Jeff Hahn Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) I did a little experimenting this afternoon and created a few Hot Glue jigs. This will give a super slow rate of fall in the water. I wanted a large enough head that once the trailer was attached it would still have enough weight to at least be able to flip, and possibly pitch, the bait accurately. I went with the Arkie style 3/8 oz. head and a 4/0 hook. I made these with twin wire weedguards. The Hot Glue worked fine.But, I discovered a couple things through trial and error. First, the mold must be warm, but not hot. It should be warm enough that you can hold your hand on it without getting burned. Any warmer and it takes forever to for the glue to cool. Any cooler and the glue doesn't flow well. Second, the soot in the mold cavity that acts as a release agent when pouring lead is not a good release agent when shooting glue. But, with a little care you can get the finished jig out of the cavity without hurting it. The soot coats the outside of the jig, but does not interfere with painting. Within a couple pours, the soot is gone and the jighead is almost clear. Third, the glue sticking out of the spru must be opaque white before you can open the mold. Open the mold too soon and the jighead tears in half. Fourth, the Hot Glue looks pretty good when painted. Obviously, you can't powder paint a Hot Glue jig! But, fingernail polish works pretty good. Fifth, these jig don't sit up very well...not enough weight, I guess, so in the pic below I sat one against a pair of line clippers so you can see it from the top. Sixth, the unanswered question is if the rubber skirt collar and silicone skirt with chemically react with the Hot Glue...we'll see. In the one pic, I have a 1/16 oz. jig setting next to the 3/8 size Hot Glue jig. On a balance beam, they weigh exactly the same. Edited January 29, 2015 by Jeff Hahn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Lake Lures Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 A very creative approach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basseducer Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 If you use the hot glue sticks with glitter in them, you don't have to paint the jigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 If I remember right there was a thread on these a year or so ago here on TU. It's not for me but it's nice to see people experimenting and working on new ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSC Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Good Job !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 (edited) Hey Jeff, I tried this awhile ago, except i didn't get the good results that you did. Here is what I did. I originally tried the glue stick to put in weedguards, only to find, that after awhile the glue would soften from sitting in the water and the weedguards started to pull out. Then I started to make them in my molds. Had a few come out ok, but the cure time was very long. Seemed like a very messy time consuming process. Also another failure was that I originally didn't paint them and again they softened. I then air brushed them and although somewhat better definitely not bullet proof. Your info is definitely interesting. Some other things I have tried: Expanding foam: Very long cure time, a mess to use with Do-It molds. Concrete: Very hard to get in mold hole. Definitely would need a new way to pour. Many bad non-filled pours. Drywall compound mixed with fiberglass strands: Pours really well, too soft, breaks easy. Bondo easy to pour, too soft. Durham wood putty, too soft All 2 part epoxies. Not too difficult to pour. Cure time time not too bad, hard as a rock, but doesn't want to release from a mold. Probably need to make molds out of RTV, silicone or some soft flexible rubber. On all of these attempts, to speed up cure time air holes placed in strategic places would solve many issues for complete drying and curing. Just some stuff that I tried. Edited January 29, 2015 by cadman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Ted, Por Rok or Pour Stone are two readily available setting materials that have finer grit, and can be poured more easily. I used to use them both to set things like handrails in concrete. I found this Por Rok site: http://www.cgmbuildingproducts.com/prod4.htm I think the exterior material should work for you, but I've never tried it for lures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKFerzy7 Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 heres some colored glue sticks http://www.glu-stix.com/shop/page/product_detail/Product/fb0b4d59985ae8236008a910bf5e9a34.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhahn427 Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I've had great results with the glue jigs buy mine are larger for Stripers and specks ........... I use nail polish for paint and I use painted bank sinkers with the wire eye on the hook shaft for weight ..... Makes them fall flat instead of a nose dive. You can also change the weight by simply putting on a different size sinker without retying ....... Works great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Looks like a job for RTV and resin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 They look great Jeff. I think Dave is right. It would be very easy to use RTV and resin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) I debated about using RTV silicone, but a lure maker on another board said that it would not hold paint as well as the Hot Glue. And, of course, the silicone would take over night to set up. What is the reson that you speak of? Would it be added to the silicone? Edited January 30, 2015 by Jeff Hahn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo Al Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Polyester resin (fiberglass resin) cast in a homemade silicone mold. It will be more durable than the glue, but much more work. If the glue heads meet your needs stick with them. They look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass100 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I debated about using RTV silicone, but a lure maker on another board said that it would not hold paint as well as the Hot Glue. And, of course, the silicone would take over night to set up. What is the reson that you speak of? Would it be added to the silicone? The silicone is for making your molds and the resin is what your jigs are made out of. The resin is as easy as mixing together and pouring and you can make it float or sink however you want with microbaloons. It is also very durable. You can get it all from here http://www.alumilite.com/store/pg/19-Products.aspx Also check out all the how-to videos on their website. There is nothing wrong with the way you are doing it now but if you want a far more durable product with some options to do other things this is a great alternative. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I maybe way off base here...But Cadman said he had poured epoxy and it worked well but wouldn't release ....I've made blades and spoons from epoxy using silly putty as my mold material...Epoxy won't stick to silly putty...Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 One additional thing I was considering was if these jigs are too light to effectively flip or pitch, I bet that I could add a very tiny bit of weight to these Hot Glue jigs. Perhaps I could wrap the jig hook with lead wire to add some weight or maybe insert a BB or two in the mold cavity next to the hook. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silo1688 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I read an article somewhere, where these high school kids poured their own swimbait heads using 2-part epoxy. They used it on homemade A-rigs where it would be very light (staying near the top) and would burn it over submerged grass. I'm really interested in trying it out. Here in AZ we don't have alot of grass in the lakes, but there are a couple that do. I think the combined weight of a "light-weight" A-rig would be enough to get some distance in the cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawghunters Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 I read an article somewhere, where these high school kids poured their own swimbait heads using 2-part epoxy. They used it on homemade A-rigs where it would be very light (staying near the top) and would burn it over submerged grass. I'm really interested in trying it out. Here in AZ we don't have alot of grass in the lakes, but there are a couple that do. I think the combined weight of a "light-weight" A-rig would be enough to get some distance in the cast. I've messed around with a 2 part epoxy kind of A rig, but switched over to using jb weld instead. I just take the jb weld putty stick and wrap it around some survey flag wires. I think the same could be done with these "Hot glue jigs." They could be an interesting thing to use as a swim jig deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silo1688 Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 @hawghunters, Wow, great idea. I make my A-rig with SS wire and JB weld for the head. However I still have a bunch of JB Weld Putty left over and I'm pretty sure i can mold into a sb head. Sometimes it's the obvious that smacks us (ie; me) right in the melon. great idea! --George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawghunters Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 It's funny how that happens. Honestly I never heard of a hot glue jig before, but like the concept. I guess it is why we have this community haha. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) Bored around the house, so I thought I'd play with the Hot Glue jigs. I added a Super Chunk Jr., filled the sink with water, and dropped a jig in. It sank really slow, but did not always sink vertically and wanted to lay slightly on its side. So, I thought that maybe I should make some more and add a tiny bit of weight for a keel. A small split shot would go around the hook, but blocked the back end of the cavity so no glue would get back there. So, that was a no go. After playing around, I settled on wrapping some lead wire around the hook shank near the front of the hook. That worked fine. But, by the time I got some test baits done, the mold got too hot, and I had to let it cool. Several times the mold was still too warm and caused problems.But, the biggest problem was the jig sticking in the mold once it cooled. As I noted in my original post, the soot from smoking the mold when pouring lead got all over the Hot Glue jighead. So, I took a toothbrush and got most of it out...mistake! Plus, after a pour or two with the soot still in the mold cavity, most of it was gone...adhering to the Hot Glue jighead. With no release agent, the jig was tough to get out of the mold without tearing it. I tore a couple back by the skirt color. Luckily, they are easily repaired with a shot of Hot Glue and trimming with a knife.Any suggestions on what release agent might be the best? I have some silicone molds that use baby powder as a release agent. I wonder if this would work on an aluminum mold for these Hot Glue jigs?(By the way, when a Hot Glue jig tears, it leaves some glue in the mold. I tried to scrape it out, but could not get it all. So, I poured some lead in the mold several times and that got most of it out...but there is still some residue.) Edited February 8, 2015 by Jeff Hahn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Jeff, This is what I would try if I were to make these from scratch again. If this idea works you will owe me royalties as I thought of it first. LOL #1. Find the hook you want to use. #2. Find a mold that will pour a small round or cylindrical weight on the hook as a ballast. This mold might have to be custom made. #3. From this point on, you will have to make a silicone or RTV mold, that will be cut out for the profile of the jig you want, in which it will have the head profile cavity and also the cavities for hook clearance. #4.Place hook with molded on ballast into silicone mold. Probably a two piece mold. Pour in or inject the hot glue into the mold. #5. Weight for it to cool. I am sure that you will be able to separate the new jig head out of the silicone cavity. #6. Finally take it out and see if it works. If it does send me a check, if it doesn't start over.LOL I would try this whole process above with what Nathan mentioned and that was silly putty. See if that works first before making a custom silicone or RTV mold. Some other thoughts on this. I don't think that an aluminum mold is your answer to your final pour for your hot glue. Reason being, is that many of the current Do-It molds are not as polished in the cavities as the old molds. These molds are sand cast and they have craters small imperfections in the cavities. So what happens is, as you pour hot glue (and I've seen this happen in lead as well) into the cavities, everything in the cavity gets filled, even the small craters, which makes the jig difficult to release. To solve this problem, you would have to polish the mold cavity, so it would be as smooth as a baby's a$$. With that said, if you insist on using aluminum, the better choice would be to have a mold machined, as machining if done correctly from the tool path is smooth and flawless. Using a mold release agent does help for lead and I am a big proponent of using it as it makes life easier for everyone who is a beginner to the expert who has that one problem mold. The release I use is for lead and it is called Drop-out. You can buy it at all the places you buy your lead molds. However I don’t know if it will work on hot glue. Try it and let us know. Also there was mention here from other members of using baby powder or unscented talcum powder, maybe even Gold Bond. Try these as well and see what happens. These are my thought on how I would proceed if it were me. No guarantees here. Let us know how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Cadman: Thanks for the feedback. Before I make any more, I am first going to see how well the fish like them. That will be 3 weeks from now on my annual march trip to Santee. If they work well, then I'm going to give those suggestions a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Lake Lures Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I made 10 of these last night using a 3/8 poison tail mold. Started with a cold mold. I used hot glue from Walmart. injected 10 with hook and pin for the weedguard. No sticking or prolonged cure time. Inject, count to 10, open mold, pull out jig. Works great- thanks for the idea! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Hahn Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 I made 10 of these last night using a 3/8 poison tail mold. Started with a cold mold. I used hot glue from Walmart. injected 10 with hook and pin for the weedguard. No sticking or prolonged cure time. Inject, count to 10, open mold, pull out jig. Works great- thanks for the idea! Dave Glad that it worked for you. It's amazing how large they appear and how light they are. Maybe I try the "cold mold" thing. It might solve the residue problem I had. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
