smallmouthaholic

Do not add salt to your plastic. Hook size /weight and the design of the jig head all contribute to a floating presentation..

Exactly! They will never admit they are incorrect either

How can a state supersede a federal law allowing lead? The alternatives are ridiculously priced- but that is the American way today!

Injector tip- Pull the plunger all the way back( w/ the tip of the injector off.) Check the top of your injector(behind the plunger for pieces of cured plastisol & remove if necessary.) Spray the inside of the injector w/ PAM then depress the plunger all the way, expelling all the old plastic remnants and PAM. Wipe off the "O" ring or quad ring,which ever is in your injector.Now you have a smooth,operating injector. Using an UN-heated injector CAN/MAY lead to the internal plastisol cooling off. If you try and compensate by over-heating in your microwave, that can/may lead to other problems. Note to Frank- You're successful w/ you non heated deal and that's great. Not trying to start a heated/non-heated injector war again. I personally will not work w/ out a heated injector system.

You said pouring,then shooting. Which is it?? You also stated you used 225-230 degree plastisol.I'd check your temperature equipment. I can shoot 280-290 degree plastisol from a heated injector but not 225-230. Put you mold in a vise and tilt the entrance of the mold upward. As suggested earlier,just let the weight of your hand push the injector downward-slowly and hold for 5 seconds.Top off your mold as the plastisol receeds Are you using new plastisol or used plastisol?

You can change the angle of the fiber guard( to be 1/4'' away from the hook point) as soon as the jig and molded in fiber guard comes out of the mold by holding the hook and bending the wire guard forward-holding for 20 seconds w/ pressure against the base of the fiber guard and the tip against the hook eye.. Good luck w/ that w/ glue -in guards I do not want any fiber guard touching my hook point since that position provides the least amount of snag resistance working through submerged wood.I also fan-out the fiber guards before fishing. I respect those folks who wish to drill out, Teflon pin and glue in fiber guards but I have no desire for that time consuming process plus too much glue makes a mess.Spare me the justifications and stick w/ the methods you prefer.

Mark- I airbrushed 100's of bass jigs 25+ years ago w/ VL&J paint. The trick is to spray them w/ two part epoxy after the paint dries and they will not effect plastics. For powder painting- you cure jigs w/ weed guards already poured in w/ a tight fitting sleeve that goes past the top of the fiber guard by 1/4". The trick is to pre-heat around the base of the weed guards so the powder paint sticks- without affecting the fiber guards.Lower the oven temp to 250 and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the sleeve and the guards will flare but now you don't have to use pliers to flair out the guards. Most here on TU use Teflon pins and glue in the fiber guards

It's very simple and in-expensive to make your own and have exactly what you need.

Ben- That's precisely why I discontinued all of my NASCAR related magazines 15 years ago. It's all about the $.

I've been a B.A.S.S. member since 1967.The magazine has most certainly shift it's content to advertising and Pro highlights.

It's been 25+ years since I mixed and sprayed bone crank-baits. Guessing- 4 pts White- 1- 1 1/2 pts yellow and use a tooth pic tip of brown-stir and repeat but be careful adding too much brown. Shake well and apply a strip to a white piece of paper and observe outside- not under indoor, fluorescent light.

Bone is made by using- 1- White as a primary 2- Yellow as a secondary 3-Brown as an accent

Why not cut your aluminum pin to fit flush w/ the outside of the weed guard hole? Pour the lead into the mold-then powder paint. Clip the end of the coil keeper through the hook eye.

15 minutes @ 350 degrees( assuming the over was 350 when you put the jigs in) is enough time to cook the powder paint

In most cases, you cannot deduct any expenses from a hobby. The feds aren't stupid-10% tax off of components but 10% tax on gross sales.You don't have to be a mathematical genius to realize why the feds will investigate and pursue the small,under the table manufacturer for their 10%. Some CPA's are not knowledgeable concerning excise tax and form #637. Call you local I.R.S. office and request a form for your E.I.N.( employer identification #) and your application form for your # 637. The I.R.S. will gladly help those trying to operate a legitimate business. If you are talking about the lures you make & sell on TU,you are most likely already on the radar screen of the I.R.S. It's very easy to get caught. The penalties and interest will surpass any taxes you may have avoided. Be advised!! Edited for spelling

Utility and design patents are tricky.Consult a trademark and patent attorney. They will cost money but so will a patent infringement suit- especially from a" deep pockets" manufacturer. TU is not the place to obtain accurate ,legal advice-in most cases Edited for spelling

