i have a couple jig molds comming from barlows. the do-it weedless sparkie head and weedless banana head jig. i want to move the weedguard up a little on the head to get a better angle on the hook. has anyone done this? can i do it on the mold so i dont have to do it to the jigs individually? i have heard about using a dremmel tool but have no experience doing it.  i also wanted to ask what everyones favorite light wire jig hook is?  im looking for a 60 degree bend and in line hook eye. something like what is on the tabu open water series jig. any help is appreciated.

Ben

Ben,

I have modified many molds, and unless you have the machinery to do it correctly what you are trying to do would be almost impossible if not extremely tedious if you get it right without screwing it up. I don't want to dissuade you from trying but here is the info on it. If you want them to look like the Tabu jigs then you are going to have to have a custom mold made and be done with it. Now if you only want to make a couple with the molds you bought then this is what I would do.

#1 Pour the jigs with the molds you are getting with the weedguard pin sticking just up to the face of the head.

#2 Now you will take the jig out, cut off the sprue and cut off the excess where the weedguard pin was supposed to be.

#3 File all the sprue marks, parting lines and area where weedgurd excess was. Everything should be smooth. Do this to all of your jigs.

#4 Put your jig in a fixture, clamp everything down and drill new hole on a drill press.

#5 You're done. Powder Paint jigs, put in weedguard and go fishing.

It seems like a lot of work, but this to me is the quickest other than buying a custom mold.

Now doing it your way will be more work if you get it right.

#1. You will have to fill the existing weed guard hole in the mold, or you can use a pin to seal it off and file later.

#2. On the mold itself, you will have to find the location, of where you want the new pin. The new pin has to be clear of the existing pin due to interference problems. Also you may not have enough room to put the new weedguard hole further.

#3. You will have to cut out material from both halves equally and accurately. Preferably a milling machine, but I guess you can do it by hand with a Dremel. This is very slow work. Cut measure, cut measure. Cut once measure twice. If you screw it up, you will have problems. However there is always J.B. Weld.

#4. Make sure everything is symmetrical on both halve of the mold otherwise, your pin won't line up and nothing will fit.

Modifing your own molds is fun to do, but it is a very slow process and costly if you screw it up. Also remember that you have to do this to every cavity that you want to pour if that is your intent. Also if you have shop experience, then that will help tremendously.

If you run into problems or have any questions you can PM me and I will try to help you out.

thanks for the help cadman.  what if i dont move the hole, but i just  change the angle of the weed guard so it sits right on the hook point?  could i just dremmel out the top groove where the base pin is to get a sharper angle?

thank you!

Ben,

If you want to just lower the angle of the weedguard hole, it is easier to drill it out with a cordless drill than to modify the mold. Just use the existing hole in the jig after it is poured and drill down. Just watch so you don't dull the hook point. However if you feel really ambitious, you can modify the mold. The only problem you will have is the new base hole you make will probably be in line with the hook point on the mold, and when you pour your jig and take it out of the mold you may have a hard time getting the base hole pin out.