woodenfeather Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Hey guys, I wanted to share some ice jigs I just made. I found some size 00 willowleaf blades and soldered hooks to 'em. I sprinkled powderpaint on the one side and left them hammered nickel on the other. Tipped with a waxworm, I think they will work good for gills and specks. If not they were fun to make. Now if we could just get some ice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 Those look real good! We don't get much ice in my area, but I make a similar spoon using various size willow blades. I've never added the powder paint but have considered it. I add a small trailer hook dressed with a some marabou, and use a split ring & crane swivel on the front end. They work great for panfish in the warmer months using ultra light spinning tackle, and I've even caught several bass & a few small Stripers with them. Here's a picture of one of the larger spoons that I like to use for bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenfeather Posted December 31, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2003 Hey Gr8flyz, That's a nice spoon. I'm sure its deadly! I just started fooling with soldering and I really suck at it. The paint is to cover up my sins. Eventually I would like to be able to use just enough solder to attach the hook to the blade but right now all I can achieve is a puddle. Unfortunately, as with all my hobbys, I can never devote enough time to any one thing to get very good at it. If you can give me some tips I sure wouldn't mind .........Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted December 31, 2003 Report Share Posted December 31, 2003 Dan, you're not alone, I'm certainly no expert at soldering! I can do a fairly good job & make some of them look good, but if I don't do it for awhile I have to re-train myself! I use solid solder, and a paste flux, and an electric soldering gun for this type soldering. I've never had much success using flux core solders. I use a piece of emory paper to rough where the hook will be, and I have several pairs of stainless forceps that I use to hold the hooks in place. I place the forceps in the center of the hook shank, then solder one end, move the forceps to the soldered end, in case it melts again, then solder the other end, trying to get the solder to flow together so it holds well & looks smooth. I've tried soldering with a propane torch but usually end up getting everything too hot! The only thing that seems to improve my soldering is doing a bunch at one time, so I try to do at least 100 at a time of one size. The more I do the better they look! After I'm done soldering I use a brass wire brush & a flux remover to clean them. Your spoons look like you used bronzed hooks. I've never been able to solder them very well, so I use nickel, tinned, or gold plated hooks instead. The tinned are easiest to solder, but the other two solder fairly easily also. I like the idea of using the powder paint on the soldered side, especially since the solder always turns dull. I've added stick on eyes & coated a few with Devcon & glitter, which looks good, but still doesn't make the solder look much better. I'll have to try using some powder paint on mine. Thanks for the tip & showing us your spoons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenfeather Posted January 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Hey thanks for the tips! I tried your method and I was able to get the results I wanted. I was using a torch before but borrowed an iron and that seems to be the way to go. Thanks again.......Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr8flyz Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Dan, I'm glad I could help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
