Mold "Problem" with FBW-4-AF

[andrewlamberson]

I will admit that being new to molding jigs, my problem is "operator error" and not a problem with the mold itself.

I just got the FBW-4-AF football jig mold that uses the FG-12 weed guards instead of the FG-30's that I use in my other molds. I have been using the Teflon pins with great success in those molds...but of course...they don't work in a mold that was designed for FG-12 and I can't powder paint (or cure) my jigs with the weed guards in place.

So.... Should I:
1. Give up on powder painting these jigs and just use the Do-it vinyl paint? (which I would have to order).
2. Try to sand down a bunch of Teflon pins to the correct diameter? (any tips???) Or is there an alternative pin solution?
3. Take a chance with the engraver bit with my Dremel tool and enlarge the area for the pins on the mold (which probably involves both wider and deeper)? Note: The reason I don't hand poor is lack of hand-eye coordination and seriously bad artistic skills so this seems like a really high risk option.
4. Punt and don't put weed guards in at all. Trim off nub of lead and smooth the surface.


Speaking of "smoothing the surface" what is the best way to smooth that area...and especially where you cut off the sprue? I've been using some round nose pliers to scrap the area smooth.

[TheDreamer]

I think they have smaller pins for that mold but I am not sure (don't pour my own lead), as for the smoothing part I use a fine half round file that came in a kit from Snap-On. The kit has 12-15 files in it, in all different shapes. I have a before and after pic of the Ultra Minnow spinnerbait I will try to get into the gallery.


Drew

[Denny Welch]

You might want to try a wooden dowel in place of the metal insert...much easier to sand down.  You could also paint without the pin and then drill out the hole.  Hope this helps.

[pjmcla]

Maybe you can take a very sharp knife and whittle the teflon pins down.  Then mark them as "special".  I have not tried to sand any down.  I really try to stay with the powder paints.   Denny has good points as well.

[TheDreamer]

I always use pins for mine but I have never run into the problem your having. Been searching all over the Do-it site tring to locate the smaller teflon pins and have yet to find them. I did find this though, dunno if this will work for your application but it's worth a shot.


http://youtu.be/xqcISsrMlck

The vid froze at 0:09 and it looked like Jerry was blowing kisses so I had to reload the page, hope the link works for ya.

Drew

[CrabbyBass]

I have used the wooden dowels and they work great.  You can get a 48" length for $0.49 or so.  I cut them down to 1" lengths.  They work great!  Plus they are very cheap. 

[andrewlamberson]

Unfortunately...this mold does not have the metal pins either. It's basically weed guard only. The wood dowel sounds like a do-able idea, especially since they would push into the smaller hole where the teflon insert is too hard.

Hopefully the heat from my heat gun doesn't set them on fire...or curing the jigs at 350 in the oven.

The video was pretty helpful ... but what happens when I try to cure the paint in the oven??

Hopefully Jerry V will chime in with a solution.

Hey Jerry...I know a plastic company that could develop a high temp plastic for your weed guards that would handle well over 500 degrees !    I assume the weed guards are extruded...so we would need to figure out a compound that would not melt in curing but would still melt for extrusion.

[TheDreamer]

Weed guards that don't melt!

Pretty sure people would love you Andy!

[CrabbyBass]

The wood dowels will start to burn a little when using your heat gun.  That is when you know it is time to dip.  I take the dowels out before curing in the oven and have had no issues with the weedguard hole plugging up with paint.

[Jerry V]

What you are needing is something that has 5/64" diameter that will withstand some heat.  I've found that the chuck end of a 5/64" drill bit works for me, but I'm not pouring hundreds of jigs at a time either.  Any 5/64" diameter stock that can handle 350-400 degrees would work.

Jerry

[gone2long]

You can find that diameter of Teflon on the net relatively cheap, gotta love the Teflon as it cleans up even after heat.

[crappiezilla]

They sell heat resistant tubes that fit over the guards. My self i pour them an then just drill them with a cordless drill. Works great for me

[Denny Welch]

Ditto re drilling them out.  Soft lead...takes a few seconds.

[ctom]

Andy...take a peek in the hardware section of a hardware store or Menards and look for some brass rod. An auto parts stroe or hobby shop might be somewhere to look too. Just cut it to length and pop the plugs ot before you cure. Powder paint won't migrate much at all during the cure. A two foot piece of brass rod would make plenty of the plugs with some left over for use later on another project or make a few plugs to sell.