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Another option is cheap acrylic paint with epoxy as a top coat.... Not near as quick as powder, but much bigger color selection, and at 50 cents a piece, you can load up Don't even need an airbrush, I hand bush mine.. Then mix glitter in the epoxy Think these were royal violet with a drop of black... Then black and emerald glitter

For motor oil I use the following in 4oz of plastic. 10 drops Do It X2 Chartreuse 4 drops Do It X2 Purple 2 drops Do It X2 Watermelon.

RCBS bottom pour. Don't know how close the temps settings are, but that is where it is most times.

BLT, you use a oven? Just curious.

I should add that most times, I am set for 750 to pour.

Red hot lead, nope. I put the setting on about 6-7 with a Lee Pot. Of course using quality lead is a must. I can understand the low temp. but 6-7 works on mine with barbs. Slag is cleaned out at the beginning and at the top of the pot if it not cleaned out. The oversize hook and modifying the mold was per Do-It. I have quite a few molds like this. Big D your dead on to with the soot it does help with the release of the lead. Try what's has been stated and if doesn't help then don't use it again. I always respect the people's opinion here, even if I know that I can do something or it works for me. With this information Swampman you can find your way and correct your issue. Good luck on the pours! Dale

The way I heat the hooks......let them sit in the hot mold for about 10 seconds, then pour. I can respect do-its opinion like any others here, but hotter pot temps have helped many people on here pour better. I know when pouring 2-8oz jigs, I can not get smooth pours with really low temps, and the same for my barbed/ringed shad head mold in the 1/4-1 0z sizes. Use good lead for these also.

We had the same issues, called do it and got the opposite advice from what has been said. Pre heating hooks is crazy and tedious. They said that most of the molds with trailer barbs first need soft lead, next set pot to low enough to keep spigot free and open. Red hot lead helps trap air. Just call do it if they made the mold and talk to tech. We have zero issues now.

You can't "milk" Social Security. You can mill SSDI, Social Security Disability Insurance. If one is on SSDI then one is assumed to not be able to work or do substantial gainful activity. If someone is spending 8 hours a day painting and pouring lures with the intent to sell them then they are able to to substantial gainful activity. I've been on SSDI for a few years now. Sometimes I can spend time at the bench making lures. Other times, like the last eight weeks you can't do anything like that. It's been since late June since I've even sat at my bench. Major lower back flareup and the depression that goes with chronic pain pretty much put a stop to just about everything. Haven't even been fishing in almost two full months. MAYBE next week I'll feel like either fishing or making some lures.

Have to disagree that you can't mix powder paint! If you take your time and write things down as you mix them. I learned that the hard way, have great color and don't remember how to mix it!! Theres a whole powder mix section over at crappie.com and also jigcraft.com - and it's actually fun!!! If you look at the color junebug from Barlows and the one from allpowder, they're two totally different shades, the Barlows is a dark purple and the one from all powder is a bright purple. No matter which one you can mix some clear and then put your glitter in. I use Ultra glitter from Nicole Crafts. If you have an AC Moore craft store they have most colors in stock or other stores can order it for you. If you don't want to deal with putting glitter in - make up a batch of clear with green glitter then dip again. You could use Tulip neon green glitter or Irredescent Sage Green In this pic the bottom jig is translucent candy teal then heated and dipped in candy translucent raspberry, both colors are from Columbia coatings. This is the plain candy transparent raspberry with glitter mixed in Have fun with it and if you start mixing - order clear by the pound! you'll use a lot.

You got some great suggestions here. A couple of other tricks are to use a candle and "soot" the inside of the cavity and sprue hole and play with the angle you hold the mold at when pouring the lead. Those two tricks help when using larger hooks than the mold wants. -D

I agree with the above suggestions and two more. On what has been stated about pre-heating the mold. When doing this run about 8-10 runs of just lead pours to get the mold hot enough to allow the lead to travel to the bottom of the cavity. If it takes more then do it. The next thing that I can think of is a couple of questions. Are you using oversize hooks? If so did you modify the mold to allow the lead to run by them? I bring this up only because I did this when I first started making jigs. The area between the hook and the mold needs to be enough for the lead to run. If it takes a longer time the lead gets dam up. Dale

Are you using good, clean soft lead? Some molds are "picky" and don't play well with wheel weights and that type of lead. I have a couple like that. I almost always keep my pot above 1/2 full also on those picky molds, the extra weight of a full pot makes it stream out faster.

Follow these suggestions. Practice, practice and you'll get it. Great hobby you'll get a lifetime of enjoyment from.

Heat is a big issue but I've found its really important to pour a lot all at once. The smaller the stream the quicker it cools in the mold.

If you mold the lip slot in the bait it will come out right every time also. I like it because I can store the blanks easier, not worry about masking bills, etc.... I also felt I got a much more secured lip gluing than drilling holes in the lip and having the casting medium expand through the lip to lock it in place.