Jig Man

I never have heard that kind of material. I assumed he had the flat living rubber like they used to make before the round stuff. The flat used to be all we could get and we had a bunch of it go bad on us.

If it is still good, cut it 1/2" longer than you will use. Attach it to the jig hook with string or wire. Take hold of one end and pull it snug. Cut it with sissors.

X2

With 2 piece molds I pour the first color on the flat, close the mold, then pour the second color down the spru. I only use the divided cup for swirls.

I use the fiberglass resin Bondo.

Mark I have done thousands of jig heads using a propane torch and never had any trouble with hooks from 5/0 down to 8s. My best guess is you got some jig heads with hooks like the old light wire Eagle Claws that tend to bend real easy.

Typically the good shot that holds patterns contains antimony. It is a bit harder than lead so it doesn't crush and distort the pattern like the cheap shells do.

What are you using as filters? I use brown paper bags, coffee filters, and vacuum cleaner bags. Have you tried stirring the paint and turning down the air?

I use Bear's molds and the fish don't care about the ribbed look. Sometimes I dip for extra weight but mostly I just fish them the way they come out.

I use crystal flash in my bucktails for sandies but not for blacks.

You may have one of the rare molds like my large poison tail mold. It was terribly rough on the inside. Jig heads had to be pulled out with pliers. So I took the time to smooth it out with my Dremel tool. I have since sprayed it with a release agent. I have owned many molds over the years and never saw anything like it before or since.

I also use the toaster oven most of the time but 20 jigs is too many to try to do at a time. The way I do it is pull one out dip real fast then repeat till is starts to cool then I shut the door for a couple of minutes and let them reheat. Normally I don't do over 12-15 at a time. I also have a heat gun and a torch for very small or multiple colors.

When I use bucktail jigs it is to show the fish something they have never seen before. I normaly have at least 2 colors or more of hair along with a different color of head and yet another color of chennille.

X2

Paint wont stick but to first 10 or so. (What are you using to heat the heads? Are you heating a lot at a time?) Can I put painted jigs I messed up on back in lead pot? (Yes) My fluid bed is 2in. Should it be 3in.? (That is a personal preference. Mine are 4".) Do all football with do it mold have a crown you have to pinch off? (Not sure what you mean by crown. If you are talking about the part that is next to the head then all jigs have it and I cut it off with gate cutters then file it down.) I have these concerns about quality of jig head as follows 1.small lump where crown is pinched off football 2.Paint to thick and not sticking to some (The paint gets too thick when the head is too hot.) 3.Eyes on hook filled in with Pp _ (Hole the jig with needle nose piers over the hook eye when you dip. Then you won't have any paint on it at all.) Hope this helps somewhat.

What you have looks fine and will catch fish. However, you might add some more bucktail and possibly some chennile to slow the fall rate if you are going to fish it in cold water. I fish lots of bucktails and never use a trailer on them so I bulk them up with lots of hair.

If the wire is there I tape a nylon cord to it as I pull it out then tie and tape the new cord on the nylon and pull it back through. If there is a chance you will ever want something else in there, pull 2 nylon cords at the same time and leave one. The other option is to buy a fish tape and use it.

I wouldn't use cooking oil as it gets rancid after a while. I don't have any problems with my plastic sticking together and I don't use any oil at all.

I used to dip tubes vertically. I agree that one rod at a time is best for good control of the plastisol flow. You will need some type of cutter for the tails. I got tired of doing it and bought molds and injectors from Bear.

http://www.ehow.com/video_2365011_tie-basic-fly-tying-instructions.html

If the painting is a problem, quit painting. I use jigs unpainted for many years until I started selling them to boat docks that wanted them to be painted for the tourists. Those fish never minded if or not the jigs had any paint on them.

When I tie any jig with thread I use a whip and do a series of half hitches after all the wraps. To hold it all together I use Hard as nails clear fingernail polish instead of glue.

I use the metal pins and super glue the weedguard in after painting.

When I tie hair jigs I use bucktail from Stamina Inc and flat waxed line from Bass Pro.