BUT what can anyone tell me about it...Is lead readily available, is it worth pouring my own stuff etc etc etc....What do I need to get started
ANY ANY ANY help will be much appreciated
pouring molds
pouring molds
Was thinking about getting into pouring my own molds...specifically cannonballs for downrigging and maybe jigs too...Who knows really?
BUT what can anyone tell me about it...Is lead readily available, is it worth pouring my own stuff etc etc etc....What do I need to get started
ANY ANY ANY help will be much appreciated
BUT what can anyone tell me about it...Is lead readily available, is it worth pouring my own stuff etc etc etc....What do I need to get started
ANY ANY ANY help will be much appreciated
Yes, lead is readily available. If you know a mechanic, just ask them to save wheel weights for you. If you don't know a mechanic, go and meet one :) All the tire shops and most other garages have more of them than they know what to do with.
What do you need to get started?
1) Melting pot: I started with a camp stove and old steel pot, and a propane torch - I'd get the stove going, and then use the torch to melt wheel weights in the pot, then keep it molten using the stove. Now I use a Lee Production Pot (about $75) which is MUCH easier both for melting and pouring
2) Ladle - Again, I use the Lee ladle - it only cost about $5. I use it to scoop off the impurities when melting. I pour directly from the pot into the molds.
3) Safe working area - I really would recommend against doing this inside. It's simply too dangerous
4) Lead - wheel weights
5) Molds - Available in lots of shapes and sizes (and prices) - I use aluminum molds, as I find the cast iron and steel ones are too tempermental, heavy, and expensive
6) Safety gear - goggles, gloves, long pants, long sleeve shirt, shoes and socks - cover as much skin as possible, just like when welding
7) Parafin wax - get regular canning wax from the grocery store
8) A place to dump the molds - you'll need an old cookie sheet or something, with a thick towel or blanket on it, do dump your molds onto. As soon as the metal solidifies (within seconds) you crack open the mold and dump it onto the towel to cool. The part will stay hot for a LONG time, so be aware that they are still hot
9) Time - In this hobby you are trading time for money. You can make unlimited amounts of sinkers, cannon balls, etc, once you have the molds. If you have 1000 hooks, you can make 1000 jigs... However, it takes a good 30 minutes to get set up to pour and melt the metal, then however long you spend pouring, plus cleanup. You also have to spend time locating lead, if you don't have a mechanic buddy
10) Money - Molds cost anywhere from $30 and up. You have to buy hooks for the jigs, etc. You have to get a production pot (if you're seriously into it).
11) Desire - this, like fishing, is a hobby
I personally don't pour fishing tackle (yet), but I do make my own cast bullets. I use a Lee Production pot melter, and can melt roughly 7 pounds at a time. That's a lotta sinkers...
Some safety tips:
* Keep water and other liquids FAR away from the molten metal. If you get a drop of water in there it will cause a steam explosion, sending metal everywhere
* Keep your lead dry - I keep my bucket of wheel weights in the garage and make sure they are dry before adding new ones to the pot (see note above)
* Wear protective clothing - Molten lead is somwhere around 700 degrees, but I can't remember the exact number. One thing is for sure, it will burn you badly if you get any on you
* Work in a really well ventilated area - melting the wheel weights is a REALLY smelly operation, as all the oil, road grime, and other contaminants burns off. Also, there may be some lead fumes, so make sure you are not breathing the smoke, if at all possible.
* Wash your hands before eating/drinking, and don't let lead get into your mouth (i.e. chewing fingernails after handling lots of lead)
* Keep a bucket of sand nearby - if the lead pot spills, dump the sand on the molten metal to surpress fires. Never pour water onto the metal.
* Lead is especially hazardous to young children and pregnant women - keep them away from your work area while you are melting and pouring.
I use parafin wax as a flux. Once the metal is molten, use tool to add a pea-sized block of parafin wax to the melt, and stir it carefully until it catches fire. Let it burn off. A whole lot of dirt and grime will float to the top. When it does, scoop it off with your ladle, and throw it out.
It's actually quite fun to make your own bullets/tackle out of scrap. I've never been burned, and have never run into any problems, but that's because I'm really careful. If you use your head, you will also have a safe and fun hobby.
If you have any other questions, let me know!
Actually, if you'd like to come over and try pouring some bullets some time, let me know. You'd at least get to check out the process and see if it's for you.
Cheers,
Chris
What do you need to get started?
1) Melting pot: I started with a camp stove and old steel pot, and a propane torch - I'd get the stove going, and then use the torch to melt wheel weights in the pot, then keep it molten using the stove. Now I use a Lee Production Pot (about $75) which is MUCH easier both for melting and pouring
2) Ladle - Again, I use the Lee ladle - it only cost about $5. I use it to scoop off the impurities when melting. I pour directly from the pot into the molds.
3) Safe working area - I really would recommend against doing this inside. It's simply too dangerous
4) Lead - wheel weights
5) Molds - Available in lots of shapes and sizes (and prices) - I use aluminum molds, as I find the cast iron and steel ones are too tempermental, heavy, and expensive
6) Safety gear - goggles, gloves, long pants, long sleeve shirt, shoes and socks - cover as much skin as possible, just like when welding
7) Parafin wax - get regular canning wax from the grocery store
8) A place to dump the molds - you'll need an old cookie sheet or something, with a thick towel or blanket on it, do dump your molds onto. As soon as the metal solidifies (within seconds) you crack open the mold and dump it onto the towel to cool. The part will stay hot for a LONG time, so be aware that they are still hot
9) Time - In this hobby you are trading time for money. You can make unlimited amounts of sinkers, cannon balls, etc, once you have the molds. If you have 1000 hooks, you can make 1000 jigs... However, it takes a good 30 minutes to get set up to pour and melt the metal, then however long you spend pouring, plus cleanup. You also have to spend time locating lead, if you don't have a mechanic buddy
10) Money - Molds cost anywhere from $30 and up. You have to buy hooks for the jigs, etc. You have to get a production pot (if you're seriously into it).
