smalljaw

If it is zinc you need to get it out ASAP!!!

If it is zinc contamination it will ruin your pot even if it isn't a bottom pour. The zinc will corrode the liner and when that happens the pot is no longer usable. I had that happen a long time ago and the lead looked just like that and it seemed to have a heavier viscosity than normal. If you don't believe it will harm your pot then contact LEE and they will tell you.

That looks like Zinc contamination to me. If you don't get that out of your pot it will render it unusable as it will cause holes in the liner. I found that out the hard way, you need to be careful when buying lead. I get most of my lead from Rotometals but I bought some very good lead with 3% antimony from Davis bait company.

The Manic Mullet is closer to the Snootie jig than it is the Poison Tail. You can really use any head you want to make a bladed jig, it just depends on the hook you want. I like using the Trokar Pro Swim Jig head and I like the Sparkie head as well but it depends on what the situation I'm using it in.

Mark, that will save time and thread!!!! On small jigs with no collars or on collars without a ring I will make a chenille ball in order for the skirt or hair to flare. I prefer to tie because I can control the amount of flare I get. On my Eakins style jigs I don't want too much flare but on an arky style jig like in the picture, flare is what you want, well at least I do. Thanks for that tip!!!

Smoke isn't black nickel and doesn't have that effect over nickel or any other shiny surface. I have that color, it is like graphite, the trick is to get as light of a coat as you can. You had me thinking there was a black nickel color and there isn't.

Where did you see this paint???

I don't know what kind of pot you are using but you can add some super hard alloy https://www.rotometals.com/super-hard-alloy-metal-ingot-5-pounds-30-antimony-70-lead/ . It use to be available in nuggets but now they only have the 5lb ingots. If you are using a 10lb pot add 1.5 to 2 pounds of this and your heads will be fine. You will need to increase the temp you pour at but it will work fine. Powder painting and then curing the painted head will also help.

I like making my own wire forms but buzzbaits are a different story, at least for me. For 3/8oz I'm with Apdriver in that I like .045" but for 1/2oz I prefer .052". The .045" wire you can bend on a wire former depending on what you use but .052" requires a heavy duty option.

Shorten the skirt by cutting off the ends. Once rubber sets it is done, no amount of hot water or anything else is going to fix it. Judging from your picture it looks like you have some room to trim them up. Also, a shorter skirt will flare better which will really give the rubber even more action. It could end up being a blessing in disguise and end up being really productive.

I really liked that, well done!!!

What diameter weed wacker line do you use?

When you say you didn't have the issues with the lead are you talking about everything else being the same? Lead or Tungsten shouldn't make a difference as long as the weight is the same, I mean the difference in size might be better in the current but it shouldn't be a dramatic difference. I think your design will work but you need to make small changes and it might mean that you make a dozen lures to test out. Try the easiest things first and do 1 at a time so you know what change made the difference. The first change I'd make is going to a smaller blade, a size 4 would probably be better and also help your bait get down. If you don't have a smaller blade you can make your wire a little longer, about 1/8" but either change the blade or lengthen the wire, don't do both.

There are a couple of small things wrong but nothing too bad. Apdriver mentioned one of them already, .035" on a 1/4oz in-line is too heavy, .028" is much better. The main issue is the blade is 1 size too big. The weight is fine for that size blade but it is Tungsten so it is a little more compact so you have the length of a smaller bait. If you look at a #6 Panther Martin which I think is 1/4oz, you'll notice the bottom of the blade doesn't extend past the lure body. In-line blades ride on the wire so the wire diameter and bead size determine how close the blade lays next to the body. If the wire is too heavy combined with larger beads then the blade sticks out further increasing the likelihood of it catching the line. Then the blade size being a bit too long just provides more area to catch the line when the bait enters the water. So before you make wholesale changes, try dropping the size beads first, then drop blade size and then wire. Start with the easiest thing first, good luck.

