Kasilofchrisn

I put my small jigs in the racks TJ's tackle sells. If they drip it is down the hook shank where it is more easily removed. No nipple jigs Of course proper fluid bed use is the best thing but the racks help too. I cure mine for~25 minutes at ~350*f

I believe he closed his eBay store. Best bet is his business email. SC3696@aol.com I always pay him via PayPal for his work but never had a problem getting what I paid for. My last mold he made me took awhile to get him to commit to do it but all the others went pretty smoothly with good communication back and forth. Once he agreed to do it and accepted payment it took him maybe 4 weeks to get it to me. eBay requires items to ship within 3 days so it was always stuff he had ready to go. I think he stays busy enough he doesn't need the best customer service as he will be bus regardless. Not the best business model but apparently it works for him.

Possibly, but, if Cadman can come up with some modified wire forms then all users of Do-It molds could easily just buy a different wire form from him and not have to touch their molds.

I hear you on cleaning the flash up that would be a royal pain! I wish this mold had Do-It's wire keeper instead of the lead barb. That wire keeper is great for soft plastics. Granted Randy Howell wanted that lead barb and he helped design this jig so it is what it is. Likely not worth my time modifying this mold for it though. Good luck with your wire form and do keep us updated. Hopefully you can list them on your website so when my stock of Do-It forms run out I can get some from you.

Mine is not a perfect fit but putting the opening forward I can close it and make it seal up fine rather easily. So yours will not work with the wire forms backwards at all without modification? I agree making it fit either way should have been something they designed into it. It just seems obvious to me that you would want the opening facing forward for the rare chance that the split ring blade combo could slip out. Anyway here's a few I made to test the mold.

That would be my guess as well. Like I said I cannot not see how this could not work with Do-It molds if the mold rest is indeed removable.

Tried mine out today and they do fit either way in mine. Obviously not the way it was intended but they do fit and pour fine. I wonder if this backwards loop was an accident kinda like the first batch of wire forms for the swing head football jigs? I just can't understand their reasoning for the opening facing backwards.

I think it depends on what you are attempting to powder coat. A solid tungsten weight should coat and cure fine. If it is a jig then be sure it has the hook soldered in and not epoxied into the hook slot. I have seen pics of powder painted Tungsten jigs with soldered hooks that turned out great! Just watch your temps as the solder melts at a much lower temp than lead.

Since Lee only makes bullet molds I'm guessing that's what it was designed for. At least I have never heard of or seen a Lee jig mold! Though I can't see how this wouldn't work for most jig molds such as the Do-It brands of molds most people use.

Did he do the drop test on them? The jig should dent and the paint still not chip. Looks is one thing. Paint holding up is another. Not dissing the product just looking for more info. Also what was the price point on this stuff?

You definitely want to do 1/2 on each side. At least I would on this style jig. Now I do have some slab jigs with off set line tie eyes but on that particular jig that is part of what gives the jig it's unique wobble. Since your line tie eye is centered on this spire point I would center the swing hook eye as well. I've never moded a mold this way but the vice idea is likely a very good way to get pretty precise markings of where to use your dremel. When that is done you could cut a pocket for the hook eye. Then you could load a hook in the rear jig eye before casting. But personally I prefer to use a split ring as then I can change out hooks as desired. Good luck and good fishing!

Are you taking pull pins like this one? If so go to any welding supply shop and buy some tig welding rod. Cost should be 50 cents or less for a 3' rod. They make them in aluminum stainless and carbon steel that usually has a copper coating to it. They come in a range of diameters and are easily cut with heavy duty wire cutters. If you mean a base hole pin like this one? Then my understanding is that he Teflon pins are the way to go.

This is the video from cast industries. I would think a bigger oven would be the ticket for you. Or some other form of automated painting system. If these chemicals cause jig heating then you would still have to rack them and let them have some cure time no?

they treat me great as well.And everything is well packaged. I had a zeiners order where they just threw a jar of powder paint in with a lead mold. Wouldn't you know I had powder paint all over the inside that box. Barlow's is fast to ship and they tape lids and wrap things in newspaper. Their prices aren't bad either.

Good to know on that circle hook thing. I know I had read somewhere about Florida and circle hooks. Now that this came up I researched and read it myself and am glad it doesn't apply to jigs or all saltwaters down there.

ladle pouring isn't really all that hard. I would look into the Rowell brand of ladles that rotometals sells they are easier to work with in my opinion. They also have a thermometer that you should use. It is easy to overheat your lead and make bad fumes with an open flame under the pot. I built a simple clamp to hole my thermometer in my pot. I'm sure there are some good ladle casting videos on youtube that could help you. I use a turkey fryer style burner with a 50# capacity cast iron pot on it for most of my casting. Making big jigs uses a lot of lead so I need a bigger pot with less refilling. Plus you need some level in the pot to scoop from. You could get by with a 20# capacity pot for that 6oz-8oz stuff depending on how much your casting in a session. I add lead when I need it and use the time while the pot heats back up to trim some sprues and add those in also. I use the space around my pot on the burner to preheat my molds and that works great. I made a plywood table for casting on. I added a tin top to it for heat resistance. I often use a length of closet dowel rod to tap the mold to release any jigs that don't fall out on their own. I'm sure you'll catch on to ladle casting right away if you decide to go that route.

