Thread: Best way to remove the sprue from poured jigheads

I use a spru cutter, but a small pair of side cutters will work

On small jigs, I used to pour the gate and sprue of each jig all the way across the top. I would remove all the jigs in one piece. When it cools, you can hold the entire section, bend the hook back and forth twice, and then put you little lead bar back in to melt again.

I used a small verticle belt sander with a flexible belt. All of my jigs heads get cleaned with the belt. I hate seeing portions of the sprue still connected. I guess that might be one of the things that set my business apart from the competition. For personal use, I could have cared less, but when I was selling them, they had to be as round as possible!

I use a bead tool that I modified (used Dremel tool to enlarge form to fit jig heads)

I use the same tool when dipping jigs in powder paint to keep hook eyes clean (notice silicon rubber patch attached to one jaw)

When I cast I do a few hundred at a time so pull a finished jig and put it in the pile. Let the pile cool for a hr or so and I can hold the jig with one hand while I use sprue cutter (looks like wire cutters w/flat side) to nip the extra lead.

walmart has these in the craft/jewelry section cheaper than this.
Gate Cutters, Pliers to Remove lead sprue from casting

Originally Posted by canebreaker

walmart has these in the craft/jewelry section cheaper than this.
Gate Cutters, Pliers to Remove lead sprue from casting

I have tried two pairs of these and both pair the cutting edges didn't line up leaving an uneven line where you cut the sprue off.

Originally Posted by gaspumper

I have tried two pairs of these and both pair the cutting edges didn't line up leaving an uneven line where you cut the sprue off.

For all but the smallest sizes you will most likely need to use a file to smooth out the sprue cut. Some tiers don't mind the cut mark and if for personal use doesn't effect the way a jig fishes.

Originally Posted by gaspumper

I have tried two pairs of these and both pair the cutting edges didn't line up leaving an uneven line where you cut the sprue off.

I've never had a problem with mine except the spring broke. They work great on a small spru. For a larger spru I cut with side cutters then clean up with the smaller ones. I've reshaped a side cutter for a better cut on a large spru.