flatsrat76 Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Maybe somebody can help me here. I have a Weighted Hook Jig SMB-4-MTD mold and I only get 1 out of about 6 hooks will make a good cast... any Ideas? Also on the other cavity's the castings have a ripple to them, Any ideas of what I am doing wrong? Also I am using a lee 10# pot with my setting at about 7 to 7.5 and I am using old clean flashing and it is very soft lead? Any help would be great Flatsrat76 I think it may be his fault .........he has been looking at me from 9:00 pm til 1:00 am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 I don't have the mold and I'm not sure how much this will help but when I'm making cetain types of jigs I'll mix wheel weights in with the pure lead to make them a little harder and when I start getting the "ripple" or "wrinkles" in the jig heads I simply add more of the pure lead to the mix and it cures it, in fact its an instant cure, so maybe the flashing you're using isn't as soft as you think it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsrat76 Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 I don't have the mold and I'm not sure how much this will help but when I'm making cetain types of jigs I'll mix wheel weights in with the pure lead to make them a little harder and when I start getting the "ripple" or "wrinkles" in the jig heads I simply add more of the pure lead to the mix and it cures it, in fact its an instant cure, so maybe the flashing you're using isn't as soft as you think it is. Thanks for the reply I will try and add a bit of hard lead to the mix. I have to say the smaller jigs I make come out great but this is messing me up. Flatsrat76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jig Man Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Have you tried fluxing your lead and getting the mold good and warm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsrat76 Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Have you tried fluxing your lead and getting the mold good and warm? I set the mold on top of my pot for about 45 minutes before before using it and I did flux with candle wax Flatsrat76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 (edited) Hey flatsrat don't hijack this thread...........Doh sorry it's yours.........................Just kidding I know exactly what your problem is , you're not paying attention to your pouring instead you are looking at that gecko or lizard. Seriously though I have all three of those molds and these are my thoughts on it. #1 Are you ladle pouring? #2 Is that mold hot. This mold has to be really hot to get perfect pours, along with warm to hot hooks. The reason I asked it looks to me like the the lead is cooling before it gets in to the mold cavity. You said you were using soft lead. That should flow much better as I use hard lead. Also, I noticed at first when I was pouring I did not get full pours inside the cavity, and I think there are two reasons why this happens. #1 The cavities are small and the cold hooks won't let the lead flow #2 The air doesn't have room to escape on the bottom. If you notice the hooks fit really snug in the cavities. So what I did was pour with the mold cracked. Take a business card and tape it at the front of the mold between the two halves or you can use high temp tape, which is easier. This will allow the air to escape and lead flow better. However you will get some flash, but I found that it is better to get some flash and clean it later on this mold than to keep on pouring bad pours and re-melting and re-pouring bad pours and re-melting. I have struggled with these molds and nothing is perfect in life. If you need more help PM me and I can send you some pics of how I crack the mold. You can adjust the crack width by moving the card or tape front to back. The ideal situation would be to have cavities pour fully with the minimum amount of crack which = less flash. It's not that complicated. Also hard lead will give you craze lines or crack marks in your jigs, you can also try to turn up the heat. Finally, while you watch that lizard, he's probably laughing at you while you are getting frustrated....................................Good Luck Edited January 20, 2010 by cadman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsrat76 Posted January 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Hey flatsrat don't hijack this thread...........Doh sorry it's yours.........................Just kidding I know exactly what your problem is , you're not paying attention to your pouring instead you are looking at that gecko or lizard. Seriously though I have all three of those molds and these are my thoughts on it. #1 Are you ladle pouring? #2 Is that mold hot. This mold has to be really hot to get perfect pours, along with warm to hot hooks. The reason I asked it looks to me like the the lead is cooling before it gets in to the mold cavity. You said you were using soft lead. That should flow much better as I use hard lead. Also, I noticed at first when I was pouring I did not get full pours inside the cavity, and I think there are two reasons why this happens. #1 The cavities are small and the cold hooks won't let the lead flow #2 The air doesn't have room to escape on the bottom. If you notice the hooks fit really snug in the cavities. So what I did was pour with the mold cracked. Take a business card and tape it at the front of the mold between the two halves or you can use high temp tape, which is easier. This will allow the air to escape and lead flow better. However you will get some flash, but I found that it is better to get some flash and clean it later on this mold than to keep on pouring bad pours and re-melting and re-pouring bad pours and re-melting. I have struggled with these molds and nothing is perfect in life. If you need more help PM me and I can send you some pics of how I crack the mold. You can adjust the crack width by moving the card or tape front to back. The ideal situation would be to have cavities pour fully with the minimum