Is molding jig heads at home worth it?

[MerderInc]

I've been looking at the do-it molds for a while to make my own jig heads over the winter time.  I've been looking at the molds, components, a lead pot and other stuff to get started.  Is it worth the investment?  Is there a good source of information out there about the molding process?  I've heard people talking about preheating the molds, smoking them etc.  I just want the best chance for success.  Thanks

[cadman]

I can give you all the info in a nutshell, and that is if you are going to do it long term, than it is worth it. If you are going to pour a 100 jigs, than no it is not worth it. If you want to keep busy and make something custom for yourself in the winter then I would start small. Initial cost with a mold, pot, powder paint, lead etc. is about $300.00 If you want more info Pm me your e-mail and I can give you a start up sheet of what you might need. I can also call you on the phone and go over some of the costs if you would like to that as well.  Good Luck

[Sharkicane]

1 hour ago, cadman said:

I can give you all the info in a nutshell, and that is if you are going to do it long term, than it is worth it. If you are going to pour a 100 jigs, than no it is not worth it. If you want to keep busy and make something custom for yourself in the winter then I would start small. Initial cost with a mold, pot, powder paint, lead etc. is about $300.00 If you want more info Pm me your e-mail and I can give you a start up sheet of what you might need. I can also call you on the phone and go over some of the costs if you would like to that as well.  Good Luck

what about pouring your own plastics? Im afraid I dont have the space or anything to get into pouring my own jig heads but i figure pouring plastics might be doable in the kitchen lol?

[Scott F]

A club that I used to be in poured our own jigs as a winter project. Space wise, it is something you can easily do on the kitchen table but I don't think lead fumes are something you want in the kitchen. As the retail cost of lead jigs and plastics continues to sky rocket, you should in theory, save money pouring your own. I have hundreds of ball head jigs, painted and unpainted, that cost me only pennies to make but because I seldom use ball heads any more, they are just sitting in boxes. So, did I really save anything or did I waste my money?

If you go together with some friends or fellow club members to share the costs of start up, you can probably come out ahead on plastics or lead jigs. 

[Jig Man]

14 minutes ago, Sharkicane said:

what about pouring your own plastics? Im afraid I dont have the space or anything to get into pouring my own jig heads but i figure pouring plastics might be doable in the kitchen lol?

No it is not doable in the kitchen.  It takes up more room and costs a lot more to get into than making jigs.

It would be worth your time for both of you to go to www.tackleunderground.com and do some reading in the respective forums.  Start with the don'ts for newbies.  

 

MerderInc you won't find a better source than Cadman for pouring lead.

[cadman]

You do not want to pour lead jigs or anything plastic in your kitchen. Reason being:

 

Lead near anywhere where you eat is definitely a no-no.

Plastic smell in the kitchen is definitely not a good idea, especially if you burn the plastic, plus you should use a respirator for plastic because of the smell.

 

Safety in pouring either, is a big concern especially regarding children. DO NOT POUR in the home. Pour in the garage or if you have a tool shed with plenty of ventilation

[Black Hawk Basser]

I would say it's only worth it if you are big into a specific technique, like if you wanted to make your own rubber skirted bass jigs or love to fish shaky heads.  You really have to make a ton to be worth it.  I make my own ball head jigs for fly tying, which I eventually sell, so it's worth it for me.

[sarcazmo]

Plastics are worth it if you only use a few and know exactly what you need.

 

 

[dsqui]

And 4000 dollars later I'm still trying to fig out how to break even lol but once u have the molds u don't have to buy it again 

[Chance_Taker4]

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 12:15 PM, Jig Man said:

No it is not doable in the kitchen.  It takes up more room and costs a lot more to get into than making jigs.

It would be worth your time for both of you to go to www.tackleunderground.com and do some reading in the respective forums.  Start with the don'ts for newbies.  

 

MerderInc you won't find a better source than Cadman for pouring lead.

I respectfully disagree with it costing more. If you are pouring plastics for yourself and not trying to sell you can use the $30 Do it molds for injection or if you are into hand pouring Lurecraft  can get you silicon molds for $10. When I first started pouring baits I bought a gallon of plastisol, softener, 2 colors, 2 glitters, oil, and two silicon molds for $150. I do however agree it takes up a lot of space and should not be done in a house.

[Mbirdsley]

Honestly it is a nice hobby if you have the time.  I poured my own jigs and reloaded/casted my own ammo. When I was kid less, working a off 2nd or 3rd shift ( wife worked 7:30am-3:30).  I had plenty of free time and bored.  Like they say in the reloading world “ you don’t save money but, your able to shoot twice as much” or in this instance have twice as many jigs.  

 

When making your own stuff you are able Taylor it to your needs at the time.  It’s a one time investment but, than you will have it forever.  

 

Fastforward to 9 months later with a 9 month old I don’t have time to cast jigs or reload ( it isn’t good to start and stop the process of reloading once you’ve started doing it or get distracted). The free time I do have I’d rather be fishing than working on my bench at the moment. It’s a process to get the heater warmed up, pour, paint, cure, and then tie whatever it is you want on the jig.

 

 At this moment in time my time is more important.  That could change and out comes the casting gear and I’ll be back at it.  There are plenty of people on here or other places that at this point I’m better off giving them my money for jigs unpainted.  However, I still like to paint and tie/ create my own skirts.  

 

I made about 30 bucktail jigs for a guy once( I was casting, painting cureing, tying the bucktail, and cementing the whipfinish).  When I thought I was going to quit my real job and make fishing tackle.  They were good jigs and the guy was happy.  But, they took forever to make and I started adding up the man hours vs what I could realistically sell them for and  I got rid of that idea in a hurry. If I wanted to make money that is all I would have literally been doing is making jigs. 

 

 

 

[WRB]

The op's original ? was about jigs, not soft plastics.

Cadman offered his help, take him up on it, he obviously knows what his is doing.

I started making my own jigs is 1971 about 5,000 jigs ago all for my personal use.

Cost of premium hooks, lead, Lee bullet melting pot, skirt materials, paint, etc cost more then you might think.

Hot molten lead is dangerous and you need to be careful and learn how to handle the molds and melting pot. This a is a garage operation that needs to be away from kids, pets and anyone who could get hot lead into their eyes or food.

It's not cost effective but more of a satisfying hobby.

Tom

[Mbirdsley]

Also, I never found it necessary to smoke a mold for boolit casting or jigs or I should say I’ve never had a mold that required me to do it ( all molds have differnt temperaments). I do hit the mold with break cleaner and wipe the cavities down before using.  However, making sure the mold is up to temp before you start pouring is a huge plus.  You can either run led through it or during the winter I set it on my kerosene heater for 10-15 minutes.  I know I bring up cast boolit shooting a lot but, those guys are super maticulous about thier molds and a lot of those guys use hot plates to set there molds on and they will get them up to temp super quick. 

[Munkin]

Depends on what you want to make? If you only use say arky jigheads and buy only that mold with a melter you are fine. What ends up happening is you buy a $40 mold to pour 1oz football jigs because you lost 3 last year. Now you could have just bought a dozen unpainted heads from someone is for $6 but you got the mold to "save money". I got rid of my drop shot molds for this very reason. For $0.03 more I can just buy them from someone else and I lose maybe 20 a year.

 

Allen