sonoman

The Medlock double guard jig ruled down in South Florida, Okeechobee and Istokpoga and basically anywhere that had similar cover, someone told me that he was a machinist by trade so I am sure he custom made his molds, a friend told me he was making them as fast as he could for a long while...where a jig like this shines imo is in pencil reeds which we have a great abundance of ....I just loop it up and over them and make sure i listen to hear it splash...then the next splash is the bass eating it,lol...

I am convinced it is the lead, I just returned from the Fishers of Men national chanpionship which was held on Lake Chickamauga, while there I had the pleasure of meeting a guy which owns Soddy custom tackle and he and his guys make almost everything they sell right there, he poured us some 1/2 football jigs while we waited and he showed me his setup...I have basically the same stuff that he uses but mine do not pour anything like his did, he told me about the lead and how much trouble they had when they werent using the soft lead...so lesson learned, my lead that i have left is borderline so i will try the tin deal and add the products everyone has mentioned...but from here out i will stick with the lead that i know is softer...def. appreciate all the help.

Yes I would rather pay a lil more and save the aggravation, that melter I am sure has bastard lead in it so the plan is to start fresh , I have fluxed it several times and yes it has gotten better but no one would pour if it was this much aggravation...Thanks everyone for the help

I was using the metal pins, I got some poured using cadmans suggestions but I am fairly certain that i have a multitude of issues, I use the ladle, mold is hot, I tried the wax thing in the lead, but I tried other molds that I own that pour well and had issues so I think my lead has too much other stuff in it that is preventing decent pours, so i need to round up some softer lead and def get that drop out stuff and see where im at , in the mean time i will find a pyrometer and see what gives, 110 pours would be a dream come true...i think i got like 3 or 4 at best and even then way too much trimming.

I think the clear coat would mess up the absorption of the stain, probably be less than desirable, but you experiment on something first to see if the look is what you want....personally I think if your lure works well the color is secondary, more about shades really and time of day that the bait is intended for, all those pretty paint jobs are for us, not the fish...lol

I can't remember the name of the bottom pour but it resembles an RCBS pro melter but mine is older and isn't green, its orange and black, I bought it many years ago from a guy second hand I rememember looking it up back then and it was retailed for about 400 bucks or so, so its a nice one , you most likely are correct I will let it get as hot as it will and see how it goes, def. gonna try the spacing thing, its close i just hate bad pours, I checked out your jigs, they look awesome....

Cadman its the collar that isnt pouring, the hook is centered so its not a mechanical block

The sooting deal I read somewhere long ago and did it and it worked on everything elso so I just stayed with it, hasn't worked with this mold for me, I actually have a professional bottom pour, a hot pot and a ladle...My bottom pour needs opened up a bit, its too slow, so i have been using the ladle...the hot pot needs an element so I can't use it rt now, I will try gapping it later this afternoon and see if that works, I generally set the mold on the pot, it has a built in holder, so everything should be ok but it isnt, it actually pours best before it heats up, but I can't seem to duplicate good pours yet....I appreciate the response I will figure this thing out. thanks

My tournament partner purchased a do-it swim jig mold model #smj-3-mf a few months back, I have never been able to get consistent pours with it, I spent yesterday reading up on fluxing and I tried that last night, made zero difference and might have even made it worse, the mold has been sooted like every other mold I own so I'm at my wits end, all my other molds pour fine with my lead so any thoughts?...hook sizes are what the mold calls for, and everything is kept warm....Thanks

I have been fortunate that I know guys in the custom paint business, I generally end up with the left overs and thats fine with me, keeps my costs to almost nil but breathing any of this stuff isnt at all recommended! No fairgrounds queens in anything I paint I just prefer the control, the hardness and the overall look of automotive urethanes...but unless ya got guys giving you stuff like i do you would most definately have the most expensive paintjobs around.

The best looking stuff I have come across is the House of Kolor stuff, it isn't cheap by any means but it couldn't be any finer and it pops like crazy, sprays right through my airbrush mixed in the clear.

You could also use a small torch to shade the wood, bars and such, inset the eye sockets use the torch to give it a darker definition then set the eyes in, just a thought...finished product looks great.

There are many tricks to get the moisture out , one of the best i have seen is to plumb the compressor into pvc that is mounted on the wall, the compressor air outlet is connected at a very low point so the compressed air must travel upward, at the top of the run a t is inserted and another length of pvc drops downs down with a small valve at the bottom, the compressed air now is attached somewhere off the drop piece with a conventional water separator and then to the brush...cheap and easy way of getting the moisture out and even works in central florida, keep in mind that the less the compressor has to run the less moisture you will get because the air has time to cool allowing it to condense well before it gets to the gun.

Stephen the original hooks on the megabass 110's are made by Katsuage, they are outbarb in design but they arent Barbarians, there are several versions of Barbarian outbarbs,some are 4x strength and imo are too heavyy for that type of bait, so if buying barbarians make sure you get the lesser strength , they are lightweight and ridiculous ly sharp....good luck.

solar wasn't at all happy with the swimming of his his last multisegmented bait he made, hopefully he corrected that.

The finest and best glitter I have come across is House of Color glitter that you mix in automotive type urethane clear coats, it sprays well through the brush and really makes your lures pop in the sun...

leaving them in brake fluid will definately soften most finishes so that all you need to do is wash it off....just experiment with the time it takes. good luck

side cutters in the groove ,close just a bit then pry open.

Take a pair of pliers and ever so slighty open up those kvds, this makes them deadly!

I have seen this done on gunstocks and rounded objects, it will be consistent but im not sure its possible to line up...

digikey maybe, theres a place near Orlando called skycraft that has loads of this type of stuff...

How about going by ACE hardware , find the metal tubing section , pick out some really small metal tubing that is the size you want, cut it to length, drill out the syringe hub and replace with the tubing, superglue it in and I believe you have what you want...we make everything else...so why not.

Lipless baits are the deal here in central florida especially when it gets cold, ripping them out of shallow grass, and every one of them reacts diffrently so getting something that acts right and triggers that particular bite is key... its on my list to build a mold to make these things, yeah I know they are cheap but we go through a ton of these things...and just imagine weighting them differently so they do what you want ...thats what I'm after...