Will Wetline

That's a good looking jig and an excellent presentation of how to tie it. And I appreciate your attention to detail. ( Ignore the names the "get 'er done" types call you.) Looking forward to more of your good work.

Welcome back to TU, cat_in_the_hat. Right off, I have to tell you DO NOT use an alloy with zinc in it. I was told this by someone on Lee's help line who said zinc will eat through the liner of the pot and make a "hot mess." I've never had an interest in blending my own alloys and, as I've said above, I get good results from Rotometals' Lead Free Bullet Casting Alloy which is 88% bismuth/12% tin.I don't remember the source but I read that this alloy is about 85% the weight of lead.

Welcome to TU, DWYMAN, I've been using this alloy, above mentioned by Apdriver, for several years and it works fine. Set melting pot at "3". Cure powder paint at 325º. https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free-bullet-casting-alloy-88-bismuth-12-tin/ Coat the mold cavities thoroughly with mold release because the bismuth in the alloy expands as it cools. https://barlowstackle.com/do-it-molds-and-lead-molding-supplies/lead-melting-pots-ladles-and-accessories/?sort=featured&page=2

I have the same.

I cut the sprue off with 11" nippers which I found at Home Depot for about $9.00. Couldn't find the exact model for this response, but it's similar to what you see in the link below: https://www.harborfreight.com/16-inch-heavy-duty-end-nipper-42266.html

smallie42, The release spray is worth the investment. Try it. I don't know if there's a formula for determining the melting point of an alloy, but the post below is about results from using Rotometals' 281 bismuth/tin alloy (58% bismuth/42% tin): https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/162966-six-degrees-of-separation/?tab=comments#comment-1844299 I'm assuming that you're powder painting. If so, let me pass on a source that smalljaw generously recommended to me: https://www.tjstackle.com/ I use both their fluid bed and powder with good results. When I first made the transition to lead-free, the question arose, "How do I match a 1/8 oz. jig head with existing molds when my alloys weigh only 85% (88/12) or 62% (pewter) of lead's weight?" My approach has been to match rod/reel/line to make a balanced presentation. I'll leave you with a pic of a pewter, hair and hackle football jig from a 1/4 oz. cavity: I don't think much anymore about how POed I was initially about having to make the transition to lead-free.

I live and fish in Massachusetts and have been pouring lead free alloys since 2012 when MA prohibited the use of lead under 1 oz. in freshwater. The alloy I use most of the time is from rotometals.com: https://www.rotometals.com/lead-free-bullet-casting-alloy-88-bismuth-12-tin/ Set the pot at "3." Do NOT heat the mold. DO coat the mold liberally with: https://barlowstackle.com/Casting-Release-Spray--P361/ Bismuth expands as it cools and this must be used to remove the finished casting from the mold. Depending on the mold, you can reasonably expect 2- 6 dozen castings before you need to spray another coat. I've been making Do-it's Poison Tails, ball jigs and Midwest Finesse jigs. Football jigs I cast from pewter but you could probably use the 88/12 as well. I powder paint at 325º for an hour for a fully cured finish. Again, you can experiment with this too, but all of the above works well for me. Feel free to post or PM for more specifics.

I don't know if there is or not, but see if you can convince the customer to go with the 5313, maybe show him this pic of a 5 lb. smallie caught on a 5313 size 1.

Very well crafted.

Mike, I haven't noticed any difference in application, but there is a label on the jar that says, "Cure at 400º for 10 minutes. I can't do that because I cast a bismuth/tin alloy that melts at 395º. Cured at 325º for an hour, I can whack a head against my bench vise and not see any evidence of abuse. In the photo below, the color of the football is TJ's Crinkle Copper and the naked Poison Tail is Crinkle Penny.

Go here: https://www.tjstackle.com/ Click on Powder Paint then go to "Crinkle Colors." I particularly like their crinkle copper which I get in 1 oz. containers. They also say they'll custom mix colors. I've found both their products and service to be excellent.