mkvnmtr

I have a pot that when it was shipped to Mexico it was kind of twisted and the fitting where led comes out was loose. Before I realized what was happening I had lead insidebetween the cover and the pot. I had to take it apart twice to get it working correctly. The bottom screw that holds the rod guide now does not hold that good. When it gets loose it startes to leak. When I tighten it up it stops for a while. It is a bit of a problem but the shipping back from here and a new one to me costa as much as the pot so I just keep using it. My point is check the screws.

It comes in quarts and gallons so it looks as if it is not powder paint. I did not click through to the prices but it looks like 2 oz is $19.00.

The valve is in the pot with a nut. It is no problem to take the pot out and remove the valve. Then you can get to it with a drill press. If that does not fix it you should be able to order another valve and reassemble. I know this because the new pot I bought was loose and I did not realize it. It leaked lead and it ran everywhere. Since I am in Mexico I thought it would cost more in shipping to send it back and pay to have it returned than just to buy another one. Little time and I had it fixed. After having it apart twice I probably would not send it back for any part. It is easy to work on,

My oven came with a removable wire rack that holds about 125 1/2 oz jigs. I have used it to do jugs up to 6 oz and even long vertical jigs.

I have the style H spinner bait mold en 1 1/2, 2 and 2 1/2 oz. I enlarged it to take 1/16 welding wire. I come straight out and put a prop on the wire. You could also use a cleves and spinner blade Use the same loop at the end as thelure building quys use for a tail loop. I sell them for wahoo and jacks. the wire gets bent but is easy to straighten out. with the R bend it can get a lot more messed up. The style H is a great looking head.

Some molds pour better from a bottom pour pot and some pour better from a ladle. Never used a Hot Pot but I assume it is more like a ladle. If you have a friend with one try a few and see if it is better. Some times I find that a lead alloy will not work well in a mold. There is a lot of things that affect a pour. Sometimes I just wait untill another day and it pour fine. I think the humidity and pressure affect it .

The problem might be your Hot Pot. A bottom pour will probably work better.

We had some molds custom casted here in Mexico. From two different guys the were poor quality. We could not use them and went back to bondo molds.

I believe you can make some 3-D eyes in place any size you like. If you do not wish to make them on the jig you can make them in the normal way and fill the hole with epoxy when you install them.

I have a style H spinner jig mold en the heavy sizes. I run a 1/16 wire out the front and put a prop on it. The heaviest size is 2 1/2 oz. They work for wahoo and jacks here in Mexico. I have a commercial fisherman friend that gave me the idea. We also use the same mold and just put a loop in front and make a very effective squid lure. I paint them white and put pink on the back and chartruse on the belly per my friends request. He buys them 20 at a time for dorado. We have talked about doing the same thing with a 5 and 6 oz spire point mold i have for deeper fishing. Looks to me like I just need a long drill bit. I will be interested in hearing your experiences if you do it first.

I sell it back to the scrap yard along with the clips that come off the lead weights.

Your post is not clear but I guess you are looking for a mold. You might try looking into something made in Europe or South America. With shipping and exchange rates most of what I have seen you can get around a hundred dollars American. Be aware that I have never seen a foreign mold that looked like it would give the speed of production that a Do-It or Collins mold will give you.

Yes you have the idea correct. I find the larger wire easier to work with than the smaller but a little practice and you will have it. All my work is for saltwater so I use bigger stuff than the freshwater guys. Using smaller wire you might need to turn the free end a little to keep it from coming out. I have friends that make small wire eyes for the jigs that they pour. Here in Mexico jig hooks are hard for some to find so it is common to make them with stainless wire. My experience is the small wire will pull out if you do not have a bend in it. My big wire does not do this.

I use the same stainless welding wire that the lure building guys use for their thru wires. Just make a bend back into the lead and make it fit where the eye would be on a jig hook.. I think it is 1/16 of an inch. Nothing will straighten it out. I believe they use it for mig welding. I buy it at a welding supply. I have tried the same thing on some other molds but I like this one the best.

I use a round head mold for heavy hooks in 1 to 3 inch. I use welding wire and make an eye. Then pass it out the back with about 4 in. clear. Then I pour the lead. No mold modifications. Then I cut the lead off where it holds the plastic tail leaving the ring for the skirt. Then I form a tail loop like on a lure with the wire. Then I add an open eye Siwash hook of my choice. I have failed a couple of times trying to add pictures so I will not eve try but it makes a jig that works in a few applications rather well. Nice thing s are it did not ruin the mold and I do not have to use a split ring which I think is a weak point. Hope I have explained it well enough.