EironBreaker

Anyone have a source for this metal blade? It is the riveted design found in the Strike King buzz baits.

When I use the Ultra Minnow spinnerbait mold with 3D eyes, after putting on the eyes I put a layer of seal-coat over it. Here's a link to the Do-It site to get some: http://do-itmolds.com/shop/index.php?route=product/category&path=3_156_170 Seems to work good for me. Goes on real thin but locks the eyes in place. It will run if you put too much on but you can just dab the excess off. The best part is it is easy to work with and clear. You can also just wash out your brush with water and let it dry for next time. Good stuff.

I've never honestly used the Y guards Derek. I got them with a bunch of other stuff on Ebay. I had a guy buy a few but don't know how they really perform. Never tried them but don't see why they wouldn't work.

I had a guy who wanted two wire guards instead of a fiber guard. Worked well, just poured into the regular head using a plastic sleeve from a stripped out electrical wire to fill the gap. Then just bend them out into a big V.

Thanks for the offer Jig Man. You are right, I only have trouble with a couple molds that I use regularly. One is a FB mold that I've modified and another a custom mold. I'll just get me a can because you just never know when you will need it. Thanks to all members of this board, everyone is very helpful and willing to share information that takes years to figure out on your own.

Thanks Cadman! Looks like I need to find some of the drop out spray. As far as molds, I'm south of 100 but not too far. Glad there's a support group to discuss issues such as these so it doesn't effect our "normal" lives!

I don't want to find out the hard way that some type of spray won't work and get splattered in the process with hot lead. I don't think PAM would work because it leaves a liquid behind. Sooting the mold I don't think is the same as using mold release spray. From what I understand, mold release will allow the lead to fall out of the mold without hardly touching it. Sooting doesn't do much from what I've seen. I'll see if the local gun shops have something on hand. As far as how many molds, well, lets say I have an addiction. I own about all of the jig type molds Do-It makes and a few other brands as well. Cadman: how often do you need to spray your molds with release agent? I'd assume after every so many pours right?

Has anybody tried another type of mold release spray like silicone or teflon instead of the specific mold release spray? I've tried to order a can off Ebay and they didn't ship. Just thought I might be able to pick something up locally instead of waiting on a shipment through the mail. Any suggestions?

Yup, two half hitches and you are good. You don't need to cut the line off your bobbin/spool. I clamp my jig in a vise at the eye. I wrap the skirt tab in place using the solid end of the tab with the loose ends pointed to the left over the eye and vise (I'm right handed). Of course this is after cutting the tab in half. Once you have the layers done, pull out a stretch of thread from the bobbin with your left hand and keep it tight. With your right four fingers, place this on top of the thread. With the left hand, wrap a loop around your fingers and make a twist in the loop with your right hand. Take this loop and slip it over the back end of the hook to where you wrapped the thread on the jig. With the left hand, pull the loop tight in place using your right hand to guide it. Do this one more time and trim the line at the jig. You are done and no wasted thread. Either drop some glue on the knot or I will make two wraps around the thread with wire, wrap, trim it and mash down the tag. Skirts will never come off. Pike will destroy the skirt but the base will still be there. I've had to take skirts off and it is like they get fused together in time. Got tired of balled up skirts years ago.

Could always claim "over spray" but very neatly done! I wonder if a person could carefully grind down a teflon pin to the right size? Teflon pins are the cat's meow for pouring. They make life super easy. Cadman, if you were the person who came up with that idea - you da MAN!

I might be the only crazy one around here but I just don't like a bottom pour. I have one and grew tired of fighting it. Keeping the tip cleaned out is what drove me crazy. I learned to pour with a small hot pot with coils in it and still do to this day. I pour some monster jigs up to 1 1/2 oz from time to time. Works just fine. Spinnerbaits or buzzbaits, not problem. I just use the big pot to clean my lead and pour into bricks if I know I'm going to pour a bunch at once. I have to add lead more often to the small pot but it works for me. I like being able to see what I'm doing and be able to change the pour speed or angle of pour into a mold depending on what works best. Like Cadman has said many times, each mold has it's own personality. But if it works for you, run with it. Just my preference.