11) Desire - this, like fishing, is a hobby
I personally don't pour fishing tackle (yet), but I do make my own cast bullets. I use a Lee Production pot melter, and can melt roughly 7 pounds at a time. That's a lotta sinkers...
Some safety tips:
* Keep water and other liquids FAR away from the molten metal. If you get a drop of water in there it will cause a steam explosion, sending metal everywhere
* Keep your lead dry - I keep my bucket of wheel weights in the garage and make sure they are dry before adding new ones to the pot (see note above)
* Wear protective clothing - Molten lead is somwhere around 700 degrees, but I can't remember the exact number. One thing is for sure, it will burn you badly if you get any on you
* Work in a really well ventilated area - melting the wheel weights is a REALLY smelly operation, as all the oil, road grime, and other contaminants burns off. Also, there may be some lead fumes, so make sure you are not breathing the smoke, if at all possible.
* Wash your hands before eating/drinking, and don't let lead get into your mouth (i.e. chewing fingernails after handling lots of lead)
* Keep a bucket of sand nearby - if the lead pot spills, dump the sand on the molten metal to surpress fires. Never pour water onto the metal.
* Lead is especially hazardous to young children and pregnant women - keep them away from your work area while you are melting and pouring.
I use parafin wax as a flux. Once the metal is molten, use tool to add a pea-sized block of parafin wax to the melt, and stir it carefully until it catches fire. Let it burn off. A whole lot of dirt and grime will float to the top. When it does, scoop it off with your ladle, and throw it out.
It's actually quite fun to make your own bullets/tackle out of scrap. I've never been burned, and have never run into any problems, but that's because I'm really careful. If you use your head, you will also have a safe and fun hobby.
If you have any other questions, let me know!
Actually, if you'd like to come over and try pouring some bullets some time, let me know. You'd at least get to check out the process and see if it's for you.
Cheers,
Chris
Last edited by crouffer on Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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I just updated my original post. I realized I hadn't answered all the questions he asked.
Yes, it is easier to buy them than make them. However, a lot of people (like me) are really into being able to produce the stuff we use. It's like gardening: That tomato you grew took hours of work (ground prep, weeding, planting, transplanting, pruning, picking, fighting the bugs, etc), and probably more money than buying at the grocery store, but it seems like it tastes a who lot better as a result.
There is a satisfaction in being able to turn dirt into food, and scrap metal into fishing gear. That's probably why so many guys tie their own flies.
Cheers,
Chris
Yes, it is easier to buy them than make them. However, a lot of people (like me) are really into being able to produce the stuff we use. It's like gardening: That tomato you grew took hours of work (ground prep, weeding, planting, transplanting, pruning, picking, fighting the bugs, etc), and probably more money than buying at the grocery store, but it seems like it tastes a who lot better as a result.
There is a satisfaction in being able to turn dirt into food, and scrap metal into fishing gear. That's probably why so many guys tie their own flies.
Cheers,
Chris
Hey thanks alot for the information....Alot more technical then I thought....Long story short.... I picked up an Aluminum cast for downrigger weights....I had a lot of fun cooking up the brew....only problem is that every Tom, Dick and Harry is coming out of the woodwork for weights as salmon season is upon us. Thanks for the invite to see your pouring operation but I am in the Soo....I assume quite a drive from where you are!
Hot molds and tight lines
Thanks alot
Hot molds and tight lines
Thanks alot
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crouffer wrote:I just updated my original post. I realized I hadn't answered all the questions he asked.
Yes, it is easier to buy them than make them. However, a lot of people (like me) are really into being able to produce the stuff we use. It's like gardening: That tomato you grew took hours of work (ground prep, weeding, planting, transplanting, pruning, picking, fighting the bugs, etc), and probably more money than buying at the grocery store, but it seems like it tastes a who lot better as a result.
There is a satisfaction in being able to turn dirt into food, and scrap metal into fishing gear. That's probably why so many guys tie their own flies.
Cheers,
G
Chris
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Good pointcrouffer wrote:I just updated my original post. I realized I hadn't answered all the questions he asked.
Yes, it is easier to buy them than make them. However, a lot of people (like me) are really into being able to produce the stuff we use. It's like gardening: That tomato you grew took hours of work (ground prep, weeding, planting, transplanting, pruning, picking, fighting the bugs, etc), and probably more money than buying at the grocery store, but it seems like it tastes a who lot better as a result.
There is a satisfaction in being able to turn dirt into food, and scrap metal into fishing gear. That's probably why so many guys tie their own flies.
Cheers,
Chris
Bruin wrote:Thanks for the invite to see your pouring operation but I am in the Soo....I assume quite a drive from where you are!
I noticed after I posted that you are a little far to just "pop by" for a visit... Glad you're up and running. As you probably noticed, it's not that hard once you get going on it. There are just a few things to know, and a few supplies needed before you start.Cheers,
Chris