Lead head jigs

Questions about Making Your Own Lures

Lead head jigs

Postby clubhunter » Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:48 am

I was trying to come up with a way to do a 2 part mold for my 2 to 3 ounce cobia jigs. I have used Bondo in the past with mixed results. The mold sometimes breaks or chips in areas of detail which then destroys the looks of the jig. I didn't know if the silicon molds would work for pouring lead. What advice could some of you give me? I will try and post a pic of the head.
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby clubhunter » Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:55 am

I guess I can't post a pic. Went to the "how to post a pic" and it's locked. If you would like to see it let me know.
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby aka anglinarcher » Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:17 pm

It is best if you make lead molds out of the mold putty. Silicone, even the mold putty, are really not for "production" lead molding, but it works well enough for the few custom molds I do. Make sure you let the mold cool between pours and don't make the size of the lead object too large. I limit it to about 2 ounces or less myself.

Now, pictures. I post my pictures to photobucket and then post a link in this Forum to that pic in photobucket. I do the same thing with videos, except I usually post the videos to YouTube.

I hope this helps you out a little, but please feel free to come back with questions.
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby clubhunter » Wed Feb 25, 2015 11:27 pm

Does the mold putty work better than the bondo that I have worked with before?
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby Fomen38 » Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:52 pm

I had the same dilemma about a year ago. I was making a custom lead shape that was designed to be encapsulated in Flex 70 casting resin. If your piece is small (say 2oz or less), you should get quite a few pours out of the 2 piece silicon mold. If you plan on making a 2 piece mold, you don't need RTV3 silicon. You can get away with a much stiffer product because you don't need to stretch and pull to remove your cast piece. You need to go with a high temp silicon rubber. They make some that can withstand temperatures of 530 degrees for BRIEF periods of time. Lead (especially small pieces) cools relatively quickly. If you go this route, let your silicon mold cool slightly between pours- say 4 or 5 minutes. Over time you will notice the silicon will begin to deteriorate on the inside of your mold cavity. It will get crumbly, and you will start to lose details on your cast pieces. At this point, you need to cast a new mold. Unfortunately, high temp silicon is pretty pricey.

The piece I was casting weights 16oz. The silicon wouldn't work for me. It was good for about 4 pours, then it started deteriorating. At $65 a quart, and a minimal wall thickness of 1.5 inches on my mold- this option just wouldn't do. I then tried plaster of paris, but it's just too delicate.

I then went balls to the wall, and decided I was going to sand cast my own aluminum production mold that I could get indefinite pours from. Here's the link if you're interested. I included LOTS of pictures.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=28631

Good luck my friend.
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby aka anglinarcher » Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:32 pm

clubhunter wrote:
> Does the mold putty work better than the bondo that I have worked with
> before?

Yes, the mold putty does work much better then Bondo, but, while the mold putty is one of the better Silicones for the purpose, lead is not really a great option for Silicone molding.

Please don't get me wrong, I get great results, but some people want to pour dozens or hundreds of items with it and it is not really the best for that.

I have used POP for lead, and like Bondo, if you can get away with a mold that is two piece or an open pour, both last for several pours. I have also used sand casting, but not nearly to the extent that Foman apparently does. My results are not "commercial" quality with POP, Bondo, or sand. While I do get commercial quality out of Mold Putty, I don't get commercial life.

My advice is that if you are making the cobia jigs for yourself, and if like me you only go through a couple of dozen a hear, then you are fine with the Silicone Mold Putty. If you go through dozens, then it is worth getting a custom aluminum mold made up.
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby clubhunter » Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:30 am

Thanks for the input guys.
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby Mike - Alumilite » Fri Feb 27, 2015 9:42 am

Scott,

I forgot about that post where you walked us through the aluminum mold. I'm thinking Chuy might love that content for his lure making publication?? That was great stuff.

Mike
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby Fomen38 » Fri Feb 27, 2015 1:29 pm

If you have an old propane tank, and a home depot near your house, you can make a foundry for melting scrap aluminum. If you buy a graphite crucible, you can go way beyond just melting aluminum. The refractory cement in the foundry, and the graphite can withstand temps in excess of 4000 degrees. Aluminum melts at 1280 (approx). You can melt steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze, etc.... With this foundry, some good charcoal briquettes, and a good source of forced air (like the "blow port" on a shop vac if equipped with it). I've gotten my foundry so hot that it singed the hair off of my fingers when my hand was 6' above the charging hole in the top. You can also buy the petrobond sand in bulk on ebay. That is the sand you use to cast things. It's pretty awesome, and when packed it will hold it's shape VERY well. You can find endless instructional videos on YouTube. Once you make the foundry, you can use it forever. Also, if you don't have access to refractory cement, you can make your own. It's just a mixture of regular cement, silica sand, and either pearlite or vermiculite (which are the little white balls you see in potting soil). The first time you run your foundry, you will abolish the vermiculite leaving small air pockets in the cement. These in turn create insulation, as air is by far the best insulator. If you are interested in the refractory I used, it's called Mizzou Plus. It comes in 50lb bags, and one bag is PERFECT for making a foundry out of a 5 gallon propane tank.

I cheaped out on the heat source. You can actually buy some basic plumbing parts, and make a forced air furnace with another propane tank as the fuel source. This is definitely the best way to go, as there are no impurities introduced into the inside of the foundry. You also need a degasser and a defluxer. I used soda ash (which is essentially baking soda that has been baked at high temp for about 30 minutes to bake off any moisture), and lite salt (salt substitute). About 1 teaspoon of each. Drop it in, stir it up, and remove the dross from the top. You will have beautiful, molten aluminum that is ready to pour.

Wayyyyy too much info, I know. But if any of you guys are interested, I will make a list of required components. You can use the petrobond sand over and over again as well. It will scorch the sand where the molten metal touches, but you scrape that stuff off, and reuse the rest.

Cheers
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby Chuy Jr » Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:25 pm

Sure would!! Scott if you would like for me to add it to the next issue just email it to me. I will make room for it.
Thanks,
custombaitsmag@outlook.com
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Re: Lead head jigs

Postby Fomen38 » Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:27 am

I will throw together an email with pics and send it your way. What a cool opportunity to get something published. Thank you!

Scott
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