Getting setup

[Tradbow]

Been crappie fishing my whole life (64). I’ve tied flies for salt, warm water and trout. I’ve just now decided to start pouring and painting my own jigs. Already pour for PRB for my ML so I know some about pouring lead. The painting setup is where I will need pointers and critique. Welcome to my journey….

[tlefire]

Best pointer I can give on painting is a good credit card........

TJ's tackle for fluid cups, fluid beds, and paint.

[skiptomylu]

I agree with TJ's for your powder painting needs like fluid bed unless you want to make your own, some do.

Also if just for yourself then TJ's also good for your powder paint.

Some guys use Vinyl paint too , but it take 3 coats, first undercoat of White, then the color you want, then the Clear so it's nice and shinny.

Vinyl is a tougher coating, but a bit more trouble. I have and use both, but way more Powder because it's fast and easier once you learn how to use it best.

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[GrumpyLoomis]

Good advice already posted. I use Barlow's for my powder coating. I bought the ready made fluid beds many years age and still use them. I don;t pour commercially but several hundread jigs a year is not uncommon. I use lots of different companies for powder coat but have the most even results from Pro-Tec. It is fun to experiment with.

[SuperDave336]

I do powder painting now but I will admit I probably did more frequently when I fingernail polish painted them. It was so easy to just paint a few, let dry, do another coat etc.. when I did that. Now I have to drag all the powder painting supplies out, setup area, make the mess and then bake them and then clean everything back up. Couple of jigs hanging on a rack I could polish paint anytime without the whole production.

[GrumpyLoomis]

I agree SD, I can not leave my powder set in place due to space availability. But I can paint lots of jigs over a weekend and not need to set up again for a while, sometimes months. I do run into setup issues when several family or friends want different things here and there.Put up and tare down is kind of a pain but I love my powder paint.Here is my little set up that I store in a closet when not painting.

[SuperDave336]

Holy smokes a table! Would love to have a free table like that for work, etc. I currently have to use the kitchen table and powder paint doesn’t taste good with macaroni.... lol.

[GrumpyLoomis]

Should not complain, BUT that is a shared space. The little woman might be there to cover a chair, cut material or paint something for Christmas. When she says I need that in the morning I move. Not much fun trying to find my stuff after she moved it LOL

[Tradbow]

My fly tying desk has more material around it than I may ever use. I’d be embarrassed to show my setup as a friend says I have more than some fly shops. I shoot traditional archery and I was told as a youngster to be a great shot you have to loose the fear of losing an arrow. I use that same philosophy in my fishing. I’m not scare to lose a jig so I go thru a lot of them. I’m retired so pouring and painting my jigs just seems like the next step in my fishing career.

[Micanopy]

Following the pour, cleaning off the excess lead is always nice. A good set of flush cutters and a file will be invaluable for this purpose. I use a large file laid flat on the bench, but a small fingernail file works if you prefer to stroke the thing. I try to ensure that lead isn’t climbing up the shaft towards the eye of the hook, or traveling down the shaft away from the head. The sprue leaves an area and sometimes molds have little bumps and such. Also, some jigs have collars and these can easily be cut off. This is also a way to lighten a jig some if you want that.

A nice heat gun is better than a cheap heat gun, unless the sound will bother you, then get an alcohol lamp. Torches work but are too time sensitive to please me. When you heat the jig obviously smaller ones heat faster, but they also cool faster. I like to see the paint stick to the jig and then melt smooth after lifting away. Too much heat and the paint will smoke or bubble. Not enough and it looks rough and will come off. Passing the jig back over the heat gun to melt the first layer is OK, just don’t get the jig close, hold it away some. Also, depending on what kind of jig, I try to hold them so that the eye of the hook doesn’t get as much heat, as that helps keep paint from sticking to them. If the eyes of your hooks are getting painted and that bothers you, slip on a small piece of shrink wrap, which can be found in 100 foot rolls on Amazon for $15- I use size 1/16th inch, but you may need different. Some grip the eye with hemostats to prevent paint from attaching and that works for them. I learned to just swish it and that keeps the eye somewhat free. Clean it free of paint before baking if you completely cover the hole.

Fluid beds can provide a thinner coating and a finer result, but they make a huge mess. I forgo them now and just swish the jigs in loosened paint. I find that smaller sized cups allow me easier access to the paint. I can get in at different angles than the jars the paint comes in. A stir stick passed through every so often keeps it loose. If you see you have too much paint tapping it to bounce away extra works. You don’t want it gooped up, but a little thicker isn’t an issue actually. Fluid beds require a filter medium and even purchased cups never seem to get it right. Volcanoes erupt and paint goes everywhere. However, if you like fooling with magic and can actually get can one to behave, they are very nice. Also, storage of paints in humid conditions is problematic. If the paint comes to you in bags get containers and keep it in the house in the A/C as you want it bone dry for best results.

I have seen where fellers will mark their paint containers with baking temps and times, but as long as you use 300 degrees and fifteen minutes most all will do just fine. A small toaster oven will be needed as the paint will change it’s molecular alignment during this process. Jigs can be just fine unbaked as the paint will still cling nicely, but if you like to smash them down onto concrete to show people how durable they are, well baking will serve you best. Also, colors do change after baking and textured paints definitely require baking. Hanging the jigs from the oven racks works but as the paint melts it runs down and forms a Pinocchio effect, which is cool, but most try to avoid this. I made racks that hold the jigs vertically and this means the paint runs down onto the hook shank. There it isn’t much of a nuisance. Could be though depends.

Everyone seems to enjoy looking at jigs with eyes. Unpainted jigs catch plenty of fish but a finished jig pleases people better. A small drop of glue will be need to secure the stick on eyes, both flat and 3D types. I like the 3D because if I am gonna go through the process I want a nice looking eye and they don’t cost too much if you buy directly from China. UV resins can provide a beautiful finish securing the eyes but might discolor the eyes, and if you get it in your eyes from rubbing at them it burns like gasoline for about ten minutes. A UV light helps set the resin while working with it, but setting them out in the Sun for curing the resin provides great results and is easier to do.

Get a scale to weight the jigs so you can know what you are actually producing. Small variances probably will never matter to you, but they might.

Hook selection is a huge issue. Finding the right sizes for the jig sizes you are making is a trial and error deal. Some modify their molds to fit different sizes or configurations. I modified two of mine to allow me to add underspin blades. Others have made really nice modifications as well, and you will eventually want to do this. If you do make sure you read and see the options available as once done- it is tricky to undone. Molds are “Out of stock” these days for most but a great mold to get is the Do-It Freestyle as it has flat sides for better attachment of the eyes.

Hooks are get what you pay for mostly. If they are cheap, well they are cheap. Owner makes a great jig hook in that it will be sharp and will hold up. Gamakatzu hooks are so over priced I can’t see why anyone would get them, unless they had a mold that required them. Victory hooks are a nice cheap hook as they are sharp. Red hooks become gold hooks when they get scratched. Thin wore hooks straighten when snagged, but that isn’t always best. Thick wire hooks might not fit your mold. So trial and error. I bought some 1/0 Victory hooks and they come to me today. I like a larger hook as it helps me to actually land the devils. Some hooks work against you under the right conditions, as I discovered through trial and error.

Paints look one way on the web and another once you painted the jig, so be prepared to have paints you don’t actually want to use. Paints can also be mixed to produce new colors. Clear coats make everything shine better and are nice, but require an extra dip and that might be one dip too many. Glitters can be purchased separately and added in a custom fashion. UV enhancements are a great way to add low light visibility. Crinkle effects are cool and there is a great thread here on that technique. Storage storage storage….you might come back to that unwanted color years from now, so keep everything nicely tucked away. White is always a nice first dip color as it makes neons “POP”. Many colors are dependent on a undercoating of bright white. White alone can be nice and I like it as I can then daub on fingernail polishes and get cool effects. Unpainted jigs catch just as many fish, but make it look like you are a googan and we can’t have that now can we ?

The main thing to bear in mind here is that sharing your art work here is very important. You asked for help, and are getting it, so be sure to help others later please. I mean as you discover things we would all like to know as well, and maybe you will come up with something new and super cool for us to try.

By the way- in the original post you said that you make ? for who ?

I didn’t catch the abbreviations.