# Sinker sticking to mold and ripples in lead



## jcreamer

Question:
I make some sinkers today and one style would not come from the mold and I got ripples in the lead. It is a Hite Mold Emcast Triangle mold. It is a triangle ( openin center) with spikes on ea corner. THe spikes are on both side. I am using the BPS (bottom draining) unit to melt the lead. 
Is it hot enough for the 6 and 8 oz sinkers? That is the only type that is giving me trouble. Storm SInkers, and bank sinkers came out great.


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## JIGMAKER

Smoke the mold with a candle. Make sure the lead is soft. You can also put some Bee's wax in the lead, it will help get some of the impuries out. Then take the slag off the top with a spoon.


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## junkmansj

ONLY PUT THE WAX IN IN A WELL VENTALATED AREA!! Will Smoke like H#{{

You might nedd to heat the mold a little more. Can you adjust the Temp on the pot? if so turn it up Sounds like the lead is cooling in the mold to fast


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## crazyjohnsmojos

for sinkers of that size. use a laddle. preheat your mold by pouring lead into it. leting it get hot. and like jig maker said. use a candle to put soot on both halfs of the mold.


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## TreednNC

JIGMAKER said:


> Smoke the mold with a candle. Make sure the lead is soft. You can also put some Bee's wax in the lead, it will help get some of the impuries out. Then take the slag off the top with a spoon.



Took the words right out of my mouth


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## jcreamer

Thanks'
8oz bank or torpedo sinkers came out okay, Not perfect but nothing like the triangle ones. Neighbor knows a retired plumber and said that he would give me a pot and ladle this weekend.
I stopped at a display at BPS and the man there said to NEVER NEVER use the lead used to balance wheels as it had too many impurities in it. I went to a shop on route 4 and got small ingots (10 lbs total) for $6.00. I called today and she said that she could get somemore for me.
Thanks for the info.


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## TreednNC

jcreamer said:


> Thanks'
> 8oz bank or torpedo sinkers came out okay, Not perfect but nothing like the triangle ones. Neighbor knows a retired plumber and said that he would give me a pot and ladle this weekend.
> I stopped at a display at BPS and the man there said to NEVER NEVER use the lead used to balance wheels as it had too many impurities in it. I went to a shop on route 4 and got small ingots (10 lbs total) for $6.00. I called today and she said that she could get somemore for me.
> Thanks for the info.



While it may not be the purist of lead to use, its CHEAP, which is the reason I pour my own sinkers. The crappies, catfish, stripers, and assorted freshwater fishies dont seem to mind the wheel weight lead that I pour for sinkers/jig heads. I use other lead when available but I melt it all down, pour into workable 16oz ingots that have been skimmed and the drop of wax trick (whether it works or not, i do it)....then melted down again when Im pouring with the same due process. 

Becareful of burning paint when melting wheel weights though. Generally doesnt last long though.


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## JIGMAKER

If you need lead, go to the local recycler. Look over what he has, I can usually get about 50pounds of plumers lead for about twenty dollars. As junkmansj said use a ventilated area I always wait for a good day, melt and pour outside. I also pour my own ingots first to clean out the impurities.


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## david123

The Biggest cause of rippling in the fnished produce is lack of heat. Either your lead is not hot enough or your mold is not pre-heated, or a combination of both.


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## Samurai

Yeah what David said.---As far as wheel weight goes. They are more brittle and come out a little lighter than pure lead.If I pour a 10 oz. mold with straight tire lead,it scales about 9.7 ozs.I usually mix pure and tire lead together as I have access to a bunch of tire lead for free.
Something else to consider is bullets.A local indoor range gives away their lead to anybody who picks it up.They only shoot lead bullets.


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