TerryF2858 Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 show me you ideas and fixtures for making the solder ice jigs. I want to make the teardrop ones with the small silver ice blade you solder the hook on, and holding the hooks in place is difficult. thanks for your ideas terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 It'll be awhile because I'm out of town. But I have the silicone mold from Reinke Brothers tackle shop in Wisconsin. The one I have is all the different shapes but they have ones that are all the same shape on one mold. Holds the parts perfectly leaving both hands free for soldering. I hear the brothers are having health problems so they took down their web store. But if you can get one of those molds they are perfect for the task. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryF2858 Posted January 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 Waiting for reply from them if any are even still available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunglingsoo Posted January 16, 2019 Report Share Posted January 16, 2019 Interested to hear also if they still have the silicone molds. Please let me know what you hear Terry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryF2858 Posted January 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 They might have some in late April or early may best they could tell me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbor Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 I’d be interested in seeing the mold . I’ve made some really small molds. I even made one that was about 1/2”x1” x1/2 that was 2 piece. Silicone molds r easy and u can just use mold frames for jewelry. Most of the ones I made I did 10 years ago but there in storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 I would like to see some ice jig molds as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 (edited) So here are some pics of my Reinke Brothers ice jig molds. As you can see one of these has been used and has some rosin residue on it. The other one is new that one is my spare in case the first one is ever damaged. They made several different molds and I happen to buy the ones that contain a variety of shapes. They also made molds that contain all the cavities of the same shape most likely for those making and selling who want to make a lot of one particular style. I've also included a picture of a mold with a teardrop blade and a hook in it. I also have some blades that do not match any of the cavities in this mold. What I do for those is I find the closest match and generally I can still make it work for those blades. You can also switch up the hook sizes if you want to. If the hook is too big it just puts things a little out of kilter when trying to line them up but generally you can arrange them well enough to make it work. I like to keep a bodkin and a pair of tweezers handy which makes it a lot easier to pick these small parts out of the box I keep them in and arranging them in the mold precisely where I want them. These molds do a pretty good job but sometimes the parts are still off just a hair and using the bodkin I can position them precisely as I want them. I have a plastic bodkin I'm not sure exactly where I got it from but it seems to work pretty good and I know it won't damage the silicone mold. I buy ice jig solder from Jannsnetcraft but I have also used a lead-based solder from Radio Shack when they were still in business. The key things are you want at least 60% lead in your solder to make the jigs heavy enough to drop at a decent rate and you also want rosin core solder not acid core. Once The jig Is made you will have some excess rosin on it. To remove the rosin I keep a small glass jar handy with some acetone in it. The finished jigs are placed in the jar and gently swirled around and left to sit for just a few minutes. When the rosin is gone then they are ready for painting. I like to powder paint mine but you will have difficulty powder painting them if you do not have an adjustable heat gun. My DeWalt heat gun is infinitely adjustable on temperature. This way I can dial the temperature in so I do not melt the solder which usually melts at a lower temperature than a pure lead jig. Once The jig Is hot I use the brush tap method to add my powder paint. any excess paint on the shiny back of a blade is removed with a q-tip dipped in lacquer thinner. Then these are carefully baked in my toaster oven being extra cautious in watching the temperature so as not to melt the ice jig solder. Edited February 5, 2019 by Kasilofchrisn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 A few other key tips I forgot to mention. You want to use an Aberdeen style hook for these. Bronze hooks do not hold solder very well and I would not recommend them. Also for those inexperienced in this type of soldering you want to hold the soldering iron against The jig and hook until the components are hot enough to melt the solder on their own. If you melt the solder by pressing against the soldering iron you're going to burn up your tips pretty fast and you won't have the best adhesion. To source the blades I used to buy them from Reinke Brothers and Jan's net craft but I've also bought them from a company called anglers Mart. Anglers Mart has some innovative new shapes and blades but