thill

Use a Dremel with a big and then a small sanding drum. For the cup, use a round stone. With a little practice, you can do some NICE work. Don't worry too much about the natural imperfections in the cork. They will catch fine! -TH

I've had better success with steel leader, compared to copper wire. It doesn't turn green, can be soft or hard, (depending on pound-test and braided versus solid) and is relatively easy to get. Otherwise, go to Home Depot and check out their bulk stuff until you find what you want. Best wishes. -TH

Keep containers closed tightly. Zip the jars inside a gallon ziplock bag, if the jar alone is not enoug. Store the bags somewhere warm, such as above your computer and monitor or some other equipment. Probably, the zip bags will be enough. Best wishes. -TH

Put a piece of panty hose through your line guides. I once did this years ago, and discovered that ALL my rods had cracked ceramic inserts. Now I check regularly, but haven't had a problem since I started building my own rods. Also, clean your jig eyes BEFORE curing your powder paint. Hope you figure it out. -TH

I do, and I use difficult to work with stainless steel wire, too! Try this method with a cordless drill and a 6P finish nail(or whatever diameter you want) Put the nail in the drill, and then take your wire and shove it into the space between the chuck jaws. Spin the drill while guiding the wire up around the nail. Takes about two seconds. You can make TONS of them VERY quickly like this! Vary the nail size for different sized baits. I use a 16P framing nail for big baits. After doing it this way, you will be spoiled. Hope this saves you LOTS of time. -TH

Cadman, Sorry for not being clear! What I was trying to convey was that I appreciate the recommendation to go multi-color, but I don't even know where to start, not having much experience with painting. I'm one of those guys that tends to use plain lead jigs just as much as painted ones. Above, you mentioned that you were going to put some jigs in your avatar, so I was looking forward to seeing your work. For trade, I could swap you for some killer epoxy jigs/flies or my big-rubba if you chase fish that eat 10-12" bait. The former are technically epoxy flies, but since they weigh as much as jigs, you can cast them with light tackle with no problem. They have been deadly for LM, SM bass, pike, stripers, and seatrout. Funny, but I've found that my off-the-cuff "silly lure" creations have tended to be very successful fish-catchers, while my carefully planned out "serious" lures have not been as successful. I have theories of why, but it's an interesting study. Anyway, I'd love to learn from you! My email is tonyhill@tidalwave.net. Thanks! -TH

Hawnjigs, Thanks for the compliment. Actually, as Kelly pointed out, it really doesn't take much time. I think I took about 2 hours on the mold that makes three jigging spoons. Most of the time was spent "tuning" it with the dremel and different shaped stones, depending on where it needed to be touched up. If you use a blank mold, I believe it would be a lot faster and easier than my method of using milled scrap aluminum. I'd still stick with the printed stencil. Did I mention I used a hook and traced it's outline onto the stencil before dremeling out? Worked perfectly. I'll have to see if a drill press could be incorporated in my next mold creation! Thanks for the great idea! -TH

T-bird, 1. Draw what you want on your computer, and then print it TWICE to scale on card-stock, 2. Then take an exacto knife and slice out the outlines EXACTLY. Crease them both while together so you can lay them mirror-image on your two pieces of aluminum. 3. Align and tape them into place, then take a razor-point sharpie, and transfer the outlines onto your two pieces of aluminum 4. Now go to town with a router or Dremel tool. You will have to learn as you go, but if you go take your time, you can make a beautiful product, and your mold will last forever. This is how I did it, and it only cost me $6 for two scrap pieces of milled and finished aluminum, and $3 for a hinge screwed into the end to make a mold. Mine is only a jigging spoon mold, but it works great. I used a router for the main section, and only used the dremel to touch up and do the wireform area -TH

Cadman, I'd have to say this mix I'm using is the "perfect" white! It's made me forget about white troubles in the past. DEFINITELY try mixing some and see what comes of it! Also, I'd consider your advice about going multi-color. I only do two-tone at present, and not many of those lately. I'll look for your avatar to get some ideas, as I'm not even sure what to look for. Thanks for a great thread, guys! -TH

