CoosaKing Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 I've read a lot of post about cutting air vents, but i still can not get the collar to pour. The only way I can get a good casting is if I heat the hook before pouring, is this the norm for spinner baits. My vents are working because on some I have to file excess lead from my vent. I do use tire weight lead. Is softer lead the answer? I can pour a perfect head every time when there is no hook or wire in the mold.I've use a bottom pour and a hot pot same result. the only way i can get decent results is to heat the hook and that becomes a pain on bait number 99. Any suggestions are appreciated thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fernet Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 CoosaKing, Since the problem is the melt solidifying before filling out the mold I would try raising the temp of the melt, increase the mold temp by making more "warm-up pours" or by placing the mold on a hotplate. When you get it to work you will easily pour perfect every time by repeating the process. If you reuse the hooks from your failed pours you can perfect it at no costs. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bladebait Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hey CoosaKing: I agree, softer lead pours at a lower temperature, but I would also try several other things. If you haven't, smoke your molds. Buy the cheapest candle you can find and use the soot from the flame to turn that pretty bright aluminum on the inside of the mold as black as you can get it. Do this also to the hooks. The black soot will act as an insulator and keep the surfaces from transferring the heat to the inside of the mold or the hook. I also keep a small hand held butane torch handy to preheat the hook while the hook is laying in the mold. Others suggestions also help, so do not forget them either. Later---Bladebait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted June 7, 2009 Report Share Posted June 7, 2009 Coosaking, all of the suggestions above are good things to try. I will tell you one thing about the Ultra-Minnow Spinnerbait mold, it's that it will not pour with all hard lead. You can do a mix of soft and hard which will work better, but when you get up to the 5/8 oz and up, it will not fill. My 2 spinnerbait molds have vent holes everywhere, and it still did not pour with hard lead. I should know better, but one day I was pouring 3/4 oz spinnerbaits, and I could not get it to pour. Needless to say I have 3 Lee IV pots and the one I was using was hard lead. To my rescue was Basseducer, which reminded me about the soft lead. Once I looked at my pot I figured it out. When I switched to the soft lead, everyone of them poured perfectly. Also heating the hook and the wireform definitely helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braveviper Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Overpour the mold, the lead will force its way back to the collar. Just get your fingers outof the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basseducer Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 I did away with trying to get the right mix. I went to straight pure soft lead. I have a pot with nothing but. I don't vent the mold, I don't pre-heat anything I can even pour with a ladel and get a perfect pour every time and man are they shiney. You can do candy colors right on the lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 I've always made it a point to try pouring every type of lead in all my molds and whatever works best is either scratched on the mold handle or written down in my molding log (cheap notebook) and then that's all that ever gets poured in those molds. I also have 3 big rubbermaid box's with lids one tire, one pure, and one 2/1 mix. And buckets of tire weights that need to be cleaned - hopefully it's nice out this weekend. Right now to stretch my pure (I have three times as much tire weight as pure) so I mixed up a batch of 2 tire/ 1 pure and it pours perfect in every crappie jig mold I have down to 1/32 oz. and that includes my pony and horsehead molds. Fatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 If you are getting good pours by heating the hook try doing what I do. While my pot is is heating up I place my mold on top to get it nice and hot and I get my hooks and wire forms and place them near the pot, not so close that they are too hot to pick up but just nice and warm, once your lead melts and your mold is hot you place your now warm hook and wire into the mold and close. This should eliminate the need to keep heating the hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoosaKing Posted June 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 I echo the usual replies "this site is awesome" who would ah thunk? only on the world wide web would I have such a great resource. I appreciate all the tips guys. Again thanks and good fishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogajiga Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 If you want to store pure/soft lead unpainted jig heads the addition of tin to the lead in the range of 30-1 to 20-1 (lead-tin ratio by weight) will keep the surface shiny clean much longer. I get my tin by scrounging surplus remnant solder or junk pewter from garge sales etc, but strongly advise against alloying with flux cored solder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