On pouring with wire guards, I use the plastic coating from a piece of electrical wiring. Pull out the copper wiring and then you slide the cable wire into it to pour. Fills the weed guard slot in the mold and is easy to position. When you close the mold, it clamps down on the cable wire and holds it into place. Couldn't you take a 5/64" drill bit and wrap a little tape around it to fill the void and center it? I think there is some type of heat tape out there that would do the trick.

Also, I use a fly tying bobbin and thread to wrap the skirts on first and then wire tie them down. I don't know how people do it without wrapping it first and you can get it to lay perfect every time.

I use gold craft wire, 24 or 26 gauge. You can get it at any Hobby Lobby, Michaels or whatever craft store you have around. Take a look through the store, they may have other things that you'd need there also. I get zip-lok bags for packaging there when on sale and metal beads for spinnerbaits/buzzbaits. Just have to look around. I take my daughter with because she likes to make jewlery, gives me a good cover to go in the store! LOL.

I don't have good luck working with rubber still on the "hoof". I cut the length that I need for each jig and tie it onto the jig. Then wire it off. Then I open my scissors and pull the ends of the rubber between the edge of the open scissors and my thumb. Usually when it snaps off the end, it separates the strands. Then I know that all are the same length and no trimming is needed. If you are making mop jigs with long skirting, hold the skirt with your opposite hand about an inch or so from the end and then pull the ends with the scissors. Once you get the ends separated, pull them with your fingers. It works for me.

The lead was a mix of wheel weights and pure sheet lead. We tried to add more sheet lead to get a better pour which usually works for me with hand molds but it didn't make anything better. I think it was the humidity. We finished about 2/3 of what I needed and we'll get the rest this weekend I'm sure.

I think Barlows, Do-It or Jann's Netcraft has a weed guard cover for painting and baking with the guard poured in the head. I can't remember where I saw them. What I did was get a wooden dowel, cut it into 1 1/2 inch pieces and drill out the center a little bigger than the guards. Take a big drill bit and funnel one end so you can get the tips in it easier. Throw them into the oven at 285 degrees for 45 minutes. Can't go any hotter, I've tried without good results, lol. When time is up, just shut off the oven and let everything cool down. If you pull them out too soon, you can deform the guards to a different angle as they will be a little soft from the heat. If you have a bend guard, this is a good way to straighten it out and make the jig usable again. This only works for the guards from Kaiser Lure, who I think supplies everyone like Barlows, Janns, etc. Baking with the guard in place doesn't work very well for the guards from Charles at fishingskirts.com. Another company makes his guards and the plastic is a different material. The individual fibers will actually shorten and get fatter with heat and time. They work great to glue in after painting though. I think the paint holds up just as well as cooking at 350 degrees for a shorter time period. Others may not have the same experiences.

LOL, yes I knew they were the in-line type eye but just didn't remember it! Looked on Captain Hook's and found the comparable 32796 Mustad. It is the EL2706. Might have to give them a try! Looks like I'll be making an order with Captain Hook's to try out a smaller number of EC hooks on a test run.

Hey Cadman, do you think humidity has something to do with imcomplete casting? Was at a buddy's shop yesterday who does spin casting. A week ago it was cold and dry, yesterday it was warm and humid for a January day. We had a lot of trouble this week and finally had to just give in and stop for the day. Still got about 500 pieces spun and painted but should have been twice that for the time we spent. Tried to soften the lead and messed with hot/cold molds but didn't matter. Spin casting is a different beast from drop pouring for sure.