Hawnjigs, All of our trucks have been Ford F-series. No particular reason. My first P/U was an F-150 with a HD tow package, and it worked so flawlessly that I just kept buying them. I loaded that thing so heavy at times I'm surprised it didn't break in half! Since then, I've moved to hauling most of the heavy stuff with trailers, mainly using the trucks as tool boxes and tow vehicles. That being said, I know others who have had TERRIBLE times with Ford, so I'm not sure what to say, besides that we have had great success with them. I think the tranny oil changes are almost more important than the engine oil changes. DEFINITELY don't skimp on that one! But they say if you've gone 50K without doing it, leave it alone, as changing it late will "stir up" stuff and cause problems. Best to wait until you get a new vehicle, and then start it off right. Also, if you have ever owned a new boat, and know the proper "break in" for an outboard engine, although autos supposedly don't "need" this done, if you do, it SEEMS to really make a difference. Particularly in the fuel efficiency, power and longevity of the engine. Making sure that everything seats properly in a new engine can't be bad for it, right? Also, I forgot to mention that I change the AIR filters often. I think grit getting in the engine is a big cause of wear. Sorry for digressing from tackle talk. But hopefully, this is helpful to someone. -TH

Guys, this really IS a great, informative thread! YES! VERY grainy! This stuff is actually "crackles" when you try to bend a sprue off. It forms crystals that you can actually see. It is not shiny, it's more "white." You know what you are talking about, Sagacious, and you really hit it on the head! Just a LITTLE bit of this stuff will harden up an entire pot of soft lead. A little more, and the lead is ruined, and is only good for egg sinkers. Here is anoter question to throw out there... What kind of lead alloy is shiny, but floats to the top of the pot, kind of thick, almost exactly like butter? Stirring will not mix it back in, and it does not pour or form, so I end up skimming it off. Once it hardens, it looks just like regular lead. I think it came from a batch of lead wire... -TH

Cadman, Like you, I find that all of them cure well at 350* for 15 minutes or so. Also, my "cheap" paint makes a better, smoother finish, without the pinholes that Pro-Tec tends to make. It flows out better, and has a stronger surface tension, so it doesn't drip. I believe this is related to WHY it doesn't seem to go as far. It is finer, and more of it attaches to the jig at the same temperatures. But here is a trick you may appreciate... I accidentally discovered that if I mix a 2 oz jar of Pro-tec white into a pound of the "cheap" white stuff, it does NOT blow around anymore. I did it just to consolidate containers, but noticed the DISTINCT change immediately. And the funny thing is that the mix blows around LESS than the PRo-Tec alone. They must have an ion attraction or something. But the finish is still superior. The best of both worlds. I'll still buy Pro-Tec, because it really is good stuff. But I do too many jigs for wholesale use to use it exclusively. Especially for plain white jigs. TH

Ummm.... No one here uses a rod lathe? I made mine from an old sewing machine, a PVC end cap and a handfull of misc. hardware. Works beautifully! I even used the gears from the sewing machine, so the lathe is 2-speed. -TH

Bon Ami and water, with a pencil stuck in a drill, run for 30-60 seconds, and then rinse, and run the bearing under water to remove all the abrasive. Add your favorite oil, and you now have a high-speed casting machine! This is a way to "tune" bearings that aren't fast from the factory to turn a conventional reel that was a dog into a sportster. All this whining about tolerances must be for guys who can't handle a fast spool! (JUST KIDDING!... Sort of...) Ever hear of a "breaking in" period? Where something that was a little too tight when new reaches the point where it operates smooth and friction-free? That is the point of this exercise. The amount of steel removed is miniscule. You are actually POLISHING the bearings, if you do it right, and for not too long. -TH

Wow... I found a small local place that will sell me PP in white, yellow red or black for $5.50/lb. It is NOT as easy to work with as the Pro-Tec, and does not go as far. It tends to blow around a lot in the fluid bed, but for that price, I can deal with it. I still keep some jars of the good stuff (pro-tec) around for special projects. But you may try local powdercoating companies, and ask if you can buy some off them. -TH

Thanks for the replies, guys! I'm commonly making 1-4 oz. jigs, on 8/0 hooks (saltwater fishing) and I have not seen a toaster oven that can handle the volume I need. I have done a little research, and it appears that the reason my jigs don't drip is due to me putting them in a cold, NON TOASTER oven and THEN turning it on. As the AIR warms, the paint partially cures before reaching the liquifying temperature. By the time it hits that temp, the paint is already set. In the toaster oven, the hot coils radiate heat directly to the jig, and the paint liquifies and drips. I just thought I'd pass this information on. -TH

THANK YOU for the great responses! I should note that I am not refering to wheel weight lead, but an alloy of unknown origin. I don't know WHAT this stuff is. I was just passing on what I "heard" about WW lead! I'm doing/have done all of these things already, but it's good to have confirmation! This stuff I speak of will not even form the collar on the big jigs. But because of what you write, I'm definitely going to give WW lead a shot! Something I found interesting, is that adding tin doesn't reduce the melting temp a little, it reduces it a LOT! Tin melts at 447.8

