EironBreaker

Maybe using a bottom pour pot would make things different but I use a hot pot to pour from over the side. I position the wire form and hook where I want them, close and then use my thumb to put pressure on the wire form sticking out of the mold which holds it in place and I can also keep the wire centered in the mold. Don't need to mess with anything else.

I think you could use a touch of red RTV silicone to build up the slot a little but I've never done it. Others may be able to help you on this. I've poured many 3/8 and 1/2 SBs with .035 wire and didn't have a problem. Are you getting a little lead running out the wire? Depending on how pure your lead is, you may not get any to run into the slot.

Like it has been said, you can mix your own color combinations to get the shade you like. Just have to write down what you did to be able to replicate it. I think if a guy is that picky about a shade of watermelon, then he is too picky because I'm sure the fish don't really care. If they did, why do they eat a jig with 90% of the paint beat off of it and just few strands of skirt left hanging on? That's the beauty of making your own stuff, you made it to your liking and that will give you more confidence. And confidence is 99% of catching fish. Have fun with it!

If you have a Harbor Freight close to you, they have flat black that is awesome stuff. They also have white, red and yellow I believe. I've only used the flat black but it was cheap and covers really well. I think others on here have used the white. I have about 1/2 gallon of white left so it will be awhile before I need more but will try HF white. Just a thought to save you a little $$. I just bought some powder paint from Cadman and dipped some lures last night. Green pumpkin, brown and silver. Haven't fished them yet but whacking them on the concrete floor didn't do any damage so I think I'll be good to go. He has paint by the pound at a great price.

Their rattle bands are the only ones I use or make for people. The ears are tougher than the black ones I've tried from different sources. Nothing is foolproof but those are the ones I like. But as far as bands, I only use black bands from Kayser Lure Co. Most consistently sized and aren't prone to rot or break. They are very tight also. The other color bands seem to release in time, then they break.

livingrubber.com has them. Both just the bands and the rattle bands.

Nice job Derek! That your version of the Sluyter jig?

I've always used a Lee Hot Pot for all of my pouring. I've tried bottom pour pots but hated fighting with the drips and plugs. Maybe I'll buy one of the high dollar pots in the future. Anyways, I have no problem pouring spinnerbaits or buzzbaits with the Hot Pot. There is no fighting with the wire forms. As far as painting, I do it right after pouring and snipping the lead so the lead is still hot. I keep a propane bottle/torch running on the bench so I can wave the lead through it to keep the right temperature before dipping. For spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, I keep about a pound of paint in a gallon zip-loc bag. Shake it up before opening to fluff it and then roll down the sides of the bag so the paint is accessible. I position the bag so when I swish the head through it, the bottom of the bag is parallel to the head so you have enough room to work without hitting the frame or the hook on the bag. Swish quickly back and forth to coat. Then I flick the frame or hook immediately with my fingernail to knock off any excess paint. I also slide the frame and hook shank through my finger to clean it on some colors. As long as you focus your heat on the lead head you won't get but a touch of paint to stick to the hook or the wire frame. It takes a little practice to know how long to heat it in the flame but once you get on a roll and do a few it is easy. I've also tried the paint cups with air but find my process takes more of the hassle out of it. At least for me. I had a buddy who did spin casting and then electro painting. He could do a lot of heads at once to paint but once painted, he had to go back and blow off the hook shanks and wire frames. A lot of wasted powder paint and extra time. I'm sure there are better ways for productivity but for the small guy I think what I do works pretty good. I can pour and paint a spinnerbait or a buzzbait in about 40-45 seconds from load to load.

Ted I have those. Just used the 6/0 last night. Want to make a trade? It took me forever to get some of the 6/0 in.

If I get the guards from Kayser Lure Co, that works fine - pulling off a couple strands. I get most from Fishingskirts and they are fused differently. A little more fused part generally. I keep a knife handy to trim them down if need be. Just thought I'd ask. I'm down to 3 pins so I need to make an order Ted. I might try some powder paint from you also. I'll get in touch with you when I get back in town after next week.

Do they wear out? I have a set that I've had for a number of years, I can't say specifically how many jigs have been poured around them but I wonder if they are wearing out over time. Either my weed guard supplier is slipping with bigger fused ends or the hole I'm making is not big enough. Some weed guards will fit in without too much trouble but sometimes I need to trim the guard down to glue it in. Is it time to get a new set?

There is no doubt about the quality of his work if you get your hands on one. He must just have a certain number of molds to sell and when they are gone, that's it. I think he has buy it now sales so that my explain it. Just have to be quick when one comes up again.

I'm not sure how to post a picture. If you want to see the naked Ned head or the standup jighead with a wire guard, click on my logo on the left. Then go to my website and click on the jig heads page. The worm nose mold isn't modified much, I just modified it so I can use either a 90 degree hook or a flat eye jig hook for weedless shakey heads. The tip-up jig mold will also take either hook but I also added a groove for a wire weed guard and a slot next to the hook for the wire trailer keepers. I'm not a fan of making many of those jig heads. A lot of little pieces to keep still when closing to pour a 1/8 oz head. Being able to use either hook style gives you options for what plastic you use. If you want a shorter hook to keep the action in the Ned trailer, the 90 degree hook is the one you want. If you want a longer hook and a little more beef, a 2/0 cross-eye hook fits nicely in the 1/8 oz head. I originally made this mold to fish hula grubs with, something with a quality hook in it instead of a cheap bronze hook. I found an old Glider (slider copy) head mold on Ebay and fixed that one also to take a wire guard and a trailer keeper.

yep, you have too much paint on them. Either you are getting the lure too hot before dipping or you are holding it in the paint too long. Just swish it through the paint to get coverage and get it out. Tap to get rid of excess. Then bake it. Have to bake it to cure the paint.

