Thread: Pour and vinyl paint jigs

To avoid oxidization, I mix pure lead with wheel weight lead at a measure of 3 lbs of wheel weight lead to 15lbs of pure lead. The wheel weight lead will have other alloys in it that usually inhibit the oxidization process and allow for that nice shiny finish on the jig head. Running straight wheel weights will usually garner a harder head. The sprue doesn't bend and snap off as well and refining the head with a file or pocket knife takes more work than with a softer head.

When melting large amounts of lead down to ingot form, most guys "flux" their lead. This can be done a couple of ways. You can buy an over the counter flux to add to the pot or, like most guys, you can utilize parafin wax, bees wax, or a non sented, non colored candle. Most prefer the parafin wax added to the pot, skimming off the top, and then pouring the ingots.

As for priming: I would assume that means adding a top coat of paint or something else but I am not sure on that one. I have heard of guys pouring their jigs (in bulk) and then vacuum sealing them. Avoiding air will avoid oxidization. For me, I sell about 15k jigs during the months of January through April. Many of those jigs are poured at this time of year but not painted until winter. When using the above process I mentioned with mixing, I have zero issues with oxidization or heads that turn darker.

Interestingly, when utilizing powder paint, oxidation really doesn't matter UNLESS you are using candy colors. If using candy overtop of a lead jig, the shinny head will produce a different sheen than a tarnished or dull head. Coating candy over a different color than it doesn't matter. I'm not sure about Vinyl paint as I just don't use it.

Have fun and good luck

"Keep moisture away form lead pouring equipment."Very Dangrous. Wear and use your safety Equipment.Use proper ventilation."fan's,Hood's. Read and watch youtube videos watch and be careful. . Keep Safe.

We like melting a small amount of Tin in our lead "pure lead" not babit or anything else"Wheel weights"just a small chip/sliver form a clean dry soda can" into our hot lead.Helps oxidation and makes pouring a whole lot easier. Most folks that sell lead"Do-it,Barlow's,lurecraft"ect have tin already mixed for you.Hope this helps

We like melting our lead in a Do-it hot pot 2"have two of them!! "makes pouring spinnerbaits /ponyhead's easier to"then skimming/ pouring into our bigger pots.Keep's out dirt ect this stuff will rise to the top.Take a spoon and skim it off it will be hot be careful wear gloves.Keep safe and good fishing.We pour our on bullets also must be clean. for a fast accurate bullet.

Back before powder and viynly I used testors paint and then epoxy over the top. The testors white primer worked fine. Tried Viynl but the stuff gave me a MAJOR headache and switched to powder and I don't use a primer on heads that I'm going to powder.

I use a 2/1 mix on my heads when I pour. I have two storage buckets 1 tire weight and 1 pure lead. These are jigs I poured over 2 yrs ago. Still shiny.


The less you handle the heads even when trimming the sprues off will keep the oils from your hands off your heads, I wear a glove when trimming sprues and cleaning up any flash, then they get bagged.