Do-it Lead Molds.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I bought a jig head, bullet sinker, and split shot mold.

I was having some problems with the split shot & jig head molds, and to actually get the split shot mold to form the split shots correctly i had to take a dremel and touch up the inside edges of the split-shot mold. Then I had to slightly drill out the pour holes on the lead head jig mold. After the dremel touch ups, they pour awesome.

Anyone else have this happen?

I was also wondering if anyone has taken one of the custom molds and had the wing it style weights/bottom bouncer mold made? I'd love to make the wing it bottom bouncers it's like $4 for 2 1oz bouncers.

[Hawg]

Are you ever going to make enough split shots to make it worth the cost or do you just like to putz(like me). Watch out for the lead fumes.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Well more of a hobby, but my i make them for my cousin and other friends. It's kinda fun.

[Hawg]

Hotter lead will pour better but the flashing from the mold not being tight will get worse with hotter lead.

[mrklean]

I always heated my molds with a blowtorch before each pour to make sure it was even seemed to help.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

Smaller the mold, harder to pour. Gotta keep the molds hot. I melt my lead over my sunflower heater/cooker and keep the mold right next to the sunflower to keep it real hot. Can't let the lead freeze up in the gate.

I only pour 2-8 oz sinkers and 1/4-2oz bottom bouncers where the savings is at and i'm only using a ladel.

I love fishing with buddies who just spent $30 on some sinkers...I spent $50 for 150# of lead and sold half of it for $50

Haven't been worried about losing a sinker for a few years now.

[river rat316]

Each mold as its own characteristics, some need to be tilted one way or the other to pour correctly, the biggest thing is your lead, soft lead pours the easiest, some times to easy, I mix 99.9% with cleaned wheel weight lead

[mainbutter]

The only thing I pour is .50 caliber lead balls for slingshot hunting, but I never had to touch up my mold. I get a shiny-smooth surface if the lead is hot I've already had quite a few pours through the mold, the first 10-20 pours have dull matte-like surfaces. For making a heavy round projectile to plunk small game, I don't really care, but if I was making fishing jigs I'd probably make an effort to have them come out as perfect as possible.

[Eric_Kruger]

Heat is your friend! I hit mine with a torch, clean, clean lead also helps.

[Dooley87]

Just like everybody else is saying, start with pure clean lead, get it hot hot hot, the hotter the lead is the better it will flow into the mold, keep the mold hot by either pouring lead into all the molds for a few "test" pours before it's heated up or heating the mold with a torch. When the hot lead hits a cool mold it cools the lead down in the gate before it has a chance to flow out in the mold. I pour my own jigs for my hair jigs I make. I had a lot of issues in the beginning until I used clean lead (no decoy weights etc...) got it hot hot hot and pre heated the mold.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Thanks for tips guys.

Got some pics of a few lures and stuff i made.

Lure I made is on left store bought on right. Thought I did ok.

I was nervous about doing a good paint job, but I was able to make a fluidized bed for the powder paint using $10 of pvc stuff from a plumbing store and my MR bubbles from my minnow bucket. Alo a heat gun vs a torch makes a huge difference

[delcecchi]

They look great. do people still use weight forward spinners? I don't see them in the stores much, and they don't get mentioned in the magazines. Used to be big on Lake Erie, as I recall.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

They look great. do people still use weight forward spinners? I don't see them in the stores much, and they don't get mentioned in the magazines. Used to be big on Lake Erie, as I recall.

I don't know about most people, but they've worked for me. I find that I dont have near the tangles and issues with them vs a normal mono spinner.

[Hawg]

$50 for 150#'s of lead? That must be some very dirty stuff.

[jigginjim]

I had got wheel weights, but would sand blast them first. Washing the dirt off helps but it all floats to the top. I use an old spoon to strain off dirt and other junk. It can be used later in another hand ladel pot to make lead rods. The leads can be used for trolling, to help get line down rivers, used on a very lite line on a drop. If they hang-up and slip off, not going to miss them.

I take two oak boards clamp together, drill on the center line of boards. Chamfer the end of hole for a larger opening, first drill with .125 = 1/8 dia. drill bit 3-4 inches deep. then come back with a .375= 3/8 bit, 3/8 to 1/2" shorter, 1/8 Dia. through the 1/8" end to attack line. Leave a large loose knot for weight to swing freely.