cadman

Out of curiosity what cad software do you use? Pictures on line are the best, however for skirts, color can vary from monitor to monitor. As far as hooks go, unless you buy in bulk not many places you can just go and look at hooks. Find a hook you are interested in using for your mold, and then buy some sizes you want to incorporate into the jig head. Shorty's hook sales is in MO, but you will need a tax ID number. It is really hard to start up and try to find places that you physically can go to and look at product. I would suggest going to your local BPS, Cabelas, and look at their skirts and hooks and get an idea on where you want to start and go from there. There will be a lot of trial and error for you.

Jake, I'll start this off by saying forget the lead ratios and concentrate on what kind of jig you want to make. Based on your comments above, if you want to make a similar jig to the roadrunner, you can buy a Do-It pony or horse head mold. You can buy this mold and pour to your hearts content. The other thing is that you can put whatever hooks you want into the mold, along with making it a multicolored jig and finally any type of blade you want. This would get you started in learning how to pour your own jigs along with learning how to paint and finally how to assemble. Just remember don't try to sell these to anyone .You can give them away and or trade them with your friends without any problems. As far as design goes, I believe your head profile must be 30% different than anyone else's, in order to avoid copyright infringement. But don't quote me on this. If you decide to pursue this, you will have to get a patent search done. One last thing, it is very expensive to get a patent search and a patent, so you just may want to take this slow and see how it all develops. Also it is always nice to make something different than anyone else has. Good luck with your design.

I don't know what benefit it would have to know what Blakemore, BPS or anyone else in the industry uses as a lead mix. This is all irrelevant. First of all if you intend to copy and sell Blakemore jig heads or anyone else's for that matter, you will get a cease and desist letter. Blakemore strictly enforces and protects their jigs. Everyone uses different ratios of soft lead and antimony or tin, as we all make things the way we want. Many guys only use soft lead and many have mixed ratios, myself included, this is a personal choice based on our fishing styles and our own testing. Like mentioned above, seems like you want to make the perfect jig. There is no such thing. If you can't find fish or don't know how to use a jig, the most beautiful, perfect jig isn't going to help. Instead, if I were you, I would concentrate on learning how to pour safely and then learn how to pour jigs consistently. Those would be my first concerns. Everything else will come later to you as you ask questions. If you want to paint them, powder paint is very good and easy to use. I don't want to came across as an A$$, but safety is the first key issue, so you don't get badly burned.

If you have a fluid bed, it would make it much easier for you, and it would also put on a nice thin coat. If you want instructions on how to make one, Pm me your e-mail and I will get it out to you.

Yes, Pro-tec powder paint. Disassemble your blades from the split rings or whatever else. Take your blades and lightly run 100 grit sandpaper over both sides. this will give the powder paint something to bite to. After sanding lightly, make sure there are no burrs on the edges, wipe your blades with naphta or acetone to clean oil and residue. Next heat blade, hold blade with needle nose pliers by existing holes. Swish through black powder, let cool and then hang on wire on rack and bake. How many do you have to do?

The easiest would be to spray paint them with black paint, although it won't be as as durable. if you want durable blades, I would personally powder paint them black, but that involves taking them off, powder painting them and then baking the blades.

I assume you got the syringes. Can I ask how much you paid per pack.

You are absolutely correct. A lure turner is not needed, as I don't use one on my jigs. However like you mentioned, you must apply in thin coats, and watch what you are doing. I just put that in for many guys that don't have any experience with the use of epoxies, and always seem to get sagging epoxy or teardrops forming.

I give credit where credit is due. I never thought that the Bears are really a great team over the years. Packers on the other hand, have had many excellent quarterbacks and an overall solid team year after year. I see you fish Winne, I only fished it once, however I fish all the S.E Wisconsin lakes by the IL border. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me, and we can talk via phone, if that works better for you.

Just an FYI, but the Bears suck with Cutler, we need a good quarterback. I still like the Packers. Definitely a dynasty team. Favre and Rodgers, some excellent quarterbacks. Go Pack.

This is how D2T or most epoxies work. First of all you have to mix two equal parts, whether you measure it or do it by eye is up to you. If you do not mix it well, your epoxy will become tacky and never fully cure. If this happens, you can mix another batch and apply it over the first one. Remember the more epoxy you put on the more you may have issues with your crankbait running true, especially if the epoxy is not evenly distributed around the entire crankbait. So you should use a lure turner to get an even coating. Now here are the pros and cons of D2T epoxy. As soon as you mix the two parts of the epoxy together, you get a chemical reaction, where they start to heat up and start to cure(harden) That's why you can't take 30 minutes to coat your crankbait, as it will be very hard to spread the epoxy evenly with a brush. So if you keep your epoxy on the cool side, it will slow down the curing process giving you a longer working time, but the epoxy will be harder to spread on your crankbait If you keep your epoxy warm, it will flow better, but once the two parts are mixed, the warmth of the room and the heat of the mix will give you a shorter working time, but will be able to be applied faster. So all in all, no matter what you do, if you use D2T 30 minute epoxy, you will not get an hour to apply it if it is really cold, and you will not get an hour of working time if it is too hot. There is a trade off here. So my suggestion is to make sure you have all your components and supplies ready, and then epoxy your bait as quickly as possible and cover all exposed areas. Practice makes perfect.

