Do-it Swimming Jig Mold

[sbutler1108]

I was wondering if anybody on here pours the do-it swimming jig mold, and if they were having problems with them filling out completely at the top. If so do you know how to fix it. Just a side note, i'm using the hooks that they make especially for the mold.

[ROWINGADUBAY]

I was wondering if anybody on here pours the do-it swimming jig mold, and if they were having problems with them filling out completely at the top. If so do you know how to fix it. Just a side note, i'm using the hooks that they make especially for the mold.

Pre heat your mold and get your lead hotter you can also carbon up your mold with a candle

[toadfrog]

Pre heat your mold and get your lead hotter you can also carbon up your mold with a candle

Along the previous reply do this as well flux your lead.Then set your pot so you have more lead flow into the cavity or ladle pour using a preheated ladle with nose spout instead of a v crimp in the side. I think that should nip the problem in the bud.

[cwils]

Pre heat your mold and get your lead hotter you can also carbon up your mold with a candle

+1 on heating up the mold

[floridanative]

...heat up your hooks as well if the hot mold and candle soot doesn't work.

[Charlie2]

...heat up your hooks as well if the hot mold and candle soot doesn't work.

Ditto on the heated mold and hooks..

I bought an inexpensive hot plate to place the mold on to keep the mold hot between pours. It doesn't have to be red hot..

I do soot my mold using a candle which helps wonderfully. C2

[cadman]

If you are pouring in the cold your mold will stay hot from constant pours. Heating hooks drastically improves good pours. What I do is take the hooks and put them on a black tray (with the tray being on a piece of wood) and put a 100 watt bulb over the tray. It will keep those hooks warm. Hot plate works as well. On the sooting of molds I tried it when I first started pouring 7 years ago and I personally find that it does not work. I pour about 80 different molds, and none of them are sooted and my pours are all perfect. In my opinion you are better off learning how to keep everything hot and adjusting your mold angle to your pour rate and keeping your lead clean and very well fluxed. We all do things from personal experience so try it and do what works for you.

[cz75b]

Experience from bullet casting in iron and aluminum molds provides lots of learning curve shortcuts for jig molding. A mold release usually works to improve casting, mold fill-out and casting release. Soot from a candle may have oil/wax that hinders mold fill-out much as oil in a cavity would, one should soot a mold using a match or commercial mold release like MidwayUSA's mold release which I swear by. Metal and mold temperature absolutely critical and each mold will behave differently as will different alloy mixes. Hooks should be warm and usually once a mold is up to temp, it will warm-up the hooks in a second or two but ice cold hooks will not work as well as warm hooks, just watch the heat and their temper. Lead alloyed with tin and antimony will allow one to operate at lower temperatures overall and flow better than pure lead. This sounds contrary to what you see on this forum but check out the melting points of various lead alloys, all lower than pure lead and printers used alloyed lead because it flowed into details better than pure lead. The castings will also be harder which I think is a benefit over pure lead plus with salvaged wheel-weights out there, easier and cheaper to find. Keep whatever alloy hot and flux generously, often and you should see improvements. Check any bullet casting web site and you will read much about working with melted lead alloys from folks who need precise results.

[David_Cooksey]

If you use tire weights clean the lead multiple times by skimming off the trash you see on the top

then flux it and skim it 3 more times.

Use a propane torch to warm up your mold, i always spray mine w/ PAM for Bar B Queing after

smutting up the cavities w/ a candle which i get from Dollar General store.

Hooks are placed in a Toaster Oven in a disposable pie tin and pre-heated for about 10 minutes

@ 250° then i use a pair of small electronic bent nose pliers to pick them up and place them in

the mold.

The Toaster Over will do double duty if you if you are into powder coating your jig heads, place the

rack in the middle to pre-heat your jig heads prior to running them in your Fluid Bed to powder coat

them, then use it to bake on that finish 350° for 8~10 Minutes.

So thats 3 purposes for useing the Toaster Oven, just make shure you have a disposable Hefty EZ Foil

10 lb. Super Roaster Pans 11'' x 9'' x 2'' under your jigs when baking on the finish for the final time.

Sincerely

Dave

[bassbandit25]

Great ideas guys ive been having the same problem with the do it casting mold. I'm Gonna try a few of those.

[bassbandit25]

Hey i tried heating my hooks and heating the mold and it worked so thanks guys.