Gettin' Started Lead Pouring :D

[jl3140]

Well I just got back from commercial fishing in Alaska for the past month and it was a really good year, lots of fish and good prices. Now I'm getting into lead pouring. I shipped back 60 lbs of lead line from old gill nets so I have more than enough lead to get started. What is a good bottom pour lead pot to start out with? Is the Lee Magnum Melter Do-it sells a good starter? Also, is there any other equipment besides a mold and the hooks/weed guards/whatever else is needed for the mold? I'll be getting a different respirator for pouring lead also. Which one do you all recommend?

Also, how do you paint them? I'll be pouring bass jigs to start with, then add panfish jigs in too. And how do you know which weed guard to get for the mold? I'm starting off with the weedless football jig

Thanks in advance and I'm sure more questions will come up as I get started.

Josh

[ctom]

The Lee is a great beginner pot but if you are going to get serious, do the RCBS unit and learn the curve just once. I don't bottom pour anything anymore, much preferring the ladle pouring method but I have both a simple Lee magnum melter hot pot along with the Lee 10 pound bottom pour. If I were to set up to bottom pour I'd have to order the RCBS unit....way few issues with dripping but I think in time all bottom pouring units develop drip issues.

I'd spend the little extra and get the better unit right off.

[jl3140]

Ctom: what do you use to melt the lead if you are just ladle pouring?

[andrewlamberson]

When I got started I took CTom's advice and just bought a small ladle and the Lee 4lb melting pot and I'm glad I did. Super easy to use...and I've made enough baits to last a couple lifetimes!

http://www.barlowstackle.com/Lee-4-Lb-Lead-Melting-PotBR110-Volt-Model-P349C62.aspx

Powder painting is the way to go...and there are super good "how to" videos at:

http://www.tjstackle.com/

Their fluid bed is really nice and well priced.

Another absolute must is their Jig Clamps for curing the paint in a toaster oven (see their video for info!)

I cure mine at 250 degrees for 20 minutes and they are super tough! Just make sure you get the paint out of the eyes of the bait before you cure. Otherwise, heat a needle red hot and poke it through the paint.

Andy

[Justin9j]

Josh pm me your email. I'll send you fluid bed plans. 

I don't have any problems with my
Bottom pour. Some dripping but nothing major.   Learn to flux your lead. I use candle wax. But it will flame up.  I repeat will flame up.  Brings all the junk to the top.   There is a very good read on lead fluxing on TU.
I personal don't like the ladle.  But I grew up using a bottom pour.   

[ctom]

Ctom: what do you use to melt the lead if you are just ladle pouring?

I have a 20 pound Lee Magnum melter. If I am doing ingots or downrigger balls I use a propane 3-burner stove out in the garage. With the ladle and Magnum melter I can do jigs to 2 ounces, but I only cast a few up to 3/4 so this system works great for me.

Years ago I bought a spin-caster. A friend also owned one and had the equipment for making the vulcanized rubber molds. I'd pay for the raw rubber discs and he'd help laying out the webbing and head placements for curing. Saved some huge bucks doing this. I had four wheels for every size of jig I made and after loading hooks I could spin up 400 1/16 heads in about 30 seconds. They had such minimal sprues that half would fall off just separating the two mold halves. I still have the spin caster but sold the molds for it. I'd part company with that machine for a couple hundred bucks if someone wanted to come here to get it.

[jl3140]

Awesome! Thanks for the answers

Justin: I just shot you a pm

[Denny Welch]

Welcome home, Josh.

If you plan on doing a lot of pouring I'd go with the RCBS. It's pretty expensive, but it's a workhorse and a joy to use.  I burned up two Lee pots before getting it.

[ctom]

"I burned up two Lee pots"....

Leave it to Denny. Heating lead in one, cooking dinner in the other. lol

I've put a couple smaller lee pots in the trash myself and have two 10 pound bottom pouring units in the cupboard that leak like crazy. One I put a bolt in permanent like and will use that one when I am casting an alloy that is used in sinkers. Other-wise they are dust catchers.

Figure out what you plan to cast, then determine what size of furnace you'll need. If I ever need to replace my big pot I am heading for the RCBS like Denny did.

[efishnc]

I'd spend the little extra and get the better unit right off.

The RCBS is actually a lot more...

I'm more than fine with my Lee 10# bottom pour that I use 90+ percent of the time and I also have a cast iron skillet that is custom modified for big pours and rapid lead melting.  I messed with ladle pouring years back and it was just too tedious for me.  We all have our favored methods... do a search on YouTube to see what you think will fit your needs and temperament.

[Muskygary]

I use a Lee bottom pour pot IV. It will drip, but mine stops  if I tap the plunger with the handle of a screwdriver. If it continuals to drip the pot needs to be cleaned. For fluxing the lead Frankford Cleancast is the best I've found; it will smoke; but will not flame. Also spray you molds with Frankford Casting Release before using the. (Some people just smoke them with a candle, but I like the release spray) Now for the big tip, get a Do-it catalog and turn to page 86, everything  I mentioned is on these two pages, for sale by Do-it. And if you have any questions about any of these products.. just call Do-it!

[ctom]

"Now for the big tip, get a Do-it catalog and turn to page 86, everything  I mentioned is on these two pages, for sale by Do-it. And if you have any questions about any of these products.. just call Do-it!"

Ta Daaaaa!

[Muskygary]

I didn't finish my sentence! the release spray is used for coating the inside of your mold. Makes the lead run in super fast so you get a complete pour.

[efishnc]

I recall Fatman saying he used his Lee bottom pour for twenty plus years before getting another.  He may not cast 400 at a time, but I'm betting he does his fair share.

I just recently started fluxing and that alone makes a huge difference on the dripping... but even before, I was always less frustrated fixing the dripping on occasion than ladle pouring all the time.

[Lamar]

  I use a Lee's melting pot and have no trouble at all with it. I personally do not do any of the above. No flex and no spray. Never have. Junk will float to the top and I clean it out with a spoon. Use soft lead and you'll always get a full pour. My first pot I bought at age 19 and replaced it age 53 and cost me around 60 bucks to do so. To be honest they haven't changed much over the years. But I only make lures for myself. So if your not planning on big production then don't spend the big dollars for the big units. So now and then I have to clean it out or it drips and I have to stick a needle in the hole. Big deal. I can pour a hundred jigs easily in an hour. For me that's a years worth. So JMO why pay the big bucks for a high dollar pourer ? The one thing not mentioned here is ventilation. You need great ventilation. Lead poisoning is nasty stuff.
  When it comes to painting again IMO powder painting is the way to go. It's one tough hard finish. I feel that the reason I make my own baits is because I want something a little different then what everyone else is tossing and I want the best bait I can get. I also think it's a pride thing. I think you'll find that most guys and gals that make their own baits have a ton of pride in their work. Personally I don't think the bass care.