Tip up jig and worm nose. Both I've modified in different ways (hook, wire guard, wire keeper) but they will work.

I would think if he has something on Ebay, you have a better chance of actually getting it. I don't know, I didn't buy mine that way. But at least if you purchase it through PayPal, you can dispute the charges, get your money back quickly and post negative feedback against him if he doesn't get you your mold.

You are right Ted, any change to the wire size would just result in lead seepage. I just wonder how the designers come up with that thick of wire. I'm sure it gives the company bending the forms fits to do it with that heavy of wire. Nothing we can do about it now, just have to work with how the mold is made. I personally would like the wire eye to be closed completely to start with. I close them before pouring/painting. If you close them after painting, you might chip the paint when closing it. I understand why if using a barrel swivel though. Oh well, just one little extra step in the process.

Derek, here's another option if you haven't found something yet. If you get the Teflon rod size that you want, go find a piece of electric wire that the plastic is the right size to fit in the mold cavity (0.125"). Strip the wire out and slip the Teflon into the plastic sleeve. I would think the pin could be super glued in if need be. Might have to experiment to find the right sleeve size so it fits snug in the mold. If you didn't glue it in, you might be able to adjust the plastic sleeve up/down on the pin to adjust for different depth to the hook in different molds. This would keep the pin centered in the hole like you would need. I don't know if the sleeve would hold up to continuous pouring but if you made a few you could rotate to keep them cool. I use the plastic sleeve trick when pouring braided cable guards in ballhead jigs. With the sleeve I don't have to cut the wire off the roll. I can just pour, slide the sleeve further up the line and cut the wire to the right length on the finished jig. This was before I bought a handy-dandy guillotine wire cutter and didn't know any better.

Do a search about topics on Shawn Collins. Great product, poor customer service. I have one of his molds, great mold. Tried to get another made for a football jig that Do-It now produces. Sent him the money, waited months and no response. I feel fortunate I get my money back out of the deal. I use the Ultra Minnow mold to make spinnerbaits. Works great. I think Collins has a hidden weight SB mold that you can buy off Ebay. That one looks interesting.

My question: why is the wire such a heavy gauge? I modified a pony head mold previously to accept a wire form to attach a swivel to instead of using a barrel swivel. I used a jigging spoon wire form, the one that has circle loops at each end. Just clipped off one end and made little bend in it so it would stay in the lead. The wire was pretty light, I'm thinking 0.030". When I got my wire forms for the underspin mold I was surprised how heavy the wire was. I don't see the need for such heavy wire, what could the blade possibly hang on that would cause the wire to pull out even if it was 0.030"?

I've always had very good experiences with fishingskirts. I've been using them since about when Charles started, I was given his phone number by someone. It was before he had his website that you see now. Since the website has been up, I've always ordered online through that. Before I'd just call Charles but he got too busy and I understand that also. In fact, I placed an order this morning and they already put it in the mail, they sent me a shipment email with a tracking number. Nobody beats their prices that I've seen. I can understand people's frustrations with calling, asking a question and getting a bad response. I've never had to do that but that would turn me off if it happened. I never need to call in, I just order from the website and I always get what I'm ordering.

Ted, I think you are on the right path with the steel pin. I wouldn't think it needs to go to the hook shank on all molds, as long as it is deep enough to leave a hole to hold the fiber guard in place. That doesn't need to be super deep and the pin could easily be ground off of fit the shallowest mold a person has but still work on other molds. Just need to set it so the step is flush with the edge of the cavity so you wouldn't have to clean up lead from the edge. Or a person can buy enough so you can dedicate the pin to that specific mold once you got it ground down to fit. Great idea!

I don't have that mold either but I have a football jig mold that is the same way, the hook comes out towards the handle end unsupported. I modified the mold to take a cross-eyed hook so the hook would move around. If I remember right, the point of the hook goes between the gap of the handles when closed. I put a nail with a broad head into each handle deep enough so the top of the nail head was flush with the mold. When I loaded the hook, the point plus some of the shank would rest on the one side and when closed, the head of the nail on the other half would sandwich the hook point and keep the hook centered in the mold until it was poured. This would only work if the hook point came up in between the handles. If not, I'm sure you could attached a thin wood block to sandwich the hook in place. Something to think about.

Smalljaw, that's good to know. I think I could get the 4/0 2405 in a big flipping jig but would really have to modify a FB mold to make it work in a 3/4 or 1 oz. I might get a pack of the 1/0 and see what they would work in.

Not true, I bought some 4/0 2405s to try in a football jig from Captain Hooks. They seem to run a little larger than a 4/0 and they are plenty heavy. I think a 1/0 would work in a shakey head just fine but I haven't had my hands on it.