Leaderboard

smallie42, The release spray is worth the investment. Try it. I don't know if there's a formula for determining the melting point of an alloy, but the post below is about results from using Rotometals' 281 bismuth/tin alloy (58% bismuth/42% tin): https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/162966-six-degrees-of-separation/?tab=comments#comment-1844299 I'm assuming that you're powder painting. If so, let me pass on a source that smalljaw generously recommended to me: https://www.tjstackle.com/ I use both their fluid bed and powder with good results. When I first made the transition to lead-free, the question arose, "How do I match a 1/8 oz. jig head with existing molds when my alloys weigh only 85% (88/12) or 62% (pewter) of lead's weight?" My approach has been to match rod/reel/line to make a balanced presentation. I'll leave you with a pic of a pewter, hair and hackle football jig from a 1/4 oz. cavity: I don't think much anymore about how POed I was initially about having to make the transition to lead-free.

I use wireforms and precut lure tape when availabe. Otherwise I put some glitter in my D2L epoxy and overcoat after I cured the powder paint.

I live and fish in Massachusetts and have been pouring lead free alloys since 2012 when MA prohibited the use of lead under 1 oz. in freshwater. The alloy I use most of the time is from rotometals.com: https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free-bullet-casting-alloy-88-bismuth-12-tin/ Set the pot at "3." Do NOT heat the mold. DO coat the mold liberally with: https://barlowstackle.com/Casting-Release-Spray--P361/ Bismuth expands as it cools and this must be used to remove the finished casting from the mold. Depending on the mold, you can reasonably expect 2- 6 dozen castings before you need to spray another coat. I've been making Do-it's Poison Tails, ball jigs and Midwest Finesse jigs. Football jigs I cast from pewter but you could probably use the 88/12 as well. I powder paint at 325º for an hour for a fully cured finish. Again, you can experiment with this too, but all of the above works well for me. Feel free to post or PM for more specifics.

I do exactly what Jeff Hahn does. Most if not all the weedguards that are fuzzy on the end come from Kayser Lure. The way I solve this problem is the stick the loose stranded end into the weedguard hole first. This also keeps the strands straight. If it is a bit too tight, take off a couple of strands. Once the weedguards dry, cut off the fused end at the top. The weedguards are a bit longer than need be, so cutting them at the top is no bi deal. This is the way I do it and it seems to work.

I get my wireforms from Lure Part Online.

Done! Full gallery: https://imgur.com/a/n35iadz If you interested in purchasing any of these, you can find me under ritchietackle on ebay. Auctions for them all will be starting soon. No more of these will be made. Good luck to everyone with their tacklemaking in the future.