It is hard to say without seeing it and a size 6 doesn't tell anything. Do you mean a size #6 hook or a blade? What kind of blade and wire diameter? There are guys that make bass tackle and also musky tackle so the bass stuff would be considered smaller. The same thing as guys that make small trout spinners and bass spinners, one is smaller that the other, you need to provide some context. Are you making a 1/16oz size spinner with a #12 treble hook, or a 3/316oz with a #6 hook? Are you using a French blade or Swing blade and is it on a stirrup clevis or folded clevis? I apologize for asking the questions this way but you aren't going to get any meaningful help without a picture or a detailed description. Your description is vague because there isn't any standard on spinner sizes, most manufactures use their own system for sizing just so you understand why saying a size 6 doesn't help.

Here they are from Eagle Claw's website. They say these don't have a curved point and will be offered in the laser sharp and Trokar models. Supposed to be available in July of 2019 they still aren't here, I'd like to see how different they are as well. https://www.eagleclaw.com/l570vp-pro-v-jig-hook

You have nothing to be sorry for...LOL. TW causes confusion by listing that hook differently than other sources. I would also say it is part Eagle Claw, they might have sold those hooks to TW as the pro v model. When Eagle Claw retooled and introduced the new hooks they also had a new finish which was originally marketed as the "black pearl" series. Later on they changed it to the "black platinum" series which we all know as BP after the number. I'm beginning to wonder if Eagle Claw just decided there is no reason for another hook and just scrap the entire thing. BTW, there is a hook made by Mustad, the 32500 skipjack hook which is Mustad's version of the sickle hook. It is more of a hybrid between a round bend and a sickle as the angles aren't as sharp as Matzuo or Eagle Claw. The skipjack hook is a little heavier and stronger while the lil nasty is much sharper, pros and cons to each.

Notice is says "Pro - V bend jig hook" and not 570 pro-v. They are just the regular 500BP lil nasty as TW has had them since 2017. The 570 pro v was only announced at the 2019 ICAST show and even the description is the same as what is used for the 500BP lil nasty word for word. For some reason TW was calling that hook a pro v from the start but I believe it was due to Trokar having a model called a pro v so it just carried over. Go back and read the description, "designed with super fine wire" which wasn't used to descript the 570 pro v. The only thing I saw of the 570 pro v is the use in jig heads and jigs like the Jewel pee wee football jig. So far the plain hook hasn't been made for retail yet and as I said, TW had that hook before there was even mention of a 570 pro v.

I don't know that any place even has these or if they've been released yet. If you know of some place that has the pro v for sale I'd appreciate the info as I'd get a few to try and then post the differences for others.

You are using the wrong kind of beads behind the clevis, that is one problem. The beads behind the clevis aren't just a spacer, they act as a bearing for the clevis to spin on. The second part of the problem is your design, you have the weight way to far behind the blade placement.

20 minutes at 300 is too low for the amount of time. I do my curing at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. And when I say 15 minutes I'm saying 4 minutes for the oven to reach temperature, 2 more minutes for the jigs to hit temp and then 15 minutes which is 21 minutes total. So putting the jigs in at 300 degrees and then setting the timer to 20 means the paint probably isn't curing at all. A rep from Component Systems, the makers of pro-tech powder paint, told me years ago that I could cure at 270 degrees but the baking time would need to be right around an hour.

How are you curing them, time and temperature? After curing just dropping on concrete should not result in the paint chipping. I'm going to say that either temperature is too low or time is too short but there is a problem. Also, when you use a toaster oven you need to be sure the temp is somewhat accurate. They are notorious for being off, my oven is off by almost 25 degrees from the dial setting to actual temperature. Best thing is to get an oven thermometer and check the oven temp versus the dial setting.

Did you use Devcon 2-Ton or did you use the Devcon 5 min epoxy? I'm asking that because a friend of mine purchased unpainted heads from LPO so he could paint and finish them himself. He was at my house where I helped him powder paint his swim jigs and he went home to put the eyes on and clear coat. He brought his jigs over the next day and they had brush marks all over, I never saw that before. It turns out he got Devcon 5 minute epoxy so that is why I asked the question. If it is the 2-Ton epoxy then my next question is going to be, did you thin it or alter it in any way? I know some guys thin it with denatured alcohol even though the manufacturer says not to thin it right on the package.

So I noticed....Might help if I look before responding next time...LOL!!

Barlow's give the wire diameter and has the pictures of the hooks along with the sizes next to a ruler.