BillG-MN

I agree. If I don't cure mine, it is doubtful that the finish survives a limit of sunfish. I also have a fluid bed, and like it. (be sure to wear an N95 mask, though!) When these guys are talking about pouring a bismuth/tin alloy that melts about 280°F, a 400 degree oven doesn't work so well. I use that alloy, and paint with an air brush and clear coat with a UV curing resin or epoxy.

How does the powder paint hold up without being baked enough to cross-link for a half hour? Or are the brands that don't need to be baked?

They make pellets of tungsten powder with a thin coat of resin, intended for use in standard injection molding. It is more dense than lead, at 14 gm/cc. I wish I understood the process. I'll bet there is a way with slight heat and a bullet press or maybe a hydraulic bottle jack to at least make bullet weights and drop shot weights. I buy tungsten beads that I solder (using tin solder) onto hooks to make jigs, and it works well. Easier than pouring. But I can't find larger sizes like 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz. The beads are tungsten maybe sintered with iron powder, because I can pick them up with a magnet.

There are indeed manufacturers of tungsten products in the US. I'm familiar with a company in my home town that has its own tungsten mine in Canada, and have invented interesting things such as tungsten tape for wheel balancing weights. Unfortunately, they don't make fishing weights.

Newbie here. I ran across this thread while searching for ways to make larger tungsten jigs. I've been making my own ice fishing and crappie sized tungsten jigs for a years. Beads are available from some fly-tying shops or on eBay, which can simply be soldered to a hook using lead-free electronic solder. The 5.5mm size works very well. Tungsten is so nice to use through the ice! But I haven't been able to find larger tungsten shapes for walleye or bass sized jigs. I have been molding those using a bismuth-tin alloy. It is interesting, melting at about 280F. Definitely not a candidate for powder paint, but very easy to do! For me, pitching spinnerbaits on a small river as I drift in a canoe, the weight is more important than how fast it sinks, so it works well for me. The tungsten beads I'm getting are all attracted to a magnet, so I suspect they have a small amount of iron powder mixed in. If anyone knows where to get larger sizes, I'd appreciate hearing about it. For jigging walleyes on the bottom, the extra sink of tungsten would be nice. Regarding the comments about lead toxicity, I can tell you from first hand experience, many times over many years, that it is absolutely real. Going through this effort to make lead-free jigs is worth it, so thanks to all of you doing it. . My experience is mostly with trumpeter swans, which get noticed when they are sick, because they are so large and visible, and still fairly rare. Yes, you can kayak with ski poles over a half an inch of ice to try to catch them to get them to a wildlife rehab, but by the time they are that sick, most don't live. Tests on dead swans here in MN show that lead is what caused the death of about 40% of them. Waterfowl have to have gravel in their gizzards in order to help them crush corn, etc. That is how they find lead, mixed with gravel on the lake bottom, mostly in the form of old lead shot, but some small sinkers and jigs, too. It gets ground up in their gizzard and into their blood. A single #4 is enough to kill a swan pretty quickly, and it is an ugly death. It is a neurotoxin, so it damages their brain. Loons and eagles get lead from lost jigs, maybe from a fish that broke or cut off a line, and later dies from being gut hooked. Bullet fragments in gut piles after the deer season also kill a lot of eagles. The lead dissolves in their stomach acid. All it takes is a small sliver. Luckily, with hunting and fishing, we can make better choices, and the new choices often work better. Tight lines, guys!