HAWGHUNNA Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 I made a football head jig mold with a partially flat section on the bottom (sorta like the Piccaso) from water putty,the mold turned out fine. When I pour the lead I get dents,I made vent slots...still getting dents,not always in the same location. Could it be a fluxing problem? Should I epoxy the mold? I did not use flux when I melted the lead,by the way please recomend a flux...I melted down some lead that I had stored in the post for a while then added some lead that someone had given me,the lead seemed to be beady/lumpy like...is the lead itself the problem? Please help...I attempted to pour a jig about 15 times and do not have a good pour yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 HAWGHUNNA, I can't really offer any advice on the mold you made. I made one once out of the water putty and was really disappointed in the results, but I'm sure it was me more than the material. To flux your lead you can use parafin, bees wax or candle wax. We had a great thread going on fluxing here a while back and it was very educational for me. You might do a search on it and it will explain what is going on with your lead. I learned that it is not as important to flux as it is how you flux. Well worth the search. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAWGHUNNA Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Thanks Reeves, I had just finished reading those 7 pages just before coming back to check this post. What would you suggest that I cast a jig mold with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 HAWGHUNNA, I have tried several different materials and my favorite is the silicone rubber, I seemed to have better success using this material than all the others. Smooth-on is the brand that I used. They have a small kit that only cost around $35 and gives enough material to do a couple of molds. I used the Smooth Sil 950 and it worked well. I do not use these molds for production, so really not sure how it will do under those circumstances. If you use silicone rubber, don't let it get too hot or you will prematurely ruin the mold. One other tip, most of your success in making any mold is in the master part you are using. Any flaws in it will be reproduced in the final mold, so inspect it well under a magnifying glass if you have one. Keep us posted on your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 The lead sounds like it need to be cleaned(fluxed). But the dents I think are from the mold being cold or maybe the mold burning and gassing. Have you poured a couple with out hooks the heat it up and see what it dos. Water putty wont last long but good to test jigs. I have not used the rubber, but I would think it would work better like reeves said and have more detail. I generally test with water putty then cut a mold in aluminum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted October 23, 2008 Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 I made a football head jig mold with a partially flat section on the bottom (sorta like the Piccaso) from water putty,the mold turned out fine.When I pour the lead I get dents,I made vent slots...still getting dents,not always in the same location. Could it be a fluxing problem? No, not likely. Should I epoxy the mold? Definitely not. I did not use flux when I melted the lead,by the way please recomend a flux...I melted down some lead that I had stored in the post for a while then added some lead that someone had given me,the lead seemed to be beady/lumpy like...is the lead itself the problem? No, the lead isn't likely to be the problem. However, you should always flux, or you risk other problems and frustrations. Please help...I attempted to pour a jig about 15 times and do not have a good pour yet. The answer to your problem is within your first post: water putty, and 15 pours. Any mold made from a paster or plaster-type compound has a lot of water in it. That water isn't going to play well with molten lead. Few have the patience to do so, but a plaster-type mold needs to age for two weeks before being used. Then it should be baked for several hours at about 250*F, and allowed to cool slowly to room temperature and poured without hooks until it drops perfect lures. A search here will reveal much more info, but the necessary qualities of patience and continued research/reading is all up to you. The dents are caused by the remaining water in your mold. This is common. Assuming inadequate drying-- which seems evident-- 15 pours in a relatively small cavity is not sufficient to dry the mold enough to prevent steam dents. Dry the mold as indicated above, and your results will improve. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAWGHUNNA Posted October 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2008 Thanks guys, I agree with sagacious...I very well need to practice BEING MORE PATIENT.And the fact that the mold still contained water that caused steam dents sound right on. I'll try again in a couple of weeks and get back to this thread with the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
