Thread: Start up cost question

Mulling over pouring heads for myself. You guys have any idea on what kinda startup cost I'm looking at? Would probably just do 1/16 and 1/8 ball head starting out.

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Shop around for the best deals on stuff. $52.00 for a ten pound pot is extremely high priced in my opinion. I purchase Lee 20 lb pots and have never paid more than 65 brand new for them (I have three of them).

IF you are only planning to pour 1/16th oz and 1/8oz, I sugest buying production molds. Save yourself the hassle of having to pour two or three of one size at a time. Instead pour 7 or 8 at a time.

You can find lead (for free in some cases) and in expensive at others. I'm not sure my business could survive at paying 2.50 a lbs. Often times I give as little as 10 cents per pound. Lead is up right now and the recycling centers are getting about 1 dollar a pound for quality lead. For uncleaned lead, you are looking at about 50 cents per pound.

Cleaning it isn't all that complicated. As for wheel weights, I do not suggest utilizing these to pour 100 percent of your weight BUT... I do sugest a mixture. Wheel weights have alloys in them that change the melting point (much higher). I suggest mixing in 2 or 3 pounds of wheel weight lead to 14 or 15 lbs of good soft lead. This will create a much more even pour and reduce lead burning in your pot. Soft lead has a lower melting point and you are constantly adjusting tempurature in your pot to ensure it doesn't burn on the top. When mixing as suggested, you don't need to do this. Also, your heads will not tarnish if you don't get to painting them right away. They will be left with a nice sheen.

I don't use a bottom pour pot. I prefer a laddle pour for a lot of reasons. One is the fact that I am pouring over 2000 jigs a week and the bottom pour is inconsistant for me. Another is the fact that it isn't as fast as laddle pouring. I also am pouring jigs up to 1oz and bottom pour doesn't work as well. Bottom pour won't work when pouring things with Wire in them (such as bottom bouncers).

Shop around for your molds. Do-it sells them direct at a much higher cost than you can purchase them for elsewhere. Jann's netcraft has ok pricing but their shipping is higher. Zeiner's out of Kansas has the best prices I have found. Both in way of molds and shipping (just ordered a replacement mold yesterday from them).

Buy your hooks in bulk. Most of us purchase from Captain Hook's.

I do this as a business and January through April is my busy season as I am stocking up the walleye fisherman. It is not uncommon for me to go through 1/2 ton of lead and nearly 15 to 20 thousands heads in this timeframe.

Here is a source for lead that most are not aware of. Most heavy equipment has balist weight in it. Find a place that services this equipment OR has them piling up in the back yard collecting dust. You will find the lead. MRI and Xray machines have lead shielding. It has to be changed out every so often. Casting plants that make parts have xray machines and xray all their casts. They change shielding out more than hospitals do. Machine shops utilize lead hammers (about 10lbs) to adjust machines. They are forced to change them out when they start to chip and fracture (end up about 8lbs). ALL of this is soft lead and you can usually get it for free!