jigmeister

That's exactly what these pins are for . If you have a "weedless" jig mold but want a jig head without any weed guards you put the pins in the slots machined in the mold where the weed guards normally go and pour . This gives you the option of weedless or non-weedless jig heads from the same mold .

I am trying this out this on 1/8 -3/16 oz jigs in very clear water . Most jigs this size don't utilize a weed guard but I like the idea protecting the hook point until needed mainly from rock but there is also quite a few sticks on the bottom this time of year from run off . I have the seven strand leader material on hand in a couple of sizes but my thinking was to keep the profile of the jig as obscure as possible by using fluoro weed guards for pressured , finicky biters I am after .

I have been experimenting with the Mono-guard weed guard concept for jig heads based on the old Gary Klein Weapon jigs he used to sell using #50 fluoro leader material instead of the monofilament line used originally . This size line is perfect for jigs thrown on baitcasting gear but I would like to try lighter weight flouro for lighter jigs fished with spinning tackle . Biggest line I have available is 25 Lb test and it is too soft for what I need . The cost of a new 25 yard spool of this heavy flouro leader material is cost prohibitive for experimenting on something that may not work out . I just need a foot or two each of 30 & 40 pound fluoro leader material to try out . I will trade an equal length of #50 Sequar fluoro to anyone interested in a trade .

I haven't used the links myself though others like them for this purpose . pretty much every Hollow bodied frog lure has one attached to the double hook . I would tend to think if the #65 braid that anglers are throwing frogs on isn't opening the links wrestling big fish out of weeds they should be fine for other applications . Ford Vs Chevy debate ?

OR use these Connector Links - Barlow's Tackle (barlowstackle.com)

I make my blade baits using a Do-It Arky style jig mold and don't need to heat hooks or use connecting links . I used a TriSquare to mark a line at a 45 degree angle down from the top of one side of the open mold (to one side of the sprue hole ) to the center of the round recess in the cavity where the eye of the jig hook sits in the mold halve . I then use this mark for reference to make a line across both mold halves with the mold closed . Now using a hacksaw with the mold closed and positioned at a 45 deg angle in a vice I sawed along the lines I marked into the mold just down to the middle of where the hook eye sits . The mold is soft and cuts very easy so go slow . (The mold still pours arky jigs just fine with this mod ) OK now the blade part . ( I think I read this tip on this forum about using a center punch and tapping it into a hook eye lightly to open a gap the eye just enough for the blade to slip thru . ) Now you can place the jighook with blade attached into the mold and place the blade in the slot you cut and close up . The lead pours up to and covers the gap so the blade can't slip out so you don't need to closed the gap in the eye you create The only thing really different is painting the head WITH the blade attached but it's do-able . I have never had a hook eye fail or break as a result of stretching it open a tiny bit . I was apprehensive at first about sawing into a perfectly good mold but it is still working perfectly years later . I tried to be detailed enough for people to visualize this mod but a picture would have been easier . If anyone is interested I'll dig my camera out and post pictures

Did you set up the gain values for the PID controller yourself or did it come set up for a lead pot from the manufacturer ? I would imagine you would not even need the Integral Gain setting since the process of heating lead is so slow . Typically with a slow changing error signal all you need is the P and D gains .

"Never had a bait tear when demolding. I get more than one fish from each bait." I was talking about large scale commercial production of injection molded plastic baits by Manufacturers making hundreds or thousands of baits at a time as opposed to home pouring a 4 or 6 cavity injection mold . Roboworm machine pours very soft flat sided baits out of open pour molds I made a 3 piece full size Mad Man craw mold years with softer more lifelike legs and used MF soft plastic . I had to be very careful demolding that critter to keep it from tearing . A stick bait is much easier to remove than something with appendages

I read years ago that if lead is comprised of a mixed alloy that it can stratify into different layers of different metals that each have different melting points. If it is not getting stirred and separates I suppose something like you're experiencing could happen if the heavier metal at the bottom has a higher melting temp ??? I would say to also check the voltage level where the Pot is plugged into to make sure it's not lower than usual . Heat causes resistance to go up in electrical wiring and connections that can result in a voltage drop and less power to the Pot meaning the usual "8" setting is now lower . As cadman stated above the high ambient temp in your garage would probably affect the operation of the thermostat . When they created the Lead pot during testing it was probably tested at a lower (typical) room temperature thinking nobody would be crazy enough to pour jigheads in 100 deg garages

Most worms that are flat on the bottom are out of an open pour mold (1 piece) mold . Most full round baits are injected . Flat bottom worms can be poured with much softer plastic formulas for a softer worm . Injected mold baits are typically made of harder plastic formula so they don't tear during the de-molding process and make a tougher bait for Texas rigging weedless with big hooks .

You might try looking at places that sell jewelry making wire . I would think you should be able to find some Gold plated stainless steel wire that would work for you .

Here is a link to website I found that is dedicated to bass fishing history . It is updated frequently and has a section on vintage old catalog pages with color pictures and some old magazines and articles too. If you look around you'll be amazed at what you will find out. Bass Tackle Catalogs Archives - Bass Fishing Archives (bass-archives.com)

Never heard of this bait before kind of looks like a big Banjo Minnow. Here's a link on how to make a mold on YouTube

If you do some searching here and online you will probably come across tutorials and info on creating two part molds using Durhams water putty . It is essential to get all of the moisture out of the mold by baking before attempting any pours . Good luck on your jig ideas ...

Since you said "Ideas" I am assuming you're talking about prototypes of your ideas . It's better to go the cheapest route at first when creating a mold just in case the finished product does not perform as expected and modifications are required . You can create a two- part mold capable of pouring molten lead into a few times before degrading out of plaster product called "Durhams water putty " You need to bake the mold after it dries to insure no moisture remains before pouring hot lead into it . It is really the cheapest option .

Typically finesse means 4,6,8 lb lines . The original hand pour 4 and 6 " finesse worms made in the west were so soft you could literally set the light wire worm hooks by simply reeling down hard when a bass bit . Todays Robo worms same thing .

I have used the High temp red automotive silicone gasket material for that purpose and you can scrape it out easy enough when no longer needed .

Got ahold of Victor at Bug Molds via email and asked him about the dimensions of one of their molds under consideration . He replied with drawings attached showing actual measurements that helped verify exactly which mold I needed . As promised Victor was very helpful and great to work with and ordered my mold today . Since the manufacturer I used to get baits from scaled back production of available colors and discontinued the trailer(s) I normally throw for finicky clear water bass this was the only way to get a suitable substitute . Thanks for the tip Fishermanbt

You can get a roll of solid Tin solder anyplace that sells plumbing supplies . If my memory is correct I think it was 9lbs lead to 1 lb. tin

Description about these molds is kind of vague . For example the T147 double tail mold is listed as 3" but then on another site it says 1.5" ? I am looking for a double tail mold similar in size to a Yamamoto 4" double tail grub . Anyone have any experience with these molds

Mister Twister Sensation but it was a thing years ago and others sold it as a "Chicken foot" worm for flipping so try searching that name too. Found some still made here : fishing lure, soft plastic fishing bait, soft plastic worm, bass lure, bass bait,sensation,chicken foot bait (docirvcustombaits.com)

There was a company called "True Tungsten " if I'm remembering correctly that sold plastic baits with small tungsten weights molded into them

I found a bag of colored flat glass decorator "stones" my wife had out in the garage . I put a half dozen of ones just big enough to fit the opening of my gallon jug of plastisol for mixing before using . Works great and doesn't interact with the plastic and you can see them clearly on the bottom of the jug when mixed up .