BLT

I buried a Mustad 1/0 wide gap in the very tip of my thumb a couple months ago. The bone stopped it, so pushing it through was not an option, and that hook has a nice barb on it lol. I "wiggled" the hook one time, and left for the Docs. No way I was going to get it. I had just snelled it, and was pulling on both ends to tighten it, slipped off the end and in she went. Lesson learned, make sure I have dry/grease/oil free hands when making tackle. The people/nurses at the Docs all got a big kick out of it.

I think I saw them in Hagens catalog. They don't have much listed on their site, but give 'em a call or e-mail, good people from my dealings Phone: 800-541-4586 Fax: 605-996-8946 E-mail: hagensfish@santel.net

Go to all the Dentist in your area, the Vet, anywhere they take x-rays. I get a couple pounds each trip to different dentist. The small x-rays from the dentist have a thin peel of lead they pull off. It's not enough for a production pourer to live on, but for small jigs for yourself, would be plenty.

Saltwater anything. Went out for Tog in January for the first time. Great eating fish. Hope for Tuna Wahoo this year, and some nice striper.

Are you guys still getting the Devcon 2t @ wall mart? I did a search online and nothing came up. In the paint department I assume?

Was using Jacquard acid dyes. Just switched to Pylam dyes. They are more expensive, but they will custom make any color you want. Chartruese green not bright enough, but you want more hue also, they can do it. They will send you 2 oz. samples (up to 6 different colors if I remember right) to try. I just ordered 3 different pink samples to try. Per pound, any where from $75-$88 a pound, but the more you order the cheaper it gets. My 2 oz. sample should do well over a hundred tails the way it looks. Really happy with the color. Even the Jaquard works well. They hold up well in the saltwater, which 95% of my tackle goes into. How close to Lancaster are you? Your web site would not load up for me. I can give you some Jacquard dye to try.

I know guys that bleach their tails w/o any issues. Some even soak in a bucket of warm water with dish washing liquid and reported a whiter tail. (small amounts of bleach in it) Borax detergent is another item used. Make a bucket full of borax/water, put tails in until saturated. If your tails are fresh/not cured, the borax will also kill any little critters that may be hiding in them. After you pull the tails from either solution, put into a bucket of liquid laundry detergent/water mixture to clean, (I even put a few drops of fabric softener) rinse well, hang to dry. I buy those little clamps at Home Depot to hang them with to dry. I dye hundreds of tails a year, but myself have never tried to whiten the tails more.

never even heard of 2-in-1 before. Oops, fat fingered that one,,,,, 3in1 is correct.

I oil at the start of a session. I've used 2 in 1, marvelous mystery oil, 10w/30. Didn't see any better than the other.

The Giants defense should have got MVP. What a great job they did last night.

Anyone here dye their tails with Jacquard acid dyes?

For colors I use a lot of...you bet it is. This is the only P.P. I have ever tried.

For small jigs, I love the Xuron shears. Nice clean cut. For large jigs/sinkers, I just use a small pair of snips, file down the rough edges. I just cast 400 2oz. bank sinkers, after snipping all them off, the 'ole wrist/hand was tired lol. I wish I had a small band saw with fine teeth to cut them large sprues off. To answer the question, I say yes for small jigs, you can get by w/o them for the larger jigs.

Agree on not using the Wifes oven. OK, not PC, the kitchen oven lol. I have my toaster oven in the garage upside down. I have the rack pulled out while the oven is heating up, and have it resting on a pan on each side so the rack is about 4" above the workbench. I hang the jigs from the rails of the rack, toaster oven gets warmed up, open lid, put rack in the oven. Be careful to check that none of the jigs slide against each other when you put the rack into the oven. Only tricky thing about this method is when the oven is sitting on it's top, the door will open up, not down, so you will have to hold it up, and put the rack in with one hand, or use something to prop it up. I've done either method, just depends on jig size/how heavy the rack is. I prefer to do it this way instead of just loading up the rack while in the oven, and then turning it on.

TC, I thought I saw on their site they don't sell retail. The new price sheet shows only 6 or so colors @ $14/lb. The rest are $18.50-$20.50/lb, and a buck or so cheaper for a 5lb tub. The super glows are going to $23/lb. I would love to find it cheaper. I do have a tax # and excise #, so I can order from them. Was thinking of ordering some of the new color samples.

Wow dude, I was just agreeing with you, you don't have to use the bed, and in agreeing, pointed out that he got by using only the "dip" method. If it seemed like I was posting something to challenge your opinion/knowledge, that was not the intent. "good for your Dad", That's ah,.....very nice of you?? Have a good day anyway.

No, you do not need a fluid bed. When my Dad had the business, he made up to a 3oz. popeye/bullet jig and never had a fluid bed. He just used a cup a little deeper than the jig is long, and stirred/fluffed the powder up between dips with a toothpick, or whatever. That being said, I love my fluid bed.

I'll give 'em both a try, Thanks.

Does anyone deal directly with them to order hooks? I sent 2 e-mails to them about this and got no reply. I told them I would need to order around 10,000 a year, and in a variety of styles, and have all tax documents in order to fax. Maybe this amount is to small for them to answer?

The White Pearl isn't any fun either.

US post office has a box that no matter what you put into it, as long as it doesn't distort the shape of the box, and I think a 35# limit, it's like $8.50 to ship anywhere in the US. My Brother sold lead on Ebay and packed 30-35 pounds of lead in these boxes. I'll bet they LOVED him lol. They have several sizes/priced boxes like this. I've sent out tackle several times using these boxes.

I'll have to dig/find it, but I'm pretty sure one of my wholesale catalogs has just what your looking for. Then again, maybe not lol, Ill have to find it.

I prefer to pour in the chilly temps. If I have to stop pouring for some reason for a few minutes, I sit the mold across the top of the pot to keep the heat from running out to fast. I hate to pour when it's in the 80's and up.

I'm Bob, 44, married with 2 kids. One is At Temple U right now, the other in middle school. I didn't even really start to fish until 2 years ago. (Saltwater mostly) My Dad made tackle and sold it to 6-8 shops at the beach. He passed away last Dec. and as of March, I decided to take over his business not knowing ANYTHING about it lol. I search the net for weeks to learn how to dye/tie buck tails, powder coating, knots and all that fun stuff. I did save about 1/2 dozen of all the rigs he made for "patterns". Sure wish I would have started this years ago. I hope to have 5 of his shops next summer, and a web site.

If you don't need the heat that much, and don't need to heat the whole area, consider an electric "directional" heater. I have a Presto heat dish I got at Costcos and it works great. Sit it on the floor and point it at you, and your toasty. Here is a link to see what they look like. I paid under $70 for mine if I remember right. I use my garage, no insulation, and when I'm just working at the bench, this is what I use, and I'll bet it's colder up here than where you are lol. I like it. http://www.amazon.com/Presto-HeatDish-Plus-Footlight-Parabolic/dp/B000IOTREI