Do-It Buzzbait Mold - NEED HELP PLEASE!

[TizzleT]

 I recently started pouring my own lead and bought 3 molds one of which is giving me extreme problems.  The Do-It Buzzbait mold with 1/8oz and 1/4oz cavities.   I have poured roughly 15+ of these and they all are coming out flawed.   I purchased the mentioned wire forms and hooks that was on the website.  I have not done any modifications to this mold, other than adding double sided type to where the end of the wire form lays inside the mold, the 1/4oz cavity just slips out constantly when closing the mold.   Seems like no matter what I do, either the bend that accepts the hook or the shaft were you place the skirt onto does come out right.  See pictures:

 



I am using the Lee Production Pot IV.

 

Any suggestions as to what I could try differently.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[efishnc]

Your pictures are too small to tell what is going on, but from your general description I would say to preheat your molds and/or turn up the heat on your lead.  Both "tricks" will allow the lead to flow more freely and should help fill your cavities completely.


Molds can be pre-heated by setting them on top of the production pot for 5-10 minutes, or you can flood each side (of the mold) with hot lead a time or two. 

[TizzleT]

Sorry, I don't know how to make the pictures larger.

I turned the heat on the pot up, and I preheat the mold with hot lead doing blank shots.

But I will try and preheat the mold on the production pot, as well as flooding each side of the mold and see if that does the trick!

Thanks!
 

[MT204]

Sorry, I don't know how to make the pictures larger.

I turned the heat on the pot up, and I preheat the mold with hot lead doing blank shots.

But I will try and preheat the mold on the production pot, as well as flooding each side of the mold and see if that does the trick!

Thanks!
 

Go to Gallery and find the photo.
Right clip on the image you want to use.
Click "copy image address".
In the posting window click on the "insert image" icon (first one on bottom left).
Then click in between the ] and [ and right click and paste (the image address).

[TizzleT]

Better picture.

[efishnc]

Another trick can be to preheat your hooks/wires; this really can make a difference when you have larger amounts of steel and less lead in the mold. 

As far as holding your hooks/wires where you want them before closing the mold, you may want to have a piece of wood next to your mold to act as a jig as you put your components in.

[brandx112679]

  Efishnc, is right about having a piece of wood the right thickness to keep the wire forms from moving out of position, before you can get the mold closed. I think this will make it alot better for you if you give it a try.

[Lamar]

  In my opinion you're using hard lead. Where did you get your lead from ? I use lead from old plumbing pipes and it is supper soft. You can scratch it with your finger nail. I make a lot of buzz baits and spinner baits and never preheat the molds and never have that problem. When I first started pouring I went out a got some old wheel weights from a tire shop and I ran into just what you are. The smaller the bait is the softer the lead needs to be and the more you need to warm the mold first. But 1/4 oz you should have no problems pouring it unless you're using hard lead.

[Muskygary]

Did you smoke your mold or spray it with Casting release spray? Looks to me that your lead is cooling before the mold is full. Instead of using the bottom pour spout on your lead pot to fill the mold, get a ladle and hand fill the mold. Sometimes that's the difference between getting a complete fill and one with gaps on the hook.

[TizzleT]

  In my opinion you're using hard lead. Where did you get your lead from ? I use lead from old plumbing pipes and it is supper soft. You can scratch it with your finger nail. I make a lot of buzz baits and spinner baits and never preheat the molds and never have that problem. When I first started pouring I went out a got some old wheel weights from a tire shop and I ran into just what you are. The smaller the bait is the softer the lead needs to be and the more you need to warm the mold first. But 1/4 oz you should have no problems pouring it unless you're using hard lead.

I only purchased Lead from one place so far.  When I said I recently started pouring my own lead what I meant to say was less than a week ago.  This place I bought the lead from was LPO.com.  I will scratch the lead with my finger.

[Lamar]

I only purchased Lead from one place so far.  When I said I recently started pouring my own lead what I meant to say was less than a week ago.  This place I bought the lead from was LPO.com.  I will scratch the lead with my finger.

  Some times I run a dry pour just to warm the mold up a little. Just have a pan under it because the lead will flow through the mold because of no hook in there. But other then that you shouldn't have any problem pouring. It looks like you poured several and that mold should have been pretty warm by then. So it's not that. A lot of guys on here pour real small jigs. Like 1/32 oz. The kind that you cast and wait a two beer count before it reaches bottom. Those baits you need to smoke or spray so they pour correctly. But with 1/4 oz you don't need to do any of that. I have a Lee pot and it's turned on 7.

[ctom]

I ladle cast jigs down to 1/80 using the semi-custom Do-It molds and I don't smoke or spray my cavities. Get the lead hot. I use the 20 pound Magnum melter and run it on 8 for all my casting. I have never had to flux my lead either. Pure lead and get it good and hot.

Some molds take to ladle casting as already mentioned and then some need to be tipped towards the hinge end to help the lead flow without creating a bubble in the cavity. Bareknucklejigs has some experience in doing this and has commented several times regarding doing so.