Making your own jigs….Question?

Hi,

I have been making my own jigs and was wondering how do you get the excess lead off the top of the jig. I have been grabbing with a set of pliers and bending back and forth until it snaps off. I tried side cutters but the mentioned works faster. Do I have to sand the top to get rid of the roughness?

Let me know how you do it.

Roger.

Mahumba’s Fishing Page

I do the bending back and forth thing also because its speedy. Soft lead helps. Only occasionaly do I have a problem with the top having any excess lead and the paint usually covers it up. Mazner uses some goofy method but his jigs look like [censored] (joke)!

Hi Dirk,

I use old tire balancing weights. What type do you use? I’m a scrounger!

Mahumba’s Fishing Page

A friend of mine gave me a 25 lb chunck that was very soft and pure, it was great to work with. Now I’m about out and the hunt will be on again. I’ve used tire weights and I’ll use them again. The only thing is is that the dirt, paint etc. from any source of lead leads to a scum that needs to be cleaned off the top of your melted lead when its in the pot and has also caused my spout to clog and drip. I guess we just have to live with it.

I use a coleman stove and a cast iron ladle. I just put the weights in there and melt them. I pick out the steel crimps and then I use a brass rod. The junk left on top of the lead sticks to the brass like a magnet. Just give the rod a tap and the junk falls into a can.

I used to have some lead pipe but I ran out of that.

I use a lot of tube jigs so I don’t paint the heads. I was looking at that powder paint stuff. Have any exprience with that or other types of paint?

Mahumba’s Fishing Page

Well, Dirk W…… My jigs seem to work just fine!!!!! they may look like [censored] but they catch fish….. I actually prefer to have a little texture on my jig heads ….. I personally will show you how my “ugly jigs” work anytime compared to yours “prettyboy”……

Want some lead? Take a case of beer over to the distribution department of your local water utility. DON’T talk to the boss, talk to the working men. Most services put in were originally made of pure, soft lead. When they dig them up to repair or replace them, they always wind up with some lead. How do I know this? I work for the Cudahy Water Utility and I have a jig box that weighs twice as much as my anchor. Talk to those guys. Offer them some walleye filets if they don’t drink.

Beav

Roger, buy a package of fingernail files like the gals use to trim their nails. Use it like sandpaper. Makes short work out of the rough spots on the jig head.

Dirk, dont empty the lead from the pot when your done casting. The impurities will remain on top and can be skimmed off next time you reheat the pot This way they never have a chance to settle down into the spout If you still have a leakage problem, try tightening the adjustment screw for the plunger.

Leo,

Do you mean those brown emery boards?

Roger.

Mahumba’s Fishing Page

Beav,

I have a hundred pounds of lead shot that I cannot hunt with anymore. Does this kind of lead work or is it too hard?

I’ve been using my old extra lead shot and seems to work just fine.

Hook

I think that it is what they called ‘chilled lead shot’, I don’t know how it would work. Try to contact the people at Do-It molds and see if they can help you out. I would think that it is too hard and might be tough to melt and pour.

Beav

I’ve used chilled shot and it worked but it was much tougher to work with if remember correctly, it was awhile ago.

I think my pretty jigs kicked your ugly ones butt today. How come yours only caught the little ones today?

I’ve got Lee production pot. I dont think I can tighten the pluger on it???? I’ve emptied it out and cleaned the plunger and the spout but it still leaks. Any other ideas?

Yes, they come with two grades of grit on each file.

Dirk, I have Lees also. It leaks because the part that fits into the spout(plunger?) is not seated correctly. Next time you heat the pot, loosen the screw that relates to the plunger located on top of the handle just a bit and rotate the plunger with a plier until the leak stops. Tighten screw. It took me a few tries before I got it right. P.S. Wear gloves

Dirk, I had a leaker too. Seems no matter what I tried, it still leaked. So I took it apart and cleaned the plunger with sandpaper and then I took a small drill bit and reemed out the spigot. That really helped. I think that impurities in the lead were settling to the bottom and collecting around the spout and wouldn’t allow the plunger to seat properly. Now I’ve got it flowing like it did when it was new.

Beav

Another good source for gettting lead that is soft is by talking to your local dentist. The film that they use in taking x-ray pictures is full of lead. They come in soft bubble gum looking packages.

I use to have a lee pot. When it started leaking I would bend the pour arm just a bit. I figure after all the use the arm would get out of spec. It seemed to work alot better after that. Give it a try.

Jigger2001

Roger,

I bought a pair of 5 inch Gate cutters(order #415-311) from Janns Netcraft to cut the excess lead off the jig, and they work super. I also use the nail file to smooth out the bumps. The brand I got is called Tropical Shine #T303 they are black, I got them at the local hair salon form the manicurist, cost me $1.25 each.

Good Fishin’

TBO/MN

Ya Hey Mahumba, your make’n a easy job tough !! I’ve poured, made, and sold hundreds, from sonars to muskie spinners. Heres a couple simple tips : USE QUALITY

LEAD. Tire weights have to much tin. I get mine direct from Do-it Molds. I used to use a ladle which is fine as long as you don’t set something on fire! A production casting/melting pot is the way to go. Latestly snip the gate, then use a metal 6″ file, and not a hand Rasp. Really it’s in your paint job that does the selling but the fish don’t really care as long as your fishing the color . I get a lot of satisfaction when my clients and myself catch some nice fish with my own stuff.

Keep it up, you’ll soon get the hange of it.

Gofish

Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Thanks for the tips kreading.

I try to keep my costs down. I’m not selling them. I’ll use the tire weights but I do have access to some quality lead. I have my system set up on a wood work bench with a grate and sheet metal in between to avoid the flare ups.

What kind of paint do you use?

Roger.

Mahumba’s Fishing Page

I just used some of the powder and it worked good. I hung my jigs on the over rack and baked them at about 475. Then I took them out one at a time. The finish is good and its relatively quick. The fastest way by far is spraying though. I hang my jigs on a rack I made and I can paint 100 jigs very quickly but I havent been able to get as good a paint job yet as the powder, at least with the jigs that require a white base. I used a black enamel spray the other day and those turned out great.

I’ve been using my air-brush for painting jigs when I make 2-tone jigs. Then I use a spray on epoxy that’s a top coat for lures as a clear coat. When I make flo colors I still dip ’em in vinyl then add glitter to the clear.

How does the powder paint work? Just dip the jig in? Does the jig have to be hot first? I have looked at the powder paint but there was no instructions on how to use it.

Roger.

Mahumba’s Fishing Page

Yup, the jig has to be hot. I use an alcohol burner to heat the jig, then put them in the oven, like Dirk. I put the oven on 300 degrees for about a half hour. This hardens up the paint, and if I want a two tone jig, I can dip the second color right from the oven. This method seems to work for me, I only make about a hundred at a time, for my own use.

Good Fishin’

TBO/MN

My partner and I use to fish alot of bass tournaments, and one of our favorite baits was a jig. We made them afew hundred at a time. We decided to try that powder paint . Yes, it is easier to use, and yes it is quicker than painting. Problem, well that came when you wanted to use them. That stuff hardens like iron, and was or is next to impossible to get out of the eyes of your jig without chewing the eye all up, making the jig unuseable. Still have four or five bottles of various colors. There are yours or anyone else who wants them!!

I have never had any problem getting the paint out of the eyes. I use an “eyebuster” and it comes out as easily as any other paint. Oh Well!!

Good Fishin’

TBO/MN

Before you bake the jigs use the eyebuster and nock out the eye. When they are done baking there will be no paint in the eye. I use all tied jigs and find better luck than plastics. Flashabou with fishair is the best combination for myself.