reeves

OK, it is official! I am out of the closet and never going back. You guys would have given good money to be a fly on the wall watching this operation. I used some parafin I had laying around, cut it into about the size of a sugar cube. Got some chunks of paper towels to light with and my lighter. The melt was ready to go. I dropped in the cube of wax, not sure of what exactly to expect. Grabbed the chunk of paper towel and the lighter and lit it. Now I have to admit, I really thought Sagacious had lost it when he said to light the smoke as I had never seen or heard of that being done. Thought I was performing one of those magic shows when I introduced the burning paper towel over the melting wax cube. Poof! Scared the tar out of me. It flamed a bit higher than I expected, which worried me some. Grabbed the long handled ladle and commenced stirring. Got a ton of smoke with the parafin, so will try to get some bees wax for future use. Once the smoking died down, I skimmed the sludge off the top and started casting. Oh yeah, I also lowered the pot temp. Casting went flawless and the melt was sludge free. No more dross whatsoever throughout the entire casting session. Can't believe I have been doing it wrong for so long. Sagacious, I want to really thank you for sharing and teaching. Without your help I would still be destined to a life of mega-dross. Wow, I am so impressed. Anyway, thank you a thousand times over. If ever you need something that I may be able to help you with, you just ring the bell and I will answer. Guys, this has been an amazing post, that I think (from what I am reading anyway) everyone has learned from. I would love to have Sagacious come to my shop and show me what else I may be doing wrong, but that is just wishful thinking, but you are invited if you ever get to Oklahoma.

I really like this thread. Now I have a few questions. Hawn, I'm glad you had success following these directions. I opted to mow a couple of acres today rather than cast, so tomorrow will be my baptism. It was suggested to flux when melting down wheel weights for ingots. 1. Is this done before or after the clips are skimmed? 2. Then when adding ingots to my melting pot, I should flux again? 3. How often should I flux the melting pot? 4. Can you flux too much? I use an 80lb melting pot when spincasting. The lowest I will let it get is about half empty (full??). I will then either add ingots or my sprues from casting. Should I flux at this time? I will await a response from Sagacious. BTW, I too am curious about your vast knowledge like Cadman. Please include me in your response to his question should you decide to not make it public. Thanks, keep the info coming, I'm like a sponge here. George

Hey guys, this is great dialogue, I am learning more and more so keep posting. Since moving to spincasting, the lead I use must be a pretty exact alloy of lead, tin and antimony to achieve error-free casts. I was buying this already blended from one of the big boys in St. Louis until the prices skyrocket overnight. Now I scrounge up where I can and do a lot of mixing myself. Not exact by any stretch and the relults are obvious when you don't get it right. Occasionaly I still pour from the pot and this fluxing subject has really been of interest to me as I never fluxed either. Sagacious, you are a boatload of knowledge on lead and I hope you keep the open line as I have learned a bunch from your posts. And Hawn, I feel for you man, being stuck way out there on that island, I appreciate all your posts on the subjects as well. Ever need a hand, just holler. My thanks to all.

If you think about it, that was a pretty intense poll with a lot of great thoughts laid on the table. I am pretty sure I read all the replies to it, and even now am still quite a bit disturbed over the results. I operate a tackle business, but do not come here to 'pick up business', never intended my presence for that although it has resulted in several new customers. This place is my therapy and my classroom all rolled into one. Of the 60 replies I did notice that most were the members that I would call 'leaders' here, but surprisingly to me, there were quite a few 'newbies' that posted and I praise them for that. I share the pain that Jerry must be going through. When the dam springs a leak, there are only so many fingers available to plug the holes. Growing pains are hell and only the survivors are left standing in the end. I believe Jerry will be standing in the end. The end is not near, just a bump in the road.

Big-D, Yes, I have them. I had your address at one time but PM it to me again and I'll get them in the mail.

Big-D, I'm pretty sure I have some but will have to check first. Will get back at you later today to verify. How many you looking for?

Javelin, You won't be melting any copper in your lead pot, it doesn't get anywhere near hot enough to melt copper. Not sure what causes that color, but it is not copper. It sounds like the Doe Run stuff might have some tin in it which would give the shiny appearance. It may not be as soft as pure lead would be. Either way, everything you have is good to use for your lures. Have fun.

The lead is definitely worth saving. The colored stuff that surfaces is just more impurities in the lead. I get the same thing but once I have made my ingots for later use in the melting pot, I don't worry about it. When it returns in the melting pot, I just skim it off to the side before I dip with the ladle. It never seems to build up too much to worry about and don't seem to effect the pour any.

Jerry, I really have some mixed thoughts on this. Of course it is only human to avoid 'change', and maybe we have all become too comfortable with the site the way you have provided it for us thusfar. I for one wouldn't mind paying the fee, to me it is well worth it. I do like the sound of many of your future additions and would welcome them. I also find that I agree with much of what Delw has pointed out in his post. I have really thought about this since first reading it a couple of hours ago and feel that in the long run active membership is going to be lost. I come to the site several times a day, but I only generally sign-in once a day. I like to check and see what is going on and contribute where I can. Since these recent changes, I have been blocked from doing my 'habitual' surfing and prompted to sign-in. I have notice that the amount of members signed-in seems to have increased which tells me that possibly there are others with the same 'habits' as myself. I will support this site any way I can, for it has given me so much and introduced many new friends to me that it has become a bond that I am not willing to give up. I will now cast my vote and hope for the best because this is always where I have found the 'best'.

PM sent.