Looks like the Florida circle hook rules are for federal waters 9 miles offshore. So still plenty of J hook waters. Interesting to read though.

Sorry I didn't mean to come off as a know it all. And I certainly don't know it all. There certainly are some great saltwater jig makers on TU who are very willing to help. It just seems to me that a person venturing into making tackle for an unknown fishery should first determine what they really need to be making to maximize sales. I own the ultra minnow mold in the larger sizes. But rarely cast them because buck tails are seldom used here.I almost feel as though I wasted my money buying it. But I had the extra $$ at the time and it is a nice jig overall so I'll hang on to it for now. I know speed jigging is popular in Florida's saltwater. For that the flutter jig is a good one. Shawn Collins does make some great saltwater jig molds as well but they are a lot more expensive.so budget does make a difference. I know one of my DoIt molds accepts a circle 90*jig hook. The description mentioned that the circle jig hook was to follow Florida's saltwater fishing regs. That's why I mentioned checking the regs for your area also. I'd hate to make something people in your area can't use.likely only applied to a specific area only. I'll look into that some more just because I'm curious. The ultra minnow is a worthwhile mold if buck tails are something people in your area use. Otherwise I'd look into the flutter jig molds as a first purchase. Rigged assist style they are a great saltwater jig.

Well I see this thread is already off track(sort of). First let me say I was a saltwater jig fisherman before I was a jig maker. I knew what I wanted in a jig and what I wanted to improve upon for my area and species. I am happy to say I feel I have accomplished that and then some though I can always see another horizon I want to get to. While size is important in any fishing jig it isn't always the most important consideration yet sometimes it is the biggest factor. You need to find out first and foremost what type,size,color, and style of jig your potential customers are currently using. Find out their likes and dislikes in their current tackle. What sizes and styles you decide to make should be based on what your customers want to buy and not what you want to sell them. Contact some reputable local saltwater guides and ask for their advice and give them some free tackle to test for you in return. It matters not what works in Alaska for me fishing halibut or ling cod when you are fishing Tarpon or king mackerel in Florida. Just because Do-It molds are low cost you shouldn't make them your only consideration.Though that doesn't necessarily rule them out either. Also consider you want your stuff to be as good or better than commercially made tackle in your area.And you want it to have those custom touches only a custom maker can do. Local regulations may also be a factor in what you make. Some areas may have hook size or type limitations/regulations. I make jigs to 48oz and weights to 5#. As well as several other smaller and bigger items out of lead. While my 24oz jigs are popular here they likely wouldn't sell much at all in Florida. So once you have an idea of what commercially available tackle your potential customers are using now for the various local saltwater species then you can ask the questions of which molds will work for your customers to get something similar. I have some good ideas for you just from watching some you tube videos and outdoor channel shows of Florida offshore fishing but would like some more local input before making my suggestions. And yes you really need to ladle pour anything over 3 ounces.To get the best quality anyway. I can tell you more on this once you know what you really want to make both styles and sizes and what your budget for this venture is going to be. I hope this helps and please add more to this thread once you learn what you want to try to make. I'm sure we can help you make some awesome saltwater jigs for your local waters.

Now I'm curious. I bought this mold but have yet to use it. I won't be able to check mine for a couple of weeks as I'm out of town for work. I certainly will be checking it now to see how my inserts fit.

I make jigs up to 48oz and 16oz-24oz are pretty common for me. The largest I would use a bottom pour on is ~3oz. You need a ladle and pot that will allow you to do it all in one pour. I like the Rowell brand of ladles from Rotometals. Make sure your using the long eyes for maximum hold. I prefer the stainless ones as I broke too many brass ones on small 15#-20# fish. The fish just twisted the hook on the brass eyes till they broke.

You really have 2 options. An expensive custom mold such as a Shawn Collins mold that limpnoodle linked. Or modifying your do-it mold. The custom mold will run you over $100 for a single cavity or $200+ for a multicavity depending on sizes and number of cavities. I have several of Shawn's molds and they are worth the money. Modifying your do-it mold is best done with a dremel tool. Buy some #3 long stainless steel eyes from Barlows for the 16oz mold. I have gotten great service from Barlows. Put an eyelet at the top and one where the hook normally comes out. I've had people land 200#+ fish on jigs with just the #3 eyes in them.

There is a video he made where he casts an entire homemade jig head in a silicone mold out of the tungsten powder and resin. If I could I would find it for you. Unfortunately I can't do it until Monday or later due to work. Search his videos and you'll find it.

Have you checked out Larry Dahlbergs YouTube video on casting resin/tungsten mixes in silicone molds? There might be some tips in there to help you.

They have been able to turn lead into gold on a molecular level for years. Of course it's nowhere near cost effective. If only it was as easy as you describe.