Sly41985 Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 I read the other posts about melting safety and things like that but could not find exactly what i was looking for. i started pouring today actually ... i poured some jigs and spinner baits. one thing i noticed was that the lead was not making it all the way to the collar. i am using wheel weights and was wondering if that was the problem. but i see many people use them on here. was also wondering if adding soft lead makes pouring easier/smoother. another thing i was thinking is the fact that im pouring in my garage. its not insulated and is not heated ... live in upstate NY so it gets pretty cold. Thanks a lot for all of your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buggs man Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 first of all what type pot are you using? I use a lee industrial bottom pourand I have poured in 20-30 degree weather and never had any problems because of the temp. I learned my lesson with wheel weights at an early age they dont make good weights jigs or anythging else. I use pure lead similar to plumbers lead it flows great and doesnt gum up like wheel weights will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 22, 2010 Report Share Posted February 22, 2010 You will get a lot of responses on this. Take all this information and do some experiments. What works for some may not work for others. Pouring lead is an art which is unique to each individual persons pouring technique, along with heat and lead composition. With that said, depends on which spinnerbait you're pouring. This is how I pour my spinnerbaits. I live in northern IL, and it is about 26 degrees today. I get the best pours on all my molds in the winter. I've established that with the fluxing I do and the dry air in winter, my pours are flawless. Spring , Summer and Fall are another story. If I am pouring my Ultra-Minnow spinnerbait , I only get full pours using straight soft lead. This is the only time I use straight soft lead. On all my other spinnerbaits and jig molds I pour 70/30 or 80/20. The bigger number being hard lead and the smaller number being soft lead. This works for me on every other occasion. I like my jigs on the harder side. Now all this info to you will only be reference, because I'm sure you and I have different set-ups, different ways of pouring and different skill levels. The more you pour the more you will find out what works for you. I hope this helps. Now c'mon guys let's here your take on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly41985 Posted February 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 first of all what type pot are you using? I use a lee industrial bottom pourand I have poured in 20-30 degree weather and never had any problems because of the temp. I learned my lesson with wheel weights at an early age they dont make good weights jigs or anythging else. I use pure lead similar to plumbers lead it flows great and doesnt gum up like wheel weights will. see right now im using a small 5lb pot and a small ladle, cheapy it was like $10, i AM currently looking at getting a bottom pouring pot because it would make life much easier! hahaha which site would you use?? and about the plumbers lead im guessing i can go into any home depot or lowes and just ask about it??? Thanks a lot i do appreciate it! Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly41985 Posted February 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 You will get a lot of responses on this. Take all this information and do some experiments. What works for some may not work for others. Pouring lead is an art which is unique to each individual persons pouring technique, along with heat and lead composition. With that said, depends on which spinnerbait you're pouring. This is how I pour my spinnerbaits. I live in northern IL, and it is about 26 degrees today. I get the best pours on all my molds in the winter. I've established that with the fluxing I do and the dry air in winter, my pours are flawless. Spring , Summer and Fall are another story. If I am pouring my Ultra-Minnow spinnerbait , I only get full pours using straight soft lead. This is the only time I use straight soft lead. On all my other spinnerbaits and jig molds I pour 70/30 or 80/20. The bigger number being hard lead and the smaller number being soft lead. This works for me on every other occasion. I like my jigs on the harder side. Now all this info to you will only be reference, because I'm sure you and I have different set-ups, different ways of pouring and different skill levels. The more you pour the more you will find out what works for you. I hope this helps. Now c'mon guys let's here your take on this. i see so fluxing works well in winter time then im assuming??? im not exactly sure what fluxing is to tell you the truth. ive heard about it but just havent read up on it ... i guess i better start! haha. Actually the spinner baits im pouring are the ultra-minnow spinner baits. now how do you go about pouring your spinner baits? im guessing you probably dont use a bottom pouring pot because of clearance ... you use just a pot and ladle?? in spring, summer, fall how do you go about pouring spinner baits? Thanks again i do appreciate it! Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Shawn, Yes a bottom pour pot will be much easier for jig molds, however you will have to finagle the wires a bit under the pot. You can also get cheap lead at the scrap yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buggs man Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 I pour spinnerbaits with the bottom pour also it still does a great job maybe 1 in 50 dont pour right if that as far as flux I use canning wax it does the best for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 I've been using a ladle for years vand I don't have a problem but like I said, I've been doing it a long time and in the beginning it was a little tough. I can use wheel weights for jigs but not the ultra minnow spinnerbait, it just doesn't work. I do something similar to cadman although my mix ratios are different, I use either a 50/50 mix of hard and soft lead and sometimes a 60/40 mix depending on jig type, with the ladle you don't get the fine tight stream which is one problem but there is a way around this, if your ladle has a pouring spout. First thing to do is make some practice pours without hooks, this will help with your technique while getting your mold hot at the same time, I like to actually put my ladle on the mold and give it a quick tilt to get the lead into the gate fast, this takes practice as the first time I tried it most of the lead went over the side of the mold...lol. The point is that the closer the ladle is to the gate opening the better off you'll be but I will tell you that you'll have more success with soft or pure lead doing those ultra minnow spinners, so if you have a plumbing supply store near you give them a call and see if the have lead for sale, if not you can buy it on the net but it does get costly. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterjay Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 All of the above. We were discussing the same issue in another recent thread - if you aren't already heating your hooks before putting them in the mold, (and the mold itself) that would almost certainly improve your results and maybe solve your problem. Any step you can take to keep the metal hot for as long as possible will help. I've been pouring 2-3 ounce tin lures, and a Hot Pot 2 works very well for me as long as I keep the mold and inserts hot. I think it holds 4 pounds of lead and goes for about $40-$50. I'm usually ready to quit before the ladle is empty, and I never fill it to the max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly41985 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 Shawn, Yes a bottom pour pot will be much easier for jig molds, however you will have to finagle the wires a bit under the pot. You can also get cheap lead at the scrap yard. i just ordered a lee lead melter today ... cannot wait to try it! i am going to the scrap yard tomorrow and getting lead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly41985 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 I pour spinnerbaits with the bottom pour also it still does a great job maybe 1 in 50 dont pour right if that as far as flux I use canning wax it does the best for me awesome ... yeah i just ordered a lee bottom pour so im excited to get it! do i have to order that flux online or can i just buy it at like any hardware store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly41985 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 I've been using a ladle for years vand I don't have a problem but like I said, I've been doing it a long time and in the beginning it was a little tough. I can use wheel weights for jigs but not the ultra minnow spinnerbait, it just doesn't work. I do something similar to cadman although my mix ratios are different, I use either a 50/50 mix of hard and soft lead and sometimes a 60/40 mix depending on jig type, with the ladle you don't get the fine tight stream which is one problem but there is a way around this, if your ladle has a pouring spout. First thing to do is make some practice pours without hooks, this will help with your technique while getting your mold hot at the same time, I like to actually put my ladle on the mold and give it a quick tilt to get the lead into the gate fast, this takes practice as the first time I tried it most of the lead went over the side of the mold...lol. The point is that the closer the ladle is to the gate opening the better off you'll be but I will tell you that you'll have more success with soft or pure lead doing those ultra minnow spinners, so if you have a plumbing supply store near you give them a call and see if the have lead for sale, if not you can buy it on the net but it does get costly. Good luck! Awesome ... yeah right now im def trying to get the hang of it. i never thought of doing trial runs and just pouring lead without any hooks/wire in the forms. by the end i was doing the tilt thing buy like you said ... lead was going outside of the mold more than in the mold lol. im def going to keep trying though!!! Thanks for all the help! Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly41985 Posted February 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 All of the above. We were discussing the same issue in another recent thread - if you aren't already heating your hooks before putting them in the mold, (and the mold itself) that would almost certainly improve your results and maybe solve your problem. Any step you can take to keep the metal hot for as long as possible will help. I've been pouring 2-3 ounce tin lures, and a Hot Pot 2 works very well for me as long as I keep the mold and inserts hot. I think it holds 4 pounds of lead and goes for about $40-$50. I'm usually ready to quit before the ladle is empty, and I never fill it to the max. ill def give that a try! hopefully i can figure this out soon! fishing season is coming up fast! hahaha Thanks for help! Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROWINGADUBAY Posted February 25, 2010 Report Share Posted February 25, 2010 awesome ... yeah i just ordered a lee bottom pour so im excited to get it! do i have to order that flux online or can i just buy it at like any hardware store? As far as the flux goes take a ball of wax about the size of a dime and put your leather gloves on take out the batteries in the smoke detector and get a fire extinguisher ready then stir your lead throw the wax in and stir some more be careful because it will smoke alot and shoot up a big flame after it is all burn off stir a little more and skim the top gunk off some people keep this gunk and then remelt and re flux until they get all the good stuff out but I just chuck it Another thing i do is while you are waiting for the lead to melt I put my mold on top of the pot so it warms up while you wait then pour a couple of blank ones to really heat it up i think every thing works better when it is hot enough to burn you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
