The Joys of Pouring Jigs - Round 2

It's been close to a month since I poured jigs with Mike Burton. The last time I wrote about it, Josh (smallieman) told me that he had never done anything like that before and would like to learn. So, Mike invited both Josh and me to come to his home and experience the "joys of pouring lead" jig heads. Today was the day!

I won't go through the entire process like I did before, but I will post pictures of our good friend, Josh, as he learns the process of pouring lead.

For those who have ever wondered what a 1000 hooks looked like...


Here is Josh sitting at the workbench. I believe he has found a "second career!"


Josh placing hooks into a hot mold. There are a few finished jigs in the pans. We use one pan to hold new hooks, one pan to hold finished jigs, one pan to hold the hot off the mold jigs, and one a pan to hold excess lead that will be returned to the lead melting pot.


Josh pouring hot hot lead... Be careful there, Buddy. You don't want to hurt "the boys!"


The Finished Product!


Lead can come from many different sources... plumber's lead, old stain glass windows, lead conduit piping, tire weights, etc. Some lead sources are much cleaner and do not produce a lot of slag (by-products. Once the lead is melted, the slag normally rises to the top and can be easily removed.

Here is a sample of a lead source - a bag of lead that one can buy at BPS. This type of lead ingot is often used to hold decoys in place. It is not the most economical way to purchase lead, but who can resist a sale!


Where is Josh!? Falling down on the job... "JOSH!"


Josh poured over 200 tube heads and a variety of odds-n-ends like these Arkies w/o weed guards.


What a great day with two very good friends! Mike even cooked chili con carne for us hungry men. We had plenty of hot coffee to keep our bones warm in the cold garage and an abundance of fishing stories to pass the day.

Josh and I want to say a big, "Thanks, Mike!"

dad