Ace hardware or on-line.

First of all I have never heard of epoxy melting a cup. Next you need to tell us which epoxy(ies) you used, so we can help. I have been using Devcon 2 Ton (30 minute) for about 10 years and never had any issues. There is also a 5 minute do not buy that. Devcon 2 Ton (D2T) is self leveling. I use it on lead jigs and just love this stuff. Cures really hard, however on really white paint, D2T has a slight amber tint to it, however you can't tell on any other colors. Now my experience with D2T is that it goes on easier when it is warmer outside and levels faster. So your 90 degree temp days should not be a problem. If you apply it on crankbaits, you will have to put the crankbait on a lure turner, to keep the D2T from sagging or running. Other than that, it is a very good epoxy. Also you can put a drop of denatured alcohol in the mix, to make it more fluid, and more spreadable for a longer working time. If it takes you 30 minutes to coat a crankbait, you are taking way too long. I am thinking that you might get 20 minutes working time with D2T. There is also a product called E-tex. Envirotex lite. It is used for bar tops. It is a lot clearer than D2T, is more runny, needs multiple coats and in my opinion the final product does not have as a hard of a finish as D2T. You can usually buy all the epoxies I mentioned from Hobby Lobby, or Ace Hardware. Also you can get D2T at a really good price from Tower Hobbies on the i-net, and they have the 9 oz bottles. This is just my opinion. Others will have more info for you.

Depend on what kind of paint you used. If you used water base like Createx then yes you do. If you used lacquer paint then no you don't.

I used to have to buy two piece rods, because my old boat did not have storage for one piece rods,unless I left the rods out and on the floor. With that said, when I got my new boat I immediately switched over to one piece rods and never looked back. One piece rods are much more sensitive, and you don't have to worry about the rods pieces separating after many repetitive casts. Go to one piece, you won't be sorry if one piece rods will work for you. JMO

You can use hard lead in any pot and it will melt. However hard lead is very hard to pour in some molds, especially for a beginner. Also since you got wheel weights, be extremely careful that there is no water in the wheel weights by the clips, as hot lead and water will explode. If this is your first time pouring, you should go to tackleunderground.com and read up on all the safety issues. The wire bait section there is for the beginner all the way up to the pouring pro. There are volumes to write about pouring and I'm sure you have a lot of questions. So go to that website and there is a ton of information for you to read. I am on that website along with a few others that post here as well. If you need more help just ask, and above all be safe.

I use Spike-It as well and like the bottle and the pens

No

Your request is too costly for the average guy. Even if you wanted to make hooks, you have to buy the correct temper wire, then you have to have a machine to make the hook eye, then bend of the hook and then put on the point. You have to have a way to sharpen the point next. Now you have to harden the steel to the correct temper, so it's not too hard for it to break, and not too soft so it opens up. Finally you have to then get them plated so the steel won't rust. Hardening is a process, that you would have to establish, on where you want your hook to be. This is not practical for the average person, sorry to say. If you are looking for a custom hook, you can call one of the big hook companies to make you a run of 10K. They will have all the answers for all of your questions.

Slade House. Good info. Thanks for sharing. You have a PM

Slade, I have to commend you on your ability to create something with Solidworks and a 3d printer. I use Solidworks on a daily basis for 8 years now, however I do not have a 3d printer. I also design my own machined molds for pouring jigs. If you would have made this comment in the infancy of 3d printers, then it would be ground breaking news. Many people have 3d printers, as I also have friends that make things from 3d printers for fishing purposes. I personally would like to see what you have created as I'm a design junkie. If you are worried about someone stealing your idea, then yes it could happen, however unless you get a patent you will never be able to show your idea to anyone in fear of being ripped off. Patent and patent searches are expensive. Anyway most people here are not going to buy Solidworks, learn the program and then buy a 3d printer so they could copy your idea. It would be nice to see what you have come up with, congrats on your achievement.

You can use floral wire, or copper wire. I use red copper wire, (.024 dia.) The wire has to be flexible, so you can make your wraps and then twist tie it tight. You can also use motor wire, if you can find an old motor and strip off some copper wire. Just check the size. Some guys use zip ties, but I think that looks tacky, and you can't tighten it like you can regular wire.

Like mentioned above. if you want to make your own colors then go for it. The start-up is not cheap if you are not going to be committed to this venture. Also there is a big learning curve, and above all you have to have a lot of patience and most of all you have to practice a lot to get good and proficient at it. if you are looking for tutorials on how to paint, make a fluid bed and some other tutorials I have. Pm me with your e-mail and I will get them out to you.

There is a three pronged tool that was used back in the day for this reason. It would spread the rubber collar in three directions so you can put the skirt on. You can try needle nose, but the collar will probably slip off. Your only quick solution is to hand tie them on. What type of head does the jig have?

I sent you a PM