Ogajiga

For basic lead casting its good to have three types kept separate: 1.soft lead(scratches with fingernail and doesn't ring when dropped on concrete) 2. hard lead(wheel weights) 3. tin(solder or babbit usually) . Specialty alloys like very hard print type metal are a separate and uncommon category. Wheel weights are cheap and available so I try to use that as much as possible. For castings that won't pour well with wheel weights I'll mix in increasing amounts of soft lead until incomplete fills aren't a problem. Writing down proportions helps and home alloy makers can use ratios of soft-hard like 1-1(50%-50%) or 3-1(75%soft 25%hard). For example just in my In-Line Sinker mold I use 100%WW 1-1/2oz., (1-1) 1oz., and (3-1) 3/4 & 1/2 oz. Tin I mostly use in a 24-1 soft lead-tin proportion for small jig heads which is AKA 4% tinned lead alloy. The tin slightly toughens the lead but mostly adds corrosion resistance to inhibit dull gray soft lead oxidation without significantly affecting the easy pouring quality of soft lead. As mentioned by others expensive tin is not necessary in a hard lead alloy unless in a special situation for easier pouring or adding some shine to the finish. Tip for beginners: tapered barb collars are way easier to pour than spike barb.

Its also possible to use the gate shears to scrape off sprue residue. But, its kinda hard on the hands, wrist, & forearms for commercial production amounts. And you need band aids to prevent blisters or nerve damage at pressure points. Filing is probably faster, but the dust makes me nervous.

Hey, thanks "thill" for the detailed reply. I change oil in our vehicles 4x year also, but neglect the trannies. Sorry for getting off topic guys, but I think others might be wondering what brand of trucks are treating you so well?

Huh, and I oil after every use since all my Do-its are inscribed "OIL HINGES OFTEN". How often do you change the oil in your vehicle? Just wondering, not being sarcastic.

Local recyclers often aren't aware of the world market price, or don't want to bother. Out my way pure lead gets shipped out and the leftover scrap is often in short supply and expensive. Here's a link to metals supply prices at I believe the industrial supply level showing lead at $1.20-1.30 per lb. http://mineralprices.com/

Oh oh, thats the size I use on my walleye/smallmouth 1/8 heads with 6# test mono. Well, thanks for the warning. Luckily (or not) CO doesn't have smallies that big.

They're called "x-ray bite wings" and the alloy formulation isn't available on the internet. The approved recyclers require that the plastic and paper packing be removed from the lead film so in principal dental lead should be clean. Although my dentist is good about that with only a few smoking stinkers per batch another dentist office actually had a half dozen or so expensive looking stainless steel clips buried in the foils which I didn't notice until they floated on the melt.

Don't rule out pewter because the real high tin stuff with 6-8% antimony is very hard and much lighter than any lead alloy if you're looking for slow fall. But be aware that the eBay definition of "pewter" would be any dark dusty looking old metal junk that would bring a few bucks more than at a scrap yard. I tried purchasing a few cheap "pewter" scrap & niknak auctions and got burned everytime. If you want to pursue the yard sale angle "sagacious" possibly & I could provide tips on distinguishing pewter from other cast metals. Yard sale/second hand store pewter is often a bargain.

Good plan, Zib. What size Sickles are the smallies bending out?

Holy sh**, I hope this news doesn't get to the soft bait mfgs. I use.

Ledheds alloy was bismuth/tin with a melting point of 281* F. Pure tin is 450*. Just checked ebay solder auctions and yes its possible to get a good price on lead free solder but you'd have to work for it. Suggest that solder for metal alloying should be solid wire as any cored fluxes in my experience make a mess in the melt pot ranging from annoying to dangerous.

Wow, man, you got it going. House lead from plumbers is usually excellent soft. By the way, 50# of dental x-ray lead is a lot - I get about 15# per 6 months from my doc.

Well, not too long ago some metal bronze I think name plates from Titanic lifeboats auctioned in the $60,000-$70,000 price range...and not being a full 100 years old(I think) aren't even considered "antiques". OOPS, post hijacked, sorry.

Wow, $9.49 for lead free solder is a deal - $18 something out my way. Yup, yard sale pewter is often a bargain, but I wonder if some that I've melted down haven't been valuable antiques. Although the modern standard for "pewter" is lead free with at least 92% tin I think, the old stuff could have a significant amount of lead in the alloy. And like "sagacious" says, one does develop a keen eye and feel for identifying pewter, although in the beginning antiqued brass & heavy aluminum alloys can fool ya. Hah, try melting aluminum in a home lead pot - I did.