Rusty Shank, My first answer on this would be . . . . . . 'your imagination'. Ok, now that I have that out of the way, it totally depends on what you want in the tool along with the resources that are available to you. Then again, if you want to do it the easy way, go to FishingSkirts.com, Better Product Better Price he has a couple at a reasonable price that may interest you beyond tryiing to make your own.

It just wouldn't be right if I failed to chime in here. I concur with MDC and JSC 110%. Both Cadman and Ledhed are two of the best examples I can think of that represent just what TU is all about. They probably do more to help others (when they should be making baits) than is normal for any member. There are so many others also that go the extra mile but since these two members were mentioned, and both have aided me in the past beyond what I could expect. If they would quit raising the bar, I might be able to get caught up. Sorry to be so windy, my nature I guess. dannyp, you haven't created a fuss at all. Hope you got your answer for your powder cups.

Shortlite, For the RTV molding material, I might recommend Smooth-On. They have a fantastic product at a very reasonable price to accomplish what you are going to do. You can Google their website, I think it is Mold Making, Mold Rubber and Casting Resins From Smooth-On , but not for sure. They have some excellent videos also on how to use their product. Once you get your model the way you want it, make a mold using the RTV, you will be pleased. Good luck.

Not as big as you would think Bruce. If you are referring to David's set-up at Hook Solutions, the cost is minimal in comparison to a professional set-up. No slam on David as I think he knows where I am going with this. I have an electrostatic set as well and just haven't had the time to convert to it. A lot of DIY type stuff to fabricate to make the system versatile to your requirements. The electrostatic spray gun can be purchased at Harbor Freight for $60 on sale. A used kitchen oven can be picked up for $20. Then there is the cost of material to make your racks and fixtures to hold the baits while you paint and bake them. And also the cost to make a spray booth which can be done for little $$. David has a fine example of how to do it, in fact mine will be patterned after his when time becomes available. The amount of racking he has is predicated by his volume requirements. If you are not painting that many baits then only a few racks would be needed. Now on the other side of the coin there is the commercial electrostatic spray units that will require huge bucks to get into, a second and third mortgage and your first born as collateral. This decision is really a no-brainer.

I agree with Heavycover ont his one. There is no question about the quality of the product he makes, no one has challenged that. The customer service is his downfall. This is not the first post about him on the same subject. Like heavy said, he would be better off turning down the business he is unable to keep up with, rather than have this type of conversation going on about him. I am in business to make a buck and have satisfied customers. Meeting deadlines is very important to me as I figure it is to my customers. I try to be very honest about my ability to meet an expectation of a customer, if that is not good enough they have the option of going elsewhere. I would rather lose a customer this way than by not meeting commitments. So, it is agreed that he is the best at what he does. And if I am reading this thread correctly, it is also agreed that he has terrible customer service habits. Does the end justify the means? I think not.

I have one and use it occasionally. Originally bought it to spray clear powder with glitter on blades. That worked great. Like stated, it takes very low air pressure to operate. I made the mistake of forgetting to turn down the pressure because I was so anxious to try the thing. Wow, what a mess when I pulled the trigger. Also a good tip from Basseducer on using it for multiple colors, I can see where it would work great.

Those things really play hell with a buzz bait. Have to clean 'em up between every cast.

Good thinking JSC, and I tend to agree with you to a point. The crane or roller swivels work well but tend to break easily, especially when hit against and object like a rock. I had some fly apart on me when working a bass and made a bad cast. Bang, game over. I don't think you would have this problem with a ball bearing swivel. There are a lot of kvdwannabes out there that will disagree, but if there is no money on the line, a crane swivel would suffice. As for the plastic tubing used at the 'r' bend, good idea. I often thought of using a rubber skirt collar in the same manner, but now that the tubing has been mentioned, I like it better for the stiffness it would provide. Thanks Uncle Grump for the tip.

I agree with Dan, the fish have the final say, and it appears they have cast their vote. Don't it feel good to be on that level now? Great job Mr. J, now how about a pic of the deadly lure please.

You can also find it on ebay. There are some outfits that sell their drop-off pieces on there. If you don't see the thickness you want go to their on-line store and search there. Just another option for you.

Dutch, There a lot impurities in wheel weights. Most guys use a propane fish fryer with a cast iron dutch oven type pan. I just did a couple hundred pounds yesterday. You have to melt them down and then skim all the junk off the top and discard. Once you have a pot of melted lead, ladle it into ingot molds, old muffin pans, things like that to create ingots to add to your lead pouring pot in smaller amounts. Don't try doing this in your pouring pot as you will eventually clog it up, not worth the hassle. As for pouring baits directly with wheel weight lead, it works best on larger baits, not on small 1/16 or 1/8oz stuff. This lead is hard and brittle, so to make pouring easier add soft lead with it. If you need more help, give a yell, many will answer. Good luck!

I say it is both. The way it is rigged on the left would be shakey and the one on the right would be jig. The best of both worlds.

kb, I'm pretty sure I have a mold for the 1/8oz., been so long since I did any. I know right where the 1/4oz mold is and could do those quick if you would rather have 1/4oz. Also, do you just want the plain lead head with hook and wireframes or do you want them finished complete? If so, I need some info, like color of head and skirt. Thanks

Very good Ted, didn't stop laughing for 5 minutes. They seemed to have overlooked one thing though. Just where does the co-angler stow his gear? Very cool!

Gosh Bruce, thanks for the nice compliments. I only try to do the best I can and hope that it is acceptable to others. Am glad it worked out for you and the pike. It is a 1oz that was designed for BIG bass. And really, if you want another just let me know, not a problem.