mark poulson Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 Forgive a lead pouring noobie question, but I have search the site and can't find the answers I need. I was given a Lee pot, half full of pure lead, and a Do-It 3 cavity Weedless Arky mold with 1/4,3/8, and 1/2 oz cavities. I cleaned the mold face altered the hook eye spots to accept the round eye hooks I want to use, sprayed the mold faces with Dropout,, and install my hooks and my teflon weed guard pins (thank you Ted). I heated my lead to 750 degrees f., and put the mold up to the spout. I poured the lead in until it topped out. I am getting incomplete retainers at the bottom of the molds. The tops fill fine, the weed guard pins worked great, but I get varying amounts of lead down at the bottom Any tips on what I'm doing wrong, or could do differently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dink Master Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 (edited) #1 Are you getting a strong fast flow of lead? If you are not - clear spout with a piece of wire. #2 Preheat the mold. Set the mold on top of the pot for 5 minutes Pour 3 to 5 jigs without hooks (with teflon installed) to warm mold #3 Blast the lower part of the mold, with the hook laying in the mold, with a propane torch 1 to 2 second blast. The goal is to warm the hook & the narrow part of the mold Good Luck Edited January 2, 2023 by Dink Master 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentrod425 Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Pre-heat the molds first. OR pour a bunch of blanks without hooks/pins to heat up the mold before adding your hooks/pins. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jig Man Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Are you holding the mold away from or against the mold? That can make a difference. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Anytime you alter a mold to accept a different hook or a larger hook you may have some issues. If you are running the LEE pot at number 7 bump it up to 8 and make sure the mold is hot. As the others already told you, pour some blanks without the hook. That will get the cavities nice a warm and then you should be good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigmeister Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I think just about everyone has this experience pouring lead at some point . Try all of the suggestions offered first and if still not happy ... A trick I learned with difficult to pour mold cavities was to lightly tap (nothing crazy you don't want the hot lead to splash out )the mold on the base plate of the lead pot for each cavity immediately after it is full of hot lead . This seems to force the molten lead further into the cavity around the hook shank . For someone pouring baits for production this is too slow a process but if making baits for yourself it seems to work fine . As mentioned this always seem to involve a mold modified to accept a bigger /different hook 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m.t.pockets Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I have found that on some molds I need to TILT THE MOLD in different directions to get a complete pour 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Thanks guys. I'll experiment with all the suggestions, until I get full pours. Of course, it's waaaay too cold for me to do it this morning. Maybe this afternoon, when it's supposed to warm up a little. It sucks being 75, but it beats the alternative! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 7 hours ago, smalljaw said: Anytime you alter a mold to accept a different hook or a larger hook you may have some issues. If you are running the LEE pot at number 7 bump it up to 8 and make sure the mold is hot. As the others already told you, pour some blanks without the hook. That will get the cavities nice a warm and then you should be good. I'm running it at 3, and the lead is 750 on the surface with my infrared thermometer. What temp should I be looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jigmeister Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I am on my second Lee 10 lb pot and I have always run them at 6-6 1/2 temp setting. Not owning an infra red thermometer I have always set them where the lead flows best . Since the pot is new to you it would not be a bad idea to heat it up and pour the contents into a muffin pan to make ingots and then make sure there is no grit or impurities obstructing the blocking the bottom spout . Even with clean lead over time stuff can accumulate on the bottom . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 18 hours ago, Dink Master said: #1 Are you getting a strong fast flow of lead? If you are not - clear spout with a piece of wire. #2 Preheat the mold. Set the mold on top of the pot for 5 minutes Pour 3 to 5 jigs without hooks (with teflon installed) to warm mold #3 Blast the lower part of the mold, with the hook laying in the mold, with a propane torch 1 to 2 second blast. The goal is to warm the hook & the narrow part of the mold Good Luck Thanks Dink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 18 hours ago, Jig Man said: Are you holding the mold away from or against the mold? That can make a difference. I held it tight against the spout until I got some overflow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jig Man Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Mark when I used a Lee pot I always ran it at 8 or above. If your pure lead isn’t actually pure it will need more heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 17 minutes ago, Jig Man said: Mark when I used a Lee pot I always ran it at 8 or above. If your pure lead isn’t actually pure it will need more heat. I'll try that. