Ogajiga

"Fernet", in my experience a standard 1 lb. cast iron open face ladle works fine for any size BiSN casting, but doesn't work for lead pouring small gate molds like Do-it Pros.

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Thanks, "sagacious", for clarifying the thermal instability of Sn alloys. I've experienced that Pb90Sn10 is somehow the optimal alloy in one (& only) of my tuff pour molds. Guess I'd better heads up on the 361*F eutectic border of that one too.

"Fernet" thanks for the info on "sweating" at 300*F. Given the 520*F melting point of bismuth I don't understand why a portion of a high bismuth alloy can apparently melt at the 58-42 eutectic temp of 281*F, perhaps "sagacious" can help?

George, another idea: I used tube jigs exclusively for all species until my jig mentor turned me onto tied rabbit fur jigs. In theory the fine fur fibers have better movement(arguably) and the wetted down fur has less wind resistance than soft plastic tube "legs".

George, yes, inside tube heads air resistance a non-issue. I'm sure you'll have fun trialing the ideal insert weights into the ideal size sheath heads. Eventually, you'll have a tube presentation system adjustable to depth, species, conditions, structure, etc. I commend your excellent idea!

Never needed floating heads, but a smaller lead (or tin) core head inside a larger foam "casting" is definitely an idea worth considering. Both molds would have to fit the same hook, but modifying a ball head core mold for larger hooks is Do-it-able. Edit: thinking about it more, the advantage of a foam sheathed jig head would be primarily slower sink since regardless of sheath size the jig might not cast any farther than the core weight.

"Fernet", a customer reports good results baking at 250*F for half an hour with 7-1 bismuth-tin alloy heads. I think even 300*F might be do-able with Bi90 Sn10.

"Gloomisman", I don't pour Poison Tails, but the 30+ molds I pour lead free with release OK by tapping the sprue with a piece of wood. This requires leaving a sprue "knob" protruding above the inlet gate. Use gravity and with the open mold face pointing down tap on the knob so the casting will drop vertically onto your work table. If the sprue breaks off leaving the jig head trapped you can try tapping the casting out with an awl - point on the sprue break. If the casting still refuses to release, the mold cavity needs to be re-surfaced. Especially with newer (rougher) Do-its, I smooth out the cavity surface (carefully!) if nececssary with a non-powered ball cutter or abrasive bit to facilitate release. Unlike lead which shrinks when cooling bismuth expands. Your 58-42 alloy is actually fairly user friendly because of the high tin content. This is just a bump on the learning curve, you're almost there! "jigs 1956", there is a link to Roto Metals posted in this thread.

Every comment was useful, thanks to all. Makes sense that a hard jerk could slide an inbent point out of a fish's mouth without setting on a horizontal following take, & missed strikes could be noticeable. Rock snag resistance would be a big + for me. Not sure if EWG short straight point bites could be thrown more easily than deeper curved penetration? Here's a pic of a defective HD Sickle hook(only one!) - if inbent point jig hooks work, this would be close to my ideal.

"George12182", if you no longer need multiple collar keepers, the 1/8 Cabela's Wobble Jig takes a #1 light wire hook. Like a football head the hook point tends to stay upright even on the bottom but the Wobble falls much slower.

I've never tried any yet, do the EWG or new circle jig hook designs have any advantages over conventional straight ahead points? More interested in your personal or your customer's experience than mfg. claims.

"Gloomisman" 58-42 is a fairly hard alloy so if you can't snap off the sprue with pliers try some HD gate shears(not nippers!) or wire cutters. If that doesn't work, throw the head down vertically into a high sided metal pot to land on the flat front of the sprue, & protect your eyes.

"Fatman", for reasonable spike barb strength, IMO you'd need a 50% or less bismuth alloy, which compromises weight. Luckily, Do-it has been phasing out spike barbs in favor of the tapered barbs which are OK cast in high bismuth alloys. Bi70-Sn30 spike barbs could work if you trimmed off the barb tips down to 2/3 or less of the original barb height, but you might get some ragged breaks with a standard sprue trimmer. I personally don't find it necessary to make any BiSn spike barb heads.