Tight Line's 92-6-2 alloy is the same as Midway's "hardball" which would be pretty hard. Linotype would be even harder. Hard alloys though might be difficult to hand pour small gate castings, and won't be significantly lighter than pure lead. You might try wheel weights with 2% tin added for a more economical hard lead alloy.

Hey, you're in luck! My eBay seller is offering 20# by the lb. and another seller is offering a 23# ingot. Unable to copy & past eBay URLs but you can search "Business and Industrial" - "Metals and Metalworking" - "Other Metals" for "tin".

I recently bought 300# of slaggy ballast lead and was glad to have got it for $.60 a lb. + shipping from another island. I'm surprised the dental lead has a price - my dentist saves his and I get it for free every six months at checkup time. Saves him the bother and shipping expense to a recycler.

Tin weighs 63% as much as lead so the slower sink rate will be noticeable especially with a wide flat body head like the Cabela's Wobble Jig. I got my last batch of tin on eBay because my commercial supplier Atlantic Metals and Alloys last price was $12 a lb. vs. $10 on eBay. Pure tin is only slightly harder than lead - Brinell hardness 51 vs. 38. Antimony by comparison has a Brinell of 294. Pewter(example Sn92 Sb7 Cu1) would be much harder than pure tin but I never tried pouring it. Pure tin pours kinda thick and might require cracking the mold for improved air release from the cavities.

I'm using 10-40 motor oil on the principal that its designed for the high temperature of internal combustion engines. But it still smokes after pouring enough sinkers 3 oz. & up. Is 2 in 1 oil better?

Vickie Fragasso from EC stated that 635SRM and 413 are made in the USA. Mike Jackson from Wright & McGill will be evaluating defective hooks I'm sending in to see if they are fakes. Lee McGill filed a complaint with eBay for my "made in China" statement without bothering to contact me for an explanation. And yes, all 5 of the jig hook brands I use appear to have slipped or are slipping in quality.

SC prices are negotiable depending on design and # of molds in a set, and my prices of $140-160 six+ months ago may be dated. Haven't heard of Dragonfly molds, with only 2-3 weeks lead time might be a newer bizness. Although commercial hand pouring requires production molds, yes, you might be fine with a weekend of single pours requiring at most 1-1/2 hrs. per 100. But a good custom mold is an investment for life that will pay for itself many times over. Heck, you could blow that $ on a night out or a kids toy.

Zib, the time has come for you to consider custom. Many on this forum will agree with my suggestion. What you want might be allready on file and available. http://www.shawncollinscustoms.com/ But theres a long line in front of you for from scratch customs - my last set of SC molds took 6 months. But they were well worth waiting for.

The bottom line on Matzuo jig hooks is they are cheap with all that word implies. I tried some #4 round bends bronze & red and found them sharp but too soft. #8 bronze round bends were so deformed I returned them. #2 Sickles black chrome & red were OK strengthwise but my last box of reds had only 900 useable due to twisted hook eyes that snapped off when attempting to straighten with pliers. I inventory 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, & 4/0 red & bronze and the strength on those has varied between batches and even within batches from brittle to a bit soft. The Sickle design does seem to forgive some wire softness in resisting bend out. Most Matzuo hooks had wire shape problems with twisted eyes, off center points, and uneven leg lengths quite common, which is why I no longer buy Sickles. It takes too much time to sort out and repair the bad ones since when production pouring stopping to locate which of 6-8 hooks in a set is cracking the mold open is impractical. But, like Zib says, the Sickle is a good design and I use them myself. With tighter QAQC on wire temper and shape I think I would be willing to pay more and make them the backbone jig hook in my products. But then again, Matzuo OEM customer "service" is the worst.

Thanks guys, I decided to consult the source and just left a phone message for Vickie OEM mgr. and an email with Mike VP sales at EC for clarification. This all started when I posted some eBay auctions for my no longer used surplus ECs and some guy messaged me and called me a LIAR for stating that 635SRM 1/0 (yes I kept some) was made in China. Will post replies if any from EC.

I read somewhere probably on a fishing forum that Eagle Claw hooks mfg. was switching to China and since at the same time the 635 and 413 hooks I was using got so bad I returned them to the dealers I assumed this was the cause of quality control problems. And, their boxing no longer stated "American made" or "made in the USA". Since the EC website states their hooks are made in the USA can someone set me straight?