some of them do not fit in this mold very well. They have some fish shaped blades and some ant blades and they are bit tricky to get into this mold. I have not tried the ice ant but the fish shaped used in this mold does work if you play around with it some and find one of the cavities that provides the closest fit. Another popular way to paint these is to use nail polish or as some guys call it "male" polish. you can get a whole host of colors in nail polish including glow-in-the-dark Etc. I've just never been a fan of nail polish in general but it is an option that is available almost anywhere. It doesn't take very long to get the hang of making these and you can whip out quite a few of them in an afternoon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbor Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 I remember seeing those on eBay years ago. Never bought one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 On 2/5/2019 at 11:16 AM, Kasilofchrisn said: A few other key tips I forgot to mention. You want to use an Aberdeen style hook for these. Bronze hooks do not hold solder very well and I would not recommend them. All the aberdeen hooks I've bought in the past from EC and Mustad were bronze? What other type of aberdeen hooks out there, that are not bronze. Where do you buy them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 3 hours ago, cadman said: All the aberdeen hooks I've bought in the past from EC and Mustad were bronze? What other type of aberdeen hooks out there, that are not bronze. Where do you buy them? Gold Aberdeen hooks are what I buy. Something like the Mustad 3261GL light wire bait hook Or the eagle claw 202. But the gold hooks is the key not bronze. I get them anywhere I buy the blades usually Reinke brothers, lure parts online, or Jannsnetcraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, Kasilofchrisn said: Gold Aberdeen hooks are what I buy. Something like the Mustad 3261GL light wire bait hook Or the eagle claw 202. But the gold hooks is the key not bronze. I get them anywhere I buy the blades usually Reinke brothers, lure parts online, or Jannsnetcraft. I was going to mention gold hooks, however I wasn't sure that they were aberdeen. It makes sense though. All the ice fishing jigs I've seen have gold plated hooks. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBK Posted February 7, 2019 Report Share Posted February 7, 2019 Holy cow that looks like a lot of work and frustration with my fat hands! Lure parts online, almost every style unpainted starting at 5 for $1.30 and getting cheaper with quantity purchased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted February 10, 2019 Report Share Posted February 10, 2019 On 2/7/2019 at 8:48 AM, BBK said: Holy cow that looks like a lot of work and frustration with my fat hands! Lure parts online, almost every style unpainted starting at 5 for $1.30 and getting cheaper with quantity purchased. I guess your one of those who will never quite get it. If I was looking to save money I'd be much better off buying nearly all my tackle. I certainly don't save much if any money making my own. Especially if I place a value on my time spent making them. But I do enjoy the hobby of making tackle. And catching a fish on your own homemade tackle is a pretty awesome feeling. Once you get the hang of these, which doesn't take long, they don't take long at all to make. And there not that difficult. The only ones that frustrate me at all are the ones that were not designed for the mold. Those can be a pain to get lined up correctly. But the standard shapes/sizes are relatively easy and fun to make. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBK Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Yeah I will never get it. I build my own rods, make my own jigs, pour my own weights, custom paint my own lures, used to make my own plastics but I don't have the time anymore... I'll never understand the feeling of catching something on my own lure..... There is a limit to what I am willing to waste my time on though, and making an ice jig that I can buy for pennies is it. I buy them by the thousand and paint. There was a thread someone made a while back about making their own split rings, you should give that a shot too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crappiekid Posted May 1 Report Share Posted May 1 Would anyone want to sell one of those reinke molds? Or if possible i can make a replica and send it back. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted May 2 Report Share Posted May 2 I still have two of these. But, they are not for sale or to loan out. I'm suprised somebody hasn't started making and marketing something like this since Reinke bros closed and quit selling them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlaery Posted May 2 Report Share Posted May 2 so this fixture is to solder a blade to the wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted May 3 Report Share Posted May 3 6 hours ago, dlaery said: so this fixture is to solder a blade to the wire? It's to hold the ice blade and hook to make a soldered ice jig. It's by far the fastest and easiest method I have used to make them. Yes there are other methods. But this is the simplest and easiest way to accomplish this task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