I've just gotten my method down pat. I bend back and forth, and as the sprue starts to release, I twist the last part and it detaches flush every time. Perhaps 1 in 20 will have a little nub, and I just shave it off with a knife and move on. I'm pleased with this method, but was hoping to find something faster. THANK YOU, EVERYONE FOR THE REPLIES! -TH

Thank you for your response. Quite interesting! That is the first time I've heard that! Everyone tells me how badly it pours, and I recently got some that wouldn't work even in in my 2-1/2 ounce #9 Shad head molds by Do it. The barbs would never form right, no matter how hot I heated the lead. But it works great for sinkers, so that's what I'm using it for. I wonder if California has a different wheel weight formula? I know that a small amount of tin lowers the melting temperature and makes the lead more "ductable." I thought it might made it softer, too, but I realize that is not the case, after researching it a bit. -TH

Interesting responses... How many jigs I pour depends on the season. I've poured about 1,100 jigs this week, if that gives you any idea, using 3 molds. These molds have seen MANY thousands of jigs over the years. I plan to oil them when they get tight or squeaky or whatever, but they never have. They work exactly the same way now as they did when I bought them. They have not gotten any tighter or looser. Do It makes a great mold! I'm sorry Hawnjigs, but a hand mold is NOT an internal-combustion engine! So the comparison seems...not so fitting. But I accept your word that you are not being sarcastic, so I will answer your question. As a construction contractor, I use my trucks very heavily, towing big heavy stuff on a daily basis. And I'm happy to say that ALL of my trucks have make it the full 10 years that I keep them without ANY major problems. Not a single one. Most have over 200,000 miles on them before I sell or give them to my best workers, and then they live on for many years after that. How often is oil changed? 4 times a year, regardless of mileage. Transmission fluid is changed once a year, regardless of mileage. And the proof is in the pudding. Even after all these years, my first truck, a 1986, is still on it's original engine and transmission WITHOUT being overhauled or rebuilt, even to this day. Awesome truck. Over the last two decades, I've watched other contractors constantly replacing engines and transmissions. Why do our trucks last so long, especially since we run them so hard? I don't know exactly, but RESULTS are what I care about. ALL of my equipment tends to have a long life span. I still have most of my original tools from back when I was a 19-year old newbie, and they still work just fine. I sometimes think that the more you use a machine, the longer it will last. As long as you don't abuse it. -TH

Hmmm.... In 7-8 years, I've never oiled mine. They operate perfectly, so I've never bothered. If they are smooth, is there a reason I SHOULD be oiling them?

Nova and Basskat, When I add even the small amount of hard lead, the lead won't turn blue anymore, even when it gets very hot. It gets kind of a white film over it. But straight sheet lead, even at temperatures that barely melt it, gets a yellow film after a while. Make it just a little hotter, and it turns blue. Is this the tendency of pure lead, or some kind of softening additive? -TH

I've had problems with hard lead not pouring well at all, so I've gone to ONLY using super-soft lead. (sheet lead) But I've found that because I fish around rocks, my jigs don't do well at all banging around. I believe sheet lead has an additive that makes it even softer than pure lead. It melts at very low temperatures and turns either gold or blue when air hits the molten metal Anyone know anything about this? So I've started adding a bit of the junk hard lead I have around to my mix. Probably about 5% by volume. And the results have been great. The lead still melts at a low temperature, and still pours silky smooth. But now my jigs don't dent nearly as easily, and the paint stays on better. Anyone else have experiences like this? -TH

I commonly do batches of jigs in the hundreds. I read where most guys seem to like toaster ovens for baking their jigs for powder painting, and I have some questions.... How fast does the oven reach 350* after you fill it with jigs? How many jigs can you fit in the oven at one time? Why do so many people say not to use a regular oven? Just curious if this would be better than using our cooking oven. I can fit about 300 jigs in it at a time, and so far, I haven't had any drips, and can't see any downside. It doesn't even smell. Looking for different opinions, so please speak freely. Thanks. -TH

When making jigs, I've tried using nippers and diagonal cutters, with so-so results. The best results come when I grab, bend and twist the slug off, which gives almost perfect results. But it takes time and energy, especially if the lead is hard. Are the shears quick with good results? Which do you recommend and where would you recommend I buy them? Are they capable of cleaning jigs up to 4 ounces? Thanks. -TH