
Make it a point to play with different mix's 1-1, 2-1 etc. I've got a few molds even down to 1/32nd that I don't have to use pure in and it saves the pure for those that will only pour with it.
Fatman
Wheel weights are a lead/tin mix, good for nothing but wheel balancing. Pure lead in big quantities can come from roofing companies, scrap yards, and the trades. Gun ranges sometimes have it, or in certain industries where lead is used in counter balance systems. Or such I do sometimes, a rinsed and dried automotive battery can contain 10's of pounds of pure clean lead.
Back to crappie
Don't discount all wheelweights, like I said the small independent shops are still using the old style wheel weights and I'd sure as heck stock up on them while you can. Like I put in my last post I taught the guys exactly what I was looking for and that's what they save for me but I still check it.
Drive my wife nuts when I start cleaning lead.
I have a buddy in the town I work who went to a junk yard and the guy let him got through and take all the tire weights off the rims of junk cars he wanted for nothing!!!!!!!!!!! Three days later and a might still back he just recently cleaned and smelted it. 700 LBS. three days and 700 free lbs yeah I would sure take it!!!!!!!!!!
Fatman
Is it worth pouring your own jigheads and going threw all that work? I get my jigheads for 7 cents a piece. I bet by the time you buy the lead and the hooks you probly pay that anyway no?
JJ
Yes you can buy jigs, but you miss the pleasure of pouring your own. It is better than sitting in a chair watching TV. Works both ways for all of us.
Chuck
I will just buy my heads painting them putting on eyes and the tying them is more then enough to keep me from watching tv. Plus I pour precious metals all day at work (refinery) I dont feel like doing it at home to.
JJ
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiggin_Joe
At 7 cents a piece no it's not worth pouring. Whoever is selling you those is either a good friend, or in my opinion not charging enough. I pour about 1000 lbs of lead a year, and nowhere in my price book would I sell a jig with a hook for 7 cents........You got a great deal going there, hold onto it.
CadmanQuote:
Originally Posted by cadman
The way I see it and I might be wrong but if you are selling your product at a lower price (where only talking 0.02 and 0.03 less) than the competitor and you are making 20 times more sales than the competitor who is waiting on Mr. Money Bags to come by and purchase his items (usually higher cost, poorer quality). Who is making the money that is to made out there? I would have to go with the guy at the lower price as long as the product is good, might be more work involved in making the money, but the guy selling for less is also more likely to have a larger clientele or return customer rate just because he is providing a great product at a lower price than the competitor's.
There is a saying that I have heard allot since coming into this forum and you hear it more in the jig tying / jig making forum than anywhere else I think it goes like this "SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE".
Well I think a good business man carries that over to his products as far as pricing is concerned. Lower pricing can equal larger sales resulting in more profit money.
Oh by the way there are a number of places you can get poured unpainted jigs for $0.07 a jig and they probably pour as much lead as you do a year granted they may be ball head jigs but they work pretty well for what I use them for, and yes they are on there books for $0.07 ea perhaps that is why they are having a hard time keeping up with there orders.
I would have to ask myself if pricing really has anything to do with it? But than I remembered a phase a buddy of mine used to answer a question like that with all the time "THAT'S A NO BRAINER". You always go with the lower price if there is no difference in the quality of the product.
And that is my $0.02 yes I was bored should have been painting and tying some of those $0.07 jigs instead
If you had to go out and buy lead, molds and hooks and other parts if used a jig might cost 7 cents, but more likely 50 cents to 1.50 each.
Now I own my molds have for over 20 years so I consider them paid for. I've never had to buy lead so that is a free source also so those right now are considered no cost items for me, they have paid for themselves many times over. Hooks even regular Mustad 32756 are $23.80 that makes a jig I cast from those hooks 2.4 cents each - so yes my jigs are CHEAP!!! even using sickle hooks they run 6 cents each still cheap, BUT that's because I've paid for it over the years.
I gotta agree with Cad here, if getting jigs at 7 cents you got one heck of a good buddy or they aren't charging you enough. And if those jigs contain any kind of sickle hook you're getting one hell of a steal!!!!!!!!!
Fatman
Doc Crappie,Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc Crappie
I don’t disagree with your statement. There are several scenarios that probably play out here. First of all my work is top notch, and is no better than most other guys that pour jigs, whether it’s raw jigs or completed painted jigs. I’ve also seen a lot of sloppy pouring, which end result becomes bad paint jobs. You can’t get a good paint job with bad pours. With that said, scenarios play out like this. For those that sell high quality jigs for lesser cost and make up for it by volume is fine. On the other hand I stay very busy. I also sell high quality jigs for a lot more. Why would I sell for less and make up in volume, when I can sell for more and work less. There are a lot of guys that are willing to pay a lot for jigs; it depends on which market you’re after. I on the other hand do not sell a lot of crappie jigs, they are a convenience item for my customer nothing else. If they want them I have them, and what I charge is what it is. This is just the way I look at it, I’m not saying I’m right, but that is my thinking. Why work harder for less. I know there are guys who charge less than I do and that’s fine. I do not intend to compete with those guys, because I’m not going into a bidding war with people. Someone will always do it for less than I can and that’s fine with me. In closing I always try to get as much as I can for my services, and my quality and service if you speak to any of my customers is impeccable. All my work is by word of mouth and referrals. I do not advertise or have a web site, and I still am very busy with a backlog, that has to stand for something, as I’ve been doing this for 6 years. Just my 2 cents worth.
not a buddy just check out places like chuckanddeb.com Fishing tackle see what ya think I have been buying from them along time and have had no problems.
I used to think that painting the heads would be a pain so bought them allready done then decide to give it a try so I can see that pouring your own would bring alot of enjoyment just cant see paying alot to get started and the pain of finding lead.
JJQuote:
Originally Posted by Jiggin_Joe
I do enjoy pouring and painting my own jigs, and yes the initial cost to start up is expensive. I originally started to make them for myself and friends, and then it just progressed and expanded from there...........Thanks for the link, there are some things in there that I am interested in buying from them, and yes they do have some phenominal prices.
I work public job,have my own business(MIke's Repair Service),Have 2 rental houses,the home we live in and a small garden.WHEW!!
Here is another scenerio....I love to paint and tie mainly crappie jigs.I don't have time to pour the jig heads,then paint and then tie.I have plent of lead in my shop(tire balancer). Just a lot easyer and faster to order what I want and go to painting and tieing..:D
I do quality work in my shop and charge for it also.
All that being said there is a place for everybody and their work.:D
"If eveybody liked the same thing,it would be a mighty boring world!!!"
(Ya'll can use my quote ifin ya want) :D:D:eek:
Have fun is the main thing,mikeb
Looking at ebay lately I've seen some deals for 200 to 1000 unfinished jigs
200 UNPAINTED JIG HEADS 1/32 OZ HOOK SIZE 6 Gold - eBay (item 110380602636 end time May-27-09 23:59:00 PDT)
I hope folks aren't getting cheap jigs made in China over ones folks here are making. They can say they've used Eagle Claw hooks but I'd like to see the proof.
Fatman
"I hope folks aren't getting cheap jigs made in China over ones folks here are making. They can say they've used Eagle Claw hooks but I'd like to see the proof."
Fatman I him with you ... go into any tackle shop and check out the packages on where they are made .... many .. many are made in China all sizes, shapes and descriptions
Things change .. much to my sorrow.
JSC
:mad: