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Pure Lead or Tin alloy?
I've been reading a lot of the articles about pouring lead and am close to making my initial purchase(s).
A number of articles say that pure lead pours the best, but can tarnish easily, and may be too soft. A guy at a local fisherman's supply house said that if I don't add tin, pure lead might not stick well to hooks and they could become loose.
I don't want to have to deal with pouring problems or clogging up a new pouring pot!
So, do you recommend pure lead or tin alloy? If alloy, what do you use and how much do you add?
Slabmaster
I have been pouring /making jigs for 36yrs and try to use pure/softtest lead as posible.Very rarily has any hooks came loose in the jigs.I have never used tire weights for lead.I use a Lee 10lb bottom pour pot and clean it out once a year,if anything slows the pour down i take an old 2/0 eagle claw hook straightened out and push back and forth from the bottom spout.
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I pour a mix of 2 parts tire weight to 1 part pure and I pour down to a 1/48th pony head with it. And they stay nice and shiny .
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Tin is a nice additive for some projects. But no longer than a jig lasts, at least for me, I think tin just adds to the cost and makes me pour at higher temp than I need with 96% pure lead.
Trophy King
i use tire weights clean and flux some of the new weights are not lead. I know everyone said not to use tire weights mine are free so i use them.They pour fine yes i have a bad one every once in a while but who don't . I poured over 200 the other day may had 10 or so bad but alot of that was from lead jumping spurs so pure lead would jump too. Cub48
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I use 3lbs of wheel weights to 15lbs of pure lead. I do this for several reasons:
1: Wheel weight has alloys that have a higher melting point. By mixing it in with pure lead, I find I don't have to adjust my tempurature as much. With straight pure lead, you get a film on the top and can burn your lead out pretty good. Causes pouring issues.
2: Adding that extra alloy actually makes the pour better. Keep in mind that I DO NOT use a bottom pour. My jigs are too big to do it with. I'm running production and can laddle pour 3/4 and 1oz jigs a ton faster than bottom pour. That extra alloy keeps the laddle nice and clean a lot longer.
3: If you are pouring jigs in bulk and painting several weeks or months later, the pure lead will tarnish. The only effect it has is when utilizing candy colors. Everything else will paint as normal. The tarnished heads coated with candy will have a darker color and not a "wet" look. The alloy added keeps the heads nice and shinny for months on end.
I've poured 850lbs of lead since the beginning of January. 1000lbs of lead in 2016. I think we are up over 20000 jigs for the year already. With the above recipe, I consider two or three remelts in a 300 jig pour to be considered alot! Keep in mind that I'm pouring several thousand jigs at a time. I am running two pots at once and can deplete 20lbs of lead in less than 45 minutes. I depleat one pot, put more lead in it and go to the next one while the lead is reheating in the first. I've NEVER had a head twist on a hook! From 1/32oz all the way to 2oz.
I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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