Weighting Crankbait

[lm22]

What is the best way to put weight in a crankbait without a lead pot? 

[Vodkaman]

I have melted lead in a kitchen spoon before now. The best I found was a deep stainless steel coffee measuring spoon. I wound string along the handle for heat insulation.

I used a calor gas type torch to heat the spoon. I also made a wooden frame to support the spoon during heating for convenience.

For the ballast mold, I pinned and clamped two slabs of hardwood and drilled the required diameter down the joint.

If you don't want to heat lead, you can fold lead sheet and hammer into shape. You can also obtain thick lead wire. Lead is so easy to work that the possibilities are endless with a little imagination.

Dave

Edited November 19, 2019 by Vodkaman

[The Guy]

I use 1/4” lead wire, then baking soda and superglue or kwikwood to fill any gaps and sand. 

[BobP]

For the medium to small wood bass lures I typically make, I use lead belly weights that have the hook hanger molded into them, which are usually available from Jann’s Netcraft or Mudhole tackle.  I use the 2 gram units most often, the 3 gram less often.  But it doesn’t really matter what kind of weight you use.  I’ve used lead wire, solder, even tungsten shell shot.  But the integrated ballast/hanger units are most convenient.  

Edited November 19, 2019 by BobP

[Vodkaman]

For my earliest prototypes I used copper sheet snipped into strips and glued on to the bottom of the balsa bodies. I was living in Sweden at the time and could not find any lead in the big stores. I was living in an apartment with limited cooking facilities and a VERY sensitive fire alarm hooked up directly to the fire brigade, so heating lead was out of the question.

My one attempt at cooking sausages did not go well and was not enough to go round the crew of the two fire engines that was called out. Also they were the most expensive sausages of all time as I was billed some $2000 for the service.

Dave

[ravenlures]

I have at times flatten out lead BB weights  to the size of the hole and dropped them in, but before drilling I would just tape to bottom till I got what I felt would do the job. No melting of any lead, I also used the 1/4" lead wire cut to desired weight.

Wayne

[JRammit]

I keep a bag of every size split shot sinkers hanging on my wall for ballast weights... 1/32 oz, 1/16 oz, and 1/8 oz... ive weighed them and they are within a few 100ths of a gram from sinker to sinker, an insignificant difference

If you know where you need the weight, you can install it before carving and then sand the weight almost seemlessly into the body.... if you have to float test and place the weight after the body is carved, just cover it in super glue and baking soda, then sand that down flush with the body

[eastman03]

I use this method to make an assortment of different sizes of lead cylinders which I can simply insert into a hole in the belly of my cranks. 

I didn't use aluminum  in my mold, just two pieces of hardwood.  As for melting my lead, a simple torch and a old steel ladle to melt a bit of lead and pour into the molds.  I'll make up a bunch of weights so they are ready for use.  Then as others have said, ill use the baking soda/super glue trick to fill the hole in, or car body filler (bondo).