Hey guys....my fishing partner and I bought the equipment to pour our own jigs, after quite a bit of trouble(incomplete pours, melted brushguards, powder mis-paints, etc.) We finally have a few that look good! How important is fluxing? Does smoking your mold make that big of a difference?
I would smoke the mold and I always flux my lead. What type of mold are you using?
Thanks for the positive feedback guys! We're using the Do-It Mold Football Jig, thinking about buying a few other molds. We do some striper fishing in the fall and spring in Alabama and usually go through quite a few 1 oz. jigheads, we figure we could save ourselves money over the next few years if we made our own and a few for the other guys we go down there with.
Smoking the mold will help stop mispours, help stop is trhe key.
Are you using a bottom pour pot??
You need to keep the spout clean and free of any dirt the fluxing might have missed.
Another factor can be the kind of lead you are using, soft or hard?
Any help I can give you is is yours for the asking
Paul
PROUD BBC SPONSOR
Yes we're using the bottom pour pot and as far as the type of lead we have I'm not exactly sure, we had about thirty pounds given to us and were told it's soft lead. I'm considering going to Bass Pro and picking up 5lbs. of their soft lead to see if I can tell any difference. Do you deal with powder paint any? If so, have you ever used the fluid bed that Do It Molds has? We were wondering if it is worth the hundred dollars. I'll definitely keep you in mind in the future if I have any questions. Thanks for the advice!
Search the internet for making your own fluid bed,I've seen them made for a fraction of the cost
If you are going to buy a fluid bed look at TJ's Tackle website. They have the fluid bed, cups with lids and powder paint by the pound.
Paul
PROUD BBC SPONSOR
Those look really good - nice work! Tons of tricks to the trade but you've got some good answers above. If you ever have any problems holler.....been there done that.
Also - if interested in the fluid bed do some research. Didn't care for it myself and have all the stuff if you decide you want to go that route.
I always smoke the mold. Helps the pour and makes the lead release from the mold easier.
Fluxing will make a difference. A small piece of wax tossed in and stirred will clean the lead and make a smoother pour. If you haven't tried it: do it outside, away from anything. It will flame up and put out LOTS of smoke.
I usually melt the lead, flux it, stir and skim, then pour into ingots. I found that way makes better pours when I get to working on jigs.
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