"MTfishingrods", thanks for the heads up. I would be disappointed if posting my experience with SC was construed as anything other than intent to benefit our membership relevant to "george12182"s inquiry.

"2fishon", I don't know why SC's delivery estimates are always off, I'm a several times return customer and still have to wait at least 6 months despite a 3 week estimate. Comes with the territory - if you want the best custom molds in the world you play by his rules - pay in advance and wait your turn. Out of respect for his genius I just wait quietly and not add to his stress level. When I was a serious surfer long ago my boards were made by a similar genius named Sparky. He'd require payment in advance and his delivery time was...whenever. After a full years wait I got POd, banged on his door, & got in his face. Well, I got the board in a week but it was a piece of sh**. I chose thereafter to get boards elsewhere, but they were never as good as my Sparkys.

"dlaery" pretty much covered it. IMO the Bi-Sn alloy that best compromises the attributes of heaviest weight, nice surface finish, easy sprue removal, powder paintability, and mitigated brittleness would be a 90% bismuth - 10% tin alloy. The exception to this would be that a high bismuth alloy would be too brittle for spike barbs on jig heads. Molds used for pouring Bi-Sn need to be exceptionally tight to minimize flash.

New Do-it, wasn't aware of it. Might be your best off the shelf option, tho the design concept is quite different from a football. I really like my SC customs, but probably minimum 6 months wait for delivery.

Wouldn't it be less hassle & cheaper to buy the Lunker Grip heads, since they appear to be the configuration you want? Edit: #1 32746 Ultra Points fit my Do-it Shake-it Jig Production 1/8 mold with the ring+barb collar if that helps.

The SC custom molds I ordered late last year ran about $160 each for modified versions of my existing design. Last time I browsed the Lunker City website it stated "patent pending" on the "Lunker Grip" collar - not sure if its final yet. Unless you start selling replica knock-offs of LC designs I don't think they'll come after you. There are lots of mfg. with similar multi-ridge collar designs, perhaps you can design your own different from LC?

Ditto JSC - for sinkers over 1 oz. pot, ladle, & cheapest possible scrap lead - wheel weights, shooting range lead, etc.

That is strange, If you still have some EC 3/0 you can compare the hooks together to see if the dimensions match up. Either your Mustads are long leg 3/0 or wrong size 4/0 would be my guess. If the 3/0 are a defective batch maybe 2/0 would fit the 1/8? If you absolutely need the larger 3/0 and "normal" 3/0 Mustads aren't available, Sickle BLC might be an option to consider. IMO the standard grade Mustad 32756 is not a quality option like 32746.

"Squigster" in my experience 32746 is an upgrade interchange for 570 - are you trying to fit 3/0 in the 1/16 ? That would be one size over and you might need to downsize to the specified 2/0. If the 2/0 doesn't fit the 1/16 that means your batch of hooks has a defective overlong "leg" between shank and eye, which would be very unusual for Mustad.

I agree that "very soft pure lead" could be the best starting point, as alloys like wheel weights are more difficult to work with in general. Do you use sinkers? Might be good to get your confidence level up by pouring a few no frills sinkers since adding wire & hooks to casting also adds a level of difficulty and possible problems. My first time lead casting was with pot & ladle hard lead 3/8 & 1/2 Do-it Arrow jig heads. At best 1 out of 10 were fully formed and I threw away the rest not knowing about melting off the lead & recasting the hooks. Also didn't know that lead had to be hotter than the melting point for functional pouring.

My experience is that ladle pouring from a pot on a propane burner is not the easist method of pouring 1/16 & smaller jig heads. If you have fill out problems with clean soft lead, you might consider a bottom pour melter.