Making molds for lead

I want to make J weights for my duck decoys. Do-it gets $80 for the mold I want. Are there any other company’s that make a J weight mold? They may also be known as keel grabber weights. I have heard that you can make a mold out of wood. Anyone done this?
DT

Wood will char and you’ll lose the shape in a hurry if you’re casting weights in the weights Do-It’s mold casts. My first ever jig mold was a 1/4 ounce that was made of hard oak and it didn’t take long to see the two cavities open up to well over 1/2 ounce.

Something you may want to look into is High Temp RTV silicone as a mold material, but a mold with a couple cavities will probably cost upwards of $70 using this material so you may be better off with a commercial mold like Do-It’s in the long run. I haven’t seen any other mold for these weights but there may well be some home-grown ones around.

For a while, there was someone selling Ace Weight molds on ebay, which are a J-style. I did a quick search and got nothing.

Yes, you can use wood. Trace the outline on the face of the wood, about 3/4″ or so from what will be the top. Use a plunge router to rout out the profile and depth. Then clamp a second board or vise 2 board together to make closed cavity,

Drill a 3/8 to 1/2″ hole from top of the two boards into the cavity – this is the hole to pour into.

Keep in mind it takes much longer for lead to cool/harden when poured into wood compared to aluminum.

As Tom mentioned above, you don’t get longevity out of the wood

Might be worth getting an aluminum block and finding a machinist in your area. Got a community college near you? Hit them up and have someone make you one. Or bite the bullet and just get the Do-it.

eBay might be worth looking at too.

I’ve made molds out of wood. For decoy weights, it works good. For anything where you want relative precision, not a chance.

The wood chars pretty bad after about 3 pours and needs to be replaced. J-hook weights would be hard and not worth it, but round texas rig weights are easy peasy. I use a 2×4 and a 1.5″ hole saw bit. Drill a bunch of holes in the 2×4 and then clamp it to another 2×4 tightly. Hammer a nail through the middle of the 1.5″ hole into the other 2×4, this gives you the hole for a texas rigs to slide through. Pour and pull out with the nail. Sometimes the nail brings the weight with it, sometimes it doesn’t. DO NOT soak the molds in water thinking it will keep them from burning, water+molten lead=dangerous.

I used to use a T shape weight that you could bend when the line was wraped up. I made mine using a sand mold. Just take one on your weights and press it into the sand and pour lead in it. The sand had to be just moist enough to hold its shape. I don’t know why you could not do the same

deertracker wrote:

I want to make J weights for my duck decoys. Do-it gets $80 for the mold I want. Are there any other company’s that make a J weight mold? They may also be known as keel grabber weights. I have heard that you can make a mold out of wood. Anyone done this?
DT

I can get that mold(Sizes 4,6,8 oz) for $73.45 shipped

that’s the cheapest I have found

I may end up just buying some this year and deal with it next year. After I get the mold and lead it sure adds up. I found 3 dozen locally on ebay for $25. Very cheap compared to stores.
DT

I’ve made sinker molds using Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty. You can Google how exactly to make a mold. It’s not too difficult and should suffice for decoys weights.

the lead you use needs to be soft if you plan on wrapping or bending much. Reclaiming bullets and tire weights are brittle so be careful what quality lead you are buying.

Thanks everyone.
DT

Casting sand??

David Blais wrote:

Casting sand??

thats what I was thinking. Thats the way clay bricks were made.

You can use wood to make a mold for j-weights. A made about 60 weights with the same board. I used an oak board that I got from my grandfather who uses them for crafts. Trace a weight and cut it out with router. If you want it heavier cut deeper but be careful as some decoys don’t have that much room to hook the weight. Found that out the hard way. I made 4 cavities in the board. I clamped the board in the bench vise to hold it. Use a lead ladle and just pour the lead into the cavities until they are full. No need for a closed mold. The lead cools fast and doesn’t burn the board. It leaves a rounded edge on the top but who cares just a decoy weight. Can’t find my mold right now or i’d post a picture.

Years ago when I did a lot of duck hunting I worked for a roofing contractor. We used to save the lead flashing sheet leftovers and cut them into strips and drill a hole in one end for the string. You could make them as heavy as you wanted just by leaving them longer and they were flexible enough to wrap on the decoys. Might be worth looking at your neighborhood home improvement store for lead roof flashing. Cheap alternative.