I just received a box of EC 4/0 2798s from Shorty's over the weekend. Wow! The quality is super! I dumped the box on the table and sorted through a bunch and they look great. They are a quality looking hook with a very sharp point. I've poured about 50 and they look no different from Mustads. I bought them because of the price and the good remarks from the folks here on TU. I think I'll start to convert over but I'll fish with them through the spring before I completely pull the trigger. Has anyone compared the Mustad 32796 to the 570BPs? Will the 570BP cover the heavy wire flipping hook with the same looks and quality?

If you are looking at the simple wire hook to make a trailer keeper out of, you can get 1000 from Battlefield Wire for 20 dollars instead of paying out the nose for 100. Heck, I waste $20 on a good meal. I get the 6" ones in the smallest diameter from BW and they work great. I've modified my Do-It molds to take the wire below the hook shaft and lay it in there with the hook pointed down. Take a small triangle file and open up the bottom side of the hook shaft slot just a bit until the mold closes with the hook and wire in it. Pretty simple deal. You have to clip off the wire to fit the mold and bend the end that goes inside the lead so it doesn't pull out. I don't know if it would but with the bend it definately doesn't with the end bent. Best trailer keeper I've ever used, way better than the molded lead keepers.

Are you trying to do the center of the skirt tab or the fused end? You have to use a collar if you are using the loose tab center. I use the ends, cut the tab in half. I don't have material down the center of the jig, just the flare portion but you always put a trailer on there anyways. I use a fly tying bobbin and thread to set the skirt tabs how I want them. Do a couple of half hitches to lock the thread and trim off. Then wrap your wire around the finished product. Takes a bit to get the hang of it but really fast when you get it. If you are using living rubber, you can attach it with thread like in the above picture and then wire it down. Much easier to handle tabs with thread then trying to just wire them in place. I don't know how it is done without thread quickly. I put the eye of the hook in the vise and point down, working off the back of the jig. Easier to hold the skirt with the left hand over the head out of the way and wrap with the right hand. Opposite I guess if you are left handed. This works good if you have heads with the weed guard molded in already. I have one mold that has the eye buried so I have to hold the hook by the bend. I will only wire tie these before the guard is placed in the head. Good luck!

Well, got in a hurry last night and did something I knew I shouldn't have. Had a customer ask for a couple of spinnerbaits, one 1/2 and one 3/4 oz. Poured the 1/2 oz cold without any trouble but couldn't get the collar to pour right on the cold 3/4 oz. Instead of waiting for the mold to heat up properly, I tried to warm the cavity with a propane torch just enough to make it work. It was cold in the shop and the mold was really cold. I guess heating the cavity caused enough humidity in the air to condensate in the cavity and you can guess what happened. As soon as the lead went in, I heard the dreaded crackle and molten lead came back out. I turned my face away as quick as possible and only got a tiny drop on a finger holding the mold. No big deal could have been worse. Lesson learned - take the time to let the mold warm up by itself even if you are pouring one bait! 650+ degree lead sizzles skin in a hurry.

If it is the company I think it is, thier customer service is absolutely the worst. I asked for a standard mold and I wanted a custom made also a couple years ago. They quoted me a price and cashed the check. I waited several months without a peep and no response to emails. I finally got them to respond. I nixed the custom mold and got them to send the standard mold with a refund of my additional money. I felt very lucky to get everything straight but I refuse to take the chance on trying again. I will say the mold I did get was/is great but the rest of the experience soured me on any additional business. Too bad, I'd do more but just can't. Must be so busy that future business means nothing to them. Sorry you are on the losing end of the stick. I'd send him emails every day and call also.

I've painted some buzzbait blades and spinnerbaits. I just used a heavy guage wire, 0.51 I guess with a hook bent on each end. Put the blade on one end, heat and dip in a fluid bed. Then I hang it on a rack to cool. Takes a little practice to get right, messed up a couple to start but doesn't take long to get the hang of it. After it cools, I run a sharp knife on the inside of the hole to smooth it if there is a big mark or just leave it and bake it. Use a clean smaller wire to bake it and you'll have a very small mark left over when completed. I don't do many and buzz blades are easier. This wouldn't work when you wanted a couple of colors or just one side though.