Ideas on Jig pouring

[Thorns]

I bought a couple of do-it molds today and Im having problems with the lead not fully coating. I am using tire wieghts for my lead source, but im only getting about 1 to 2 good ones out of a cast any ideas on what might be giving me problems.
Thanks

[Crappisaurusrex]

i use tire weigths with no problems. I usually dont start making good sinkers until the mold is good and hot. I scrap the first four of five pours and go from there.

[fishdoc]

how are you pouring? hand ladle or hot pot? i find using the purest lead i can get helps especially with a lot of the do-it molds i have...production type molds...they have a smaller opening for you to pour thru. also the temp of the lead can make a difference...in a hot pot you can regulate it better than a stove. hope this helps!

[freeflow_23]

I agree with Crappisaurusrex. The mold must be hot. We lay ours on the cooker next to the pot to keep it nice and toasty. Extra heavy duty welding gloves come in handy.

[ifish]

Thorns ,
Do-it Molds has a lot of tips on pouring lead. I use soft lead and a production pot which helps force the lead into the mold . 1/8 and under are hard to get right sometimes but I find if I get the mold hot it helps. I just lay it on top of the pot while the lead is getting hot. here is a page on Do-Its web. http://www.do-itmolds.com/tips/lead_alloys.php?UID=

[Flyrod Man]

Use to pour many years ago , don't anymore, but this is what I learned.
If your lead is not pure it will layer. Skim the slag off before pouring. The best lead I got was from a buddy of mine who worked for a elevator company - he gave me the lead bar's used in the counter weight setups (not from the elevator in use!!!). This is clean pure lead. Tire weights can be pretty dirty at times and if the slag is not skimmed off it will layer on the pour. Over the year's I have poured wgts, jigs for walleyes etc. A good machined mold is a plus also - smooth skin inside not a cast iron mold.

[crappie fisher]

If the mold is aluminum it also helps to take a match and smoke the mold before using it.This helps the lead from sticking to the mold.Like everyone said getting the lead hot and keeping it hot helps and getting the slag out before you pour you have to slag it several times while pouring.

[FIREHELMENT]

Like everone is saying get your mold hot. I start by pouring my mold 10 or 12 times no hooks just pour in and flip out this heats the mold up then if you need to take a break to cut tops off place mold on top of pot. Hopes this helps and good luck

[PanMan_VA]

Like everyone else said, preheat the mold. You can also mix in some pure soft lead with the tire weight lead. The soft lead pours much better. I use lead that was part of the newspaper type setting process. My dad was a printer for the local paper and he bought much of the surplus lead when the paper switched to the computerized process. This lead is a little harder than pure lead. The production pot temperature must be correct and the mold must be preheated to get a good pour for jig heads. Larger pours like sinkers still have some layering issues.

[driller]

Smoking the mold will help as will a bit of beeswax dropped in the molten lead. This fluxes the lead and allows the impurities to float to the top where they can be skimmed off. Candle wax works just as well as beeswax most of the time. Be sure to burn off the smoke emitting from the pot when you flux the lead as it can soon fill the house with fumes that are not appreciated by the Mrs.