Uncle Grump

All I put the fluid bed together using Cadman's tutorial. Used 2" PVC, a 10-30 gallon aquarium pump (Wal-mart), the refrig water valve, brown paper bag as the membrane material. Cups are just shy of 3" tall. Made 3.... Am using Janns Netcraft paint (so far), white, black, and fl. green. Cup 1 - Fl green - worked perfect - boils nicely - cool I thought! Cup 2 - White - major volcanos - adjusting valve doesn't seem to help. Cup 3 - black - volcano - 1 spot - but really shoots the powder. thing. I searched the forums using 'volcano' and 'volcanos fluid' - read those posts. Added some balled up TP to air chamber - not alot of differance. Am now in the process of adding a second layer of bag material to these cups - using Elmers woodworker glue as adhesive on these. I cut my pipe on my table saw - using a 32T carbide blade. If I may ask - how did you guys cut your pipe? At least on the black cup, I am wondering if I have a nick on on the edge of cup.....will see what the second layer does. Blade may have been a touch low when I cut them.... Any other suggestions? Many thanks UG

All I want to thank all of the TU members who contributed to the sticky posts on pouring/fluxing, and to all of the other posts on pouring jigs - made things much safer and easier, and I knew what to expect. I had gotten some molds and lead earlier this summer, and finally got all the other stuff I needed to give things a try..... I was using lead that had been previously melted (in small ingots the size of cup-cakes), and since I could dent it w/ my thumb nail, I assumed it was soft lead (not wheel weights, etc). I got them melted, and added some parafin wax - flames and smoke - wow!! But afterwards, there was some black specs of crud on top - so it did something. But then I noticed some other crud - some a light orange/brown color, and some which was light blue - in/on the lead. I scrapped it off, got down to silver melal, and got some pouring done. Supper time came, so I shut down the camp stove, poured the remaining lead in my own cupcake tin, and went it to eat. After the eating was done, I was back out side and looking at the crud in my tin can - and it looked like lead. So firing up the stove again, I melted some more "cup-cakes", and the crud from the tin can. The tin can crud was the last to melt, and did that very slowly, and then it was back on the top again - so that was the wrong thing to do....Poured a few more jigs, and called it day. Questions: 1) The zillon $ question is what is that colored stuff? No amount of fluxing seemed to help to get rid of it.... 2) What is the best way of disposing of it? 3) Is there a rule of thumb for judging the temperature of lead? (I think I had a better temp (or warmer molds) before supper.) Many thanks.... UG

Err...'scuse a Newbie question here....but what is flux and how does one do it to lead? Thanks UG

All Some friends of ours operate a couple of those rental storage units - they have the usual trouble w/ renters etc. Most recently, someone in the midst of a divorce just walked away from a unit about the size of a single garage, wouldn't pay rent etc, no contact info - just walked away

Spike-a-Pike I've been doing the "donut" thing to my spinner baits for years - all of mine see duty on the toothie critters - up here - MN - you're as likely to encounter a NP as a LMB or SMB. I've not tryed this solution when fishing for musky - but the worst I can see happening is the donut getting busted if the fish could some how exert "backward" pressure on the donut (toward the open portion of the R). I keep a 35mm film canister w/ a couple dozen donuts in my boxes. UG

Assuming I understand what your describing w/ R-bend spinners - keeping the leader from moving around on the shaft of the spinner bait - The solution is simple..... Get your self some 1/8" id clear plastic tubing - any home center / quality hardware store will have it. Cut it in to sections about 1/8 of a inch long, so you have small "donuts". Place a donut over the R bend, then slide the snap of the leader thru the space between the top of the donut and the bend in the spinner bait frame. UG

Ledhed: Thank You - hadn't considered that. What material would be in the running for the mold? Plaster - silicon? Airhog: My labor is free - materials do cost howerver. I thank both of you for the input - this is what I'd hope to get here. UG

All I fish mainly for panfish - and I've come across a few models of plastics I like - and have been buying them retail.... I've never tryed pouring any type of plastics - and all I know about making them is what I've read in tackle magazines / catalogs, and what I've read here on TU.... I've been paying $2-3 for a pkg of 10-20 of a given kind of bait. My question - can I make them cheaper if I was to start pouring? For example - a local bait shop sells a soft plastic from Culprit (paddle tails) for about $2.70 for a package. I know I would have to find molds first - a catalog I have from Lurecraft has some that look about right - but purchasing them would be the only real way to know for certain. There might be other source of molds as well - haven't looked that hard. I don't see doing this for retail purposes - only for myself. Reasonable idea - or stick to retail? Thanks UG

Janns Netcraft UG

Hi all Been lurking for a while - time to jump in..... I've been tinkering at making my own jigs for the last 6-8 months - nothing real fancy yet - but I'm more interested in function than anything else. I've been looking at the stuff I've store bought vs what I can tie.... Many of my store bought hair jigs are wrapped w/ chenile - and I am stumped on how to 'tie it off' once I get it wrapped around the hook shank up to the head. I've used thread - the same color as the chenile, and it works - but there has to be some thing else.... Thanks much UG