Collins molds pour a nicer bait but heat up a lot quicker than a Do-It. My casting jig mold I can only pour maybe a dozen baits before it has to coll down.
Allen
I use the ones from fishingskirts.com as well as ones from Janns, Barlows, etc. They all seem to say and I have never had one melt in 2 years. They do pour better if the rattle is pushed forward in the mold though.
Allen
https://www.barlowstackle.com/Do-It-Round-Head-Weedless-Jig-Molds-P265.aspx
This jig is the reason I got back into tacklemaking. The Eakins jig the article references has a regular wire hook but the pic shows a heavier wire. The link above is the mold you need but you will have to sand the hook slot to accept a thicker hook. I modified mine to take bigger hooks but honestly they are not needed unless you are using heavy line. My main jig is a GP silicone one like you posted in 5/16oz that I fish on 10-12lb floro on a MH Kistler rod. The hook I use is a 4/0 Mustad 32798BLN and I have never had a problem in 10+ years of making the same jig.
Allen
Update on my experiment since I bought a crack torch to heat up the blades:
1. Heated blade in gun blue = Did nothing except smoke a little
2. Heated blade in motor oil = Just made the blade look older
3. Heated blade in Pepsi = Looks like the motor oil one only older
4. Heated just the blade 5 times = Started to turn a little blue but then the blade warped
5. Dipped blade into a medicine cap of spike it = Looks the best so far but the ink built up on the tip of the blade
6. Heated blade into a medicine cap of spike it = Don't do it as I have never seen such an adverse reaction.
Allen
Those look great and that is exactly what I am looking for. I have the same fluid bed but always get too much paint on the blade.
Would you be willing to paint some blades for me for some kind of trade? I have a lot of luremaking stuff.
Allen
Anyone have a solution to making chatterbait blades black?
Things I have tried so far:
1.Blade dip= Looks like crap and lasts 4 casts.
2. Sharpie = Looks worse than the blade dip and the blade is more purple than black.
3. Powder paint = Always goes on too thick even with the fluid bed.
4. Super Blue Gun Blue = Does not work on stainless steal or whatever the blades are made of. On a side note the Christmas bulb hanger wires I used to dip the blades came out a really nice matte black.
5. Spray paint = Looks the best so far but isn't going to work well either.
Looking into a small plating setup now but I am at a loss right now. Ideally I would like something that produces a matte black blade like Phenix uses on their blades.
Allen
Cast Industries charges like $150 for making a master then about the same for a production mold. If you have them cast the baits any replacement molds are free.
Allen
Seems like overkill to me unless you are adding eyes later. If adding eyes to a powder painted bait I just put some Sally Hansen hard as nails fingernail polish over them to make them stay. Last thing I will mention is that when I have epoxied over chartreuse powder paint it reacts bad and turns the bait orange.
Allen