Six Degrees Of Separation

[Will Wetline]

 

6º F is all we've got between cured powder paint and small puddles of bismuth/tin alloy on the crumb tray of the toaster oven. Kurt Urban at CS Coatings informed me that "powder paint meeds a minimum of about 275º to achieve the chemical cross-linking for a complete cure." A rep at Rotometals agreed that when using their 281 alloy "that was cutting it pretty close."

 

I had gone to casting bismuth/tin when Massachusetts enacted what I consider to be overly zealous lead regulations in 2012. And I continued to use CS vinyl paint to finish . . .drip . . .drip . . . drip . . . The result is fine but getting there is an extremely tedious process. So I decided to try Pro-Tec powder paint at 275º for 45 minutes.

 

 

Hmmm . . . The alloy softened up enough to allow the wire weed guards to spread the head, the soft plastic bait keepers deformed and the amount of powder paint was too much. The paint was completely cured, however.

 

 

I won't be whacking a jig head as hard on Quabbin's rocks as I did this one on a vise; the cured powder finish is more than adequate. But on what?

 

I'm thinking pewter, specifically Rotometals R92, 92% tin/8% antimony. Melting temp is 466º which Lee Precision says "will melt in their Pro Pot IV." I knew that but had some concern about using it because Lee's instructions list pewter as a metal not to use in this melter.

 

To make a full commitment to powder paint I'll need a fluid bed to fluff the stuff to apply a light coat

 

http://www.barlowstackle.com/Powder-Paint-Fluid-Bed-P1009C134.aspx

 

and a proper oven.

 

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-bench-top-powder-coating-oven.html?reltype=3

 

If any of the more experienced jig makers care to offer input on the observations and ideas I've described above, I'd welcome it.

 

WW

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MickD]

I have some experience in using powder coat paint on lead head jigs, and all I do is put the jig head into the flame of a propane torch for a few seconds, then dip into the powder paint.  With a few tries I got quite good at hitting the temp right.  I think on my first try I coated a couple dozen of 4 colors in about half an hour.  I'm not an expert, but I think you are "overthinking" this.

[Scott F]

As a guy who has serviced commercial cooking equipment for 35 years, I can tell you that the oven you are looking at will give you temperatures at best, that will cycle between 255 and 295 degrees when you set the thermostat at 275. That's the way nearly all ovens work. NO oven made holds temps at exactly the set temp. 6 degree accuracy is just not possible.

[smalljaw67]

I have some experience in using powder coat paint on lead head jigs, and all I do is put the jig head into the flame of a propane torch for a few seconds, then dip into the powder paint.  With a few tries I got quite good at hitting the temp right.  I think on my first try I coated a couple dozen of 4 colors in about half an hour.  I'm not an expert, but I think you are "overthinking" this.

 

You didn't read his post, he isn't using lead, he was using a tin/bismuth alloy that melts at 281 degrees and he needs 275 to fully coat and cure powder paint, putting the jig over a torch like I use would make a mess. Other than that, yes, a fluid bed will really help and the Eastwood curing oven will give you better heat control.

[S Hovanec]

I have some experience in using powder coat paint on lead head jigs, and all I do is put the jig head into the flame of a propane torch for a few seconds, then dip into the powder paint.  With a few tries I got quite good at hitting the temp right.  I think on my first try I coated a couple dozen of 4 colors in about half an hour.  I'm not an expert, but I think you are "overthinking" this.

 

Coating and curing are 2 different things.  I tried to skip the cure process on some weights I coated before.  all of the paint chipped off from use or banging around in my tackle box.

[Will Wetline]

Scott F, I thank you for sharing your professional expertise.

 

Smalljaw67 and S Hovanec - I always look forward to your posts.

 

 

Before I get back to this finishing project, I have to tie flies for the annual steelhead trip to New York's Salmon River. I'll post results of power coated pewter jigs sometime during the hard water months.

[MickD]

I have some experience, but not enough.

[Big Bait Fishing]

make it easy on yourself and get some tungsten jigs .........

[Bluebasser86]

Don't know if it will matter but you baked your jigs about 25 minutes longer than I do. If you're only going to paint them black you might want to pick some up from Harbor Freight (1lb of flat black for $6). I use the stuff in white, black, and red (only other color available is yellow). I'd have to check the temp my oven is set on though. 

[Tim Kelly]

I never bother painting my jig heads. 

 

How do you bismuth/tin heads run for weight? I'd guess that they are about one size bigger for the same weight? 1/4oz head in a 3/8 cavity?

[Will Wetline]

make it easy on yourself and get some tungsten jigs .........

 

No, no, no - I enjoy tackle crafting. It would be far easier and less expensive in the short run to buy tungsten or

 

http://www.leadfreebassjigs.com/apps/webstore/ (bismuth/tin)

 

or

 

http://www.magslureco.com/(pewter)

 

but I consider it time well spent when I'm not on the water to procure the tools and acquire the skills to make my own jigs. As any other bait maker will tell you, it adds to the overall pleasure of our sport to catch 'em on our own creations.

[Will Wetline]

I never bother painting my jig heads. 

 

How do you bismuth/tin heads run for weight? I'd guess that they are about one size bigger for the same weight? 1/4oz head in a 3/8 cavity?

 

Tim, I know it's not necessary to paint jigs to catch a fish and I've done so when I haven't had time to paint. And, getting into the time machine and going back to the '60s and '70s - and still today! - worms were more often rigged on unpainted ball jigs than painted. And let me mention too that I fish a tungsten bullet when Texas rigging and that bullet is plain tunsten.  To my eye - not the fish's - paint looks prettier. Fish don't fuss about aesthetics.

 

Rotometals says their 281 alloy (58% bismuth/42% tin) is about 75% the weight of lead. I do go up a cavity in a mold to approximate the weight I want and then fine tune with my gear on the water. The pewter alloy I'm going to weighs maybe a tad more than 60% of lead of the same volume and I'll certainly jump cavities for that. 

[Tim Kelly]

You could always paint and epoxy the heads if you want to pretty them up. 

 

Those pewter heads are going to be big.