amount of crack which = less flash. It's not that complicated. Also hard lead will give you craze lines or crack marks in your jigs, you can also try to turn up the heat. Finally, while you watch that lizard, he's probably laughing at you while you are getting frustrated....................................Good Luck Cadman Thanks for the reply .......Great tips That Gecko is my new friend, He ate a moth that was acting nutty with the lights on and at one time I thought I may discover a new moth type of flux But I will give your ideas a shot If weather permitting tonight..... Thanks again for your help Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cz75b Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 a couple of things....spray a mold release into the cavities, seems to keep the molten lead fluid just a smidge longer and helps fill the cavities....mold needs to be hot, dip the corner into the melt, not just on top of the pot and finally, and I know this may counter others opinion but alloyed lead flows better than pure lead, has a lower melting temp so it stays fluid longer and the tin, antimony help with fluidity and mold fill-out....flux flux flux too Read more about bullet casting and the reasons will make sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basseducer Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 Flatsrat, All great advice, I've tried it all to make good pours with these molds. I vent just a little differently. Instead of placing objects between the halves, I slightly enlarge the channel that the hook shank sits in. This allows the air to escape without any flashing on the body of the lure. You may get a little sliver of lead along the hook shank, but it is removed quite easily if you remove it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsrat76 Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Flatsrat, All great advice, I've tried it all to make good pours with these molds. I vent just a little differently. Instead of placing objects between the halves, I slightly enlarge the channel that the hook shank sits in. This allows the air to escape without any flashing on the body of the lure. You may get a little sliver of lead along the hook shank, but it is removed quite easily if you remove it at all. Everybody Thanks for the tips and help I have my pot outside warming up so I will get back to you all with my results Thanks again Flatsrat76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogajiga Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 (edited) I agree with "cadman" that the hooks need to be pre-heated and the mold cracked. A heat gun or even a candle flame might work as a heat source, and the castings might need to be poured one at a time. Edited January 21, 2010 by hawnjigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsrat76 Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I agree with "cadman" that the hooks need to be pre-heated and the mold cracked. A heat gun or even a candle flame might work as a heat source, and the castings might need to be poured one at a time. Your right The hook has to be hotter then the hinges of the gates of Hell Do you think if I open up the sprue with a dremel would help? Flatsrat76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogajiga Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I've ported & polished a few inlet gates and it does facilitate melt flow and thus assists cavity fill out, but there might be a larger sprue breakoff scar. I've not tried yet, but would heat gunning multiple hooks set into a mold enable a successful full set pour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatsrat76 Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I've ported & polished a few inlet gates and it does facilitate melt flow and thus assists cavity fill out, but there might be a larger sprue breakoff scar. I've not tried yet, but would heat gunning multiple hooks set into a mold enable a successful full set pour? Hawnjigs I think it would work just fine, Thanks again for the help Flatsrat76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeylegs1246 Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 Look at the sprue when you pour. If it doesn't remain molten for a while, the mold is cooling the lead before it enters the cavity. Preheating the mold and hooks ought to help. Vent the mold with the methods detailed or enlarge the vent. I use a small piece of masking tape. I sometimes use a heat gun to further preheat the mold with the insert in it. Cadman is right on all accounts...again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cub48 Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 I have just started pouring jig heads and i had the same problems i took a die grinder and polished the port there you pour the lead in then put my hooks in and put a tie strap thru the handle to hold the mold shut. put it over the flame on my coleman stove and heated the mold. tilted the mold as i poured and poured until excess runs off. also put a pan under to catch the excess lead to reuse. this worked for me. Cub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterjay Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 Watch out for the gecko - you might want to check to see if he has an Australian accent. If he does, he's undoubtedly planning to sell you some car insurance and he's waiting for the right moment to pounce. (if you're planning to name him, I'd suggest "Gordon") The minute he hauls out a sales agreement, toss him in the lead pot. Millions of reptile-fatigued television viewers across the nation will thank you. Who knows, you might even get a better pour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBK Posted April 10, 2010 Report Share Posted April 10, 2010 I know this is an old thread, but did you ever try sooting the cavity with a candle flame, flatsrat76? I have a mold that will not fill no matter what I do, unless I soot the hell out of it. I'm thinking yours might be the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
