Complete Pours From A Tough Mold

[Oldfart9999]

i was pouring 1/2, 3/4 and 1 ounce Poison Tails today, I've always had problems with this mold, the shanks don't fill completely. Since I only pour for myself and since the jigs worked work I just lived with it. I remembered something I had read on the bass fishing forum about using a hot plate to warm the mold so I tried it, actually the mold was quite hot, first pour, same problem. I reloaded the mold and set it on the hot with the heat going into the sprue holes, made a pour, no voids. All the rest of my pours I did the same thing, worked like a charm. Thought I would share this as a possible solution for some problem molds.

Rodney 

[LimpNoodle]

Mold should always be heated up first.

 

Use a release agent like Drop Out.

 

Try loosening the grip on the mold handles.

[kris brantner]

I've never had problems with that mold but similar problems with my swim jig mold. You can try tilting the mold in one direction or use a drill bit to slightly open up the pour spout

[Kasilofchrisn]

Heating your hooks and inserts can also help these kinds of issues.

Glad you got your mold working properly.

[BLT]

And use good lead for the molds that need it. I have 2 molds that will only pour well with good lead.

 

Thanks for posting your good results, may save someone some headaches.

[MasterChief]

The molds that I have issues getting the full pour on I make sure and flux my lead really good with paraffin wax or canning wax,  and I use Drop Out on all my molds.  After fluxing and cleaning the wax allows the lead to flow very smoothly into the full cavity of the mold, even in my 1/8 and 1/16 ounce jig heads come out complete, and the hook blocks a good portion of the area required to get past to fill the cavity on the smaller heads.

[Oldfart9999]

Thanks for the help guys, the reason I posted was that in spite of fluxing, cleaning and using a parting compound this is the only thing that gives me complete pour. Trust me, I use any and all tips and ideas that I find here, it's why I joined the sites. I contribute where I can but compared to most I'm a neophyte and get more help than I 'm able to give.

Rodney     

[keysd13]

I use a small toaster oven in my shop to heat my hooks.  I often use oversized hooks in my jig molds and the lead doesn't like to fill the cavity unless the hook is heated.  Also make sure that the lead pot has an adequate amount of lead in it and the spout is flowing well.

[cadman]

I also heat my hooks in winter time. My go to recipe is an old black teflon pan and a 100 watt light bulb with a reflector shining directly on the hooks.  The teflon pan is irrelevant to anything, but the black inside conducts heat, and those hooks can get pretty hot.

 

There are a lot of tricks of the trade to this pouring business.

[kris brantner]

You can just add you hook, close the mold and wait 15 20 seconds. This will heat up the hook and inserts also.

[LimpNoodle]

You can just add you hook, close the mold and wait 15 20 seconds. This will heat up the hook and inserts also.

 

If it's cold that's pretty much what I do.  Pour two molds at a time.  Get them hot, load one, let it sit.  Load the other and then set it down and grab the first mold and pour, repeat.

 

Heating small hooks/inserts doesn't make a lot of sense.  If they're too hot to handle with your fingers then you'll have to use something to handle them.  That something will act as a heat sink.  Now if you're working with really heavy hooks/inserts it will work as even the something used as a heat sink will have little impact.

 

A good example is the Bat jig mold.  It has a very busy cavity with a fine wire hook and insert.  Trying to preheat those two items is mental masturbation.  Just put them in a hot mold and wait a couple of seconds.

 

If you're trying to use a 4/0 heavy wire hook in a 1/8 ounce head you can preheat the hook to help.  The hook has enough mass to hold heat even when you use tweezers to load the mold.