Sometimes the length of the trailer needs to be trimmed. Once you have the correct trailer in length and width selected, slide it 3/4 of the way up onto the hook and apply a small dab of Locktite gel onto the bend of the hook shank. Complete installation and this will hold your trailer in the correct position cast after cast and working through structure w/out offsetting the jig balance by spinning around. I also place plastic structure on the bottom of the bathtub filled w/ water to see exactly how the jig and trailer reacts and corrects itself to central balance. Attention to detail is paramount to your success on today's pressured waters. edited for spelling

A wide body,crayfish/beaver style trailer will give the jig balance and upright hook stability maintaining what I call central balance. A simple bath tub test w/ 1 foot of water will prove this.Too many anglers assume their plastic trailer will do this as some trailer will cause the jig to lay on it's side BTW- kids play w/ plastic toys in the bathtub- men play w/ jigs and trailers

Gentlemen- The 10% excise tax is part of doing business.The paperwork takes a whole 10 minutes to file and mail. Do I like paying it ?- But I do every quarter for the past 9 years. Penalties and interest can exceed the actual tax if you get caught. The excise tax is deductible from your gross profits. Do it right and sleep @ night-!

Cadman, I made 1 1/2 and 2oz spinner baits 26 years ago w/ .040 s.s. wire.We caught LMB on the 1 1/2 oz model. The 2 oz. model required a super,heavy duty flippin' rod to throw. I made them primarily for tidal water fishing in deep holes so they would drop quickly and not be affected by the tidal current.I modified an old Do-it jig mold to accept the wire form. They'll cast fine w/ a surf rod

I thought Popcorn salt was fine until I tried Bear's Ultra-fine salt.

. " Looking at the ingots after I emptied the pot and they sure don't have a dull look to them at all. " Lead ingots will look shiny immediately after pouring. That said ,some oxidize faster but soft lead will eventually turn dull w/ a blueish cast. Here's contact info for good,soft lead- kensfagin@hotmail.com His soft lead was better then any I've purchased in the past pouring intricate,small barbs and complete,difficult jigs.That said, soft lead is good for jigs but not for buzz-baits and spinner-baits. For the aforementioned you need antimony in your lead for strength

No need to pardon your ignorance as we all learn from asking questions.It has been my experience an IR gun won't read properly through the reflection of the molten lead. I have been using a digital pyrometer( w/ immersion probe) for 28 years(1987) -since @ that time it was the most accurate molten lead measuring device available. It still is in operation today and the probe is basically indestructible. I'm sure there have been improvements over the years for less expensive ,molten lead temperature,measuring equipment. Pouring lead jigs,buzz and spinner baits can be one frustrating experience for the novice and experienced too..I ponied-up for expensive ,clean lead- w/ and w/o antimony after suffering through dirty.contaminated lead for 2-4 years. I have custom CNC molds that pour @725,some @ 825-850 and one P.I.A. spinner bait mold that requires 925+ degrees.A dependable & accurate molten lead, temperature measuring device is mandatory for my success. Note to smalljaw- Dan- you mentioned before that you were unsuccessful @ smoking your molds w/ a candle flame. Use a beeswax candle and you'll be impressed.

Good advice from smalljaw and Cadman- You must check the temperature of the lead -a digital pyrometer w/ an immersion probe is recommended. An IR thermometer will not work properly. 10 years ago,I drilled my spout out one size larger then stock.When you spout clogs try this- Bend a piece of.040 spinner bait wire into a 90 degree leg. Make the leg going into the pot approximately 2" in length.Have the pot and lead @ full operating temperature-750-850 degrees. With a gloved hand , lock a small set of needle nose vice grips onto the wire after the 90 degree leg. Position the wire against the bottom of the spout. As you open the plunger completely, perform a colonoscopy inserting the wire as far as it will go. Hot lead will be coming out close to your heat resistant ,gloved hand as you perform several in and out motions w/ the wire. This should clean out your clog unless your lead is contaminated. Free lead is usually junk,loaded w/ impurities.You get what you pay for Been there ,done that 25+ years ago.Purchase pure,soft lead. The bars will have a dull appearance(not shiny) and also have a blueish cast to it. I hope this helps- good luck

Agree 100%-Highlight is not a base color-various highlights are added to white for an effect adding an iridescent color or glimmer to white.