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dink Master Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) Watch this guys video. He had the same problem you have. The solution is more heat. A good starting point for your pot is 7. Warm your mold, warm your hooks. If this guy heated his hook while it was in the mold, with a propane torch, his first pour would have been good. (cold larger hooks are enemy #1) Edited January 2, 2023 by Dink Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 I always pour at full hot..... If there was an 11, That's where I'd keep the heat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 2 hours ago, Dink Master said: Watch this guys video. He had the same problem you have. The solution is more heat. A good starting point for your pot is 7. Warm your mold, warm your hooks. If this guy heated his hook while it was in the mold, with a propane torch, his first pour would have been good. (cold larger hooks are enemy #1) Thanks again Dink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 2 hours ago, 21xdc said: I always pour at full hot..... If there was an 11, That's where I'd keep the heat. Wow that's just nuts! I rarely run at 8 or above. Lead starts to give off hazardous fumes at 900 degrees. A setting of eight on my pot according to my lead thermometer gives me a temperature of 950°. So running at 10 you are definitely filling your workshop with fumes that you don't want to be breathing! I've never seen any need to run at 10. A little drop out spray and pre heating your inserts or hooks and you should be good to go. If I had to run at 10 I would be looking at figuring out what I am doing wrong as you should not have to run that hot and your risking your health and that of those around you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 LOL... I've been casting lead for over 30 years. No need for me to "Learn" what I'm doing wrong. Please don't assume anything.... There may be some people here that even know more than you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasilofchrisn Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 3 hours ago, 21xdc said: LOL... I've been casting lead for over 30 years. No need for me to "Learn" what I'm doing wrong. Please don't assume anything.... There may be some people here that even know more than you. I've got 162 fishing related lead molds in my collection at the moment from one off customs to the standard do it molds. I've never once had to run my pot at a setting of 10 to make any of them work. I'm just trying to let Mark know that he shouldn't have to run his pot that hot and risk giving off toxic fumes in his workshop. And that by using his head and some information from the members here he should be able to figure out any lead casting problems and not have to risk his health and safety and that of those around him in his workshop. I've only been casting lead for 15 to 20 years but I have figured out every lead casting problem that's been thrown at me and maxing out the heat setting was never the solution. I'm not trying to start anything but just because you've been doing it for 30 years doesn't mean you've been doing it right for 30 years! I will readily admit there's people here who know more about this than I do. But it is also obvious that there are those here whose skill set isn't as developed as mine. Between myself and a lot of the other helpful members here anyone can learn to Cast lead properly and safely and get jigs that are fully formed with lead molds that work as they should. And properly working lead mold should not require temperatures over a thousand degrees to get a complete cast. You cast your lead your way and I'll do mine my own way. But I highly recommend you try figuring out how to cast at lower temperatures so you're not adding additional risks to your own health and safety every time you make some fishing jigs. A lot of these fumes that can kill us are the ones we can't see. Good luck to you and good fishing! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) Mark, I agree with Kasilofchrisn. There is no need to run your Lee pot above the number 8. Think on the side of safety and since you are new to this take baby steps and learn. If you can't get good pours then figure out why. I pour in 40 degree weather here in winter weekly and my pot pours fine at 7. If I have issues I look at venting, make sure I have hot hooks and a hot mold. Fluxing lead also helps to get out impurities even in clean lead. Lead composition plays a big roll as well. Really soft lead pours better however for me it is too soft for jigs so I mix it with harder lead. Find the combination that you can work with. If you are just pouring for yourself, then pure soft may be fine for you. Get yourself a cheap infra red thermometer from harbor freight. It will give you a rough idea on how hot your lead is, you can also use it to see how hot your toaster oven is as well. Edited January 3, 2023 by cadman 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted January 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 Progress report. The Lee pot was not new when I got it. Since I was not getting a consistent flow when I poured, I decided to start over completely. Yesterday I emptied the pot completely. There was a ton of crude at the bottom. Today I removed the spout pin, and scraped all the junk out. And I got all the crap out of the spout. All that junk is now in the recycle bin. I wound up with more than a pound of pure lead. I think its pure, but I will flux it with paraffin before I use it and add a flaming paper towel, per your advice. Evidently the previous user never fluxed his lead, and just dropped more old sinkers into the pot when his lead was low. Once I've got clean lead to work with, I'll try again, loading my mold with hooks and Teflon pins, heating it over the pot for five minutes, and then pouring at 850+ to see how the reworked system does. It won't be for a few days. Big rains coming tomorrow and Thurs, so I can't flux outside like I need to. Friday should be the day for fluxing and more pouring. Fingers crossed, and thanks to everyone for all the good advice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Epp Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 I really appreciate all the information on this thread! I've been having the same problem Mark mentioned, and it's been really frustrating, so this is really helpful! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) Big Epp If you have any questions start a new thread and post them. That is what this forum is about. There are many knowledgeable guys here with vast experience in lead pouring and other things related to jigs. Just ask and someone will answer. Edited January 3, 2023 by cadman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
21xdc Posted January 4, 2023 Report Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) Lots of assuming.... I graduated from a lee pot 20 years ago. I have a $4,500.00 vent system. My molds differ from yours, But I still have hundreds of them. I don't think a lee pot could ever get to 930*..... So no harm possible. Have a nice day. Edited January 4, 2023 by 21xdc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
