does anyone here use this stuff for jig making??

For fun today i melted down about 40 lbs of tire weights and poured cute little lead fish ingots out of it. ( i have a fish shaped cornbread pan)

My question is this- is the tire weight lead some sort of alloy?? it seams alot harder than the lead i am used to.

Oh, and i am glad i did 40 lbs, as i will never do this agian... there was rubber tire stems in the bucket :yak5:

Yes I think it is lead and something else. Harder than pure lead.

There is alot of trash alloyed into the tire weight material. Most of the guys that I know that make jigs/bucktails/sinkers will not use it.

you can use lead flashing, sold on rolls at building suppy houses.

i use it to make 1.5 & 2 oz shad heads. i have no problem. it is just a little lighter . with the dirt after it is melted andf you took out all the tire connectors thak an old screw driver and stir the melted lead all the dirt will stick to it the take it out and smack it against the ground all the dirt will come off so you can do it again. keep clearing it out until there is no more dirt then pour. good luck.

My plan is to get my hands on a do-it mold.. i like the 1.5 and 2.5 smiling bills for where i fish.. I wonder if guys who pour thier own dont use it because its a friggin pain in the arse to melt down and get rid of the steel hub clips...

It comes out pretty shiney...might be a good metal for tins :huh:

My plan is to get my hands on a do-it mold.. i like the 1.5 and 2.5 smiling bills for where i fish.. I wonder if guys who pour thier own dont use it because its a friggin pain in the arse to melt down and get rid of the steel hub clips...

It comes out pretty shiney...might be a good metal for tins :huh:

All kinds of other crap in those besides lead. Several problems with using it for jigs. First, because of the other crap, you don't know the actual melting point of the weights. Therefore, you end up melting at a higher temp and creating more fumes. Plus, due to the different melting temps, they'll often go solid before you get the mold full. You'll end up wasting hooks and time. Lastly, because of the other crap in there, you are never quite sure what the end weight will be. My suggestion would be to use that stuff to weigh plugs.

The best stuff to use for jig making is pure, soft lead. Go to your local plumbing supply store and get some lead ingots (sometimes called lead caulking). They usually come in 5# disc shaped ingots. Second choise, stop by a local metal recylcing place. They often get lead sheeting that is used in building. Usually pretty cheap, though you may have some crap attached to the sheets. That will burn off pretty quick when you go to melt it.

BTW, you'll need two separate Do It molds to get those weights.

Jigman

ahhh yes, i did notice that the metal set up really quickly as i was pouring them into the muffin pan.

i guess you get what you pay for.... the lead was free from our very own Fast Eddy :D

too bad there wasnt a do-it mold library where you could check out a mold for a few days and return it :hihi:

State Line Scrap in RI. Pawtucket I think. Not sure if it is even there anymore. I use to go there for lead 20 plus years ago.

The lead used in tire weights contains altimony or bismuth its to make it harder.You can use it it just takes a little more heat to melt it but that is up to you.

heat??? oh, i got heat :devil:

Sorry meant antimony i think, and i also got heat just ate some chili.

Get urself some lead an i'll send ya my molds.they are tricked out a bit.I know what I mean.use em an send em back wit a plug. All the reasons where posted on why u should stay away from tire weights.Its a shame because they are so available an the price is right.u go into any tire shop an they will put em in ur truck for ya..but they are really not worth it.

Hi all. I've been making egg sinkers for about 1 year now and all I use it tire weights. I dont seem to have any problems with them but I've never used anything elas.

nebe I can very often get my hands on pure lead flashing.Let me know cuz we sometimes toss large amounts.

The scrap metal yards also have lead pipe that is pure lead and works for jigs. Get the smaller diameter water pipe, because the drain pipes stink when melted.

I melted a bunch of tire-weights and mixed 1/2 and 1/2 of weights and plumbers lead. The weights stink like heck from the misc. junk in with them. I bought a lead respirator to wear when I do it. Got about 70-100 pounds. Think it will probably be the last time I do that...too much of a mess!

nebe I can very often get my hands on pure lead flashing.Let me know cuz we sometimes toss large amounts.

If & when you have any flashing lead avail, I will buy, any large quantity. Pls email me.
thanks
JD
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As to the tire weights ,they are made of different alloys as every manufacturer has their own formula.They contain a lot of what are called tramp metals, and also intentional metals such as Antimony, which makes lead much harder, sometimes this is a good thing ,esp if you are making jigs that will be bounced off rocks, they wont dent as easily as with soft lead. The downside as mentioned before is that these jigs will be slightly LIGHTER & the MELTING point is much higher, most of the time you need the 20 lb electric melt pot at FULL power sometimes for 30 mins to get the temp up high enough, which is near 800 degrees. With pure lead which melts at 621, you dont need as much, 700 is more than enough.
Sometimes you need to clean the tire weights as they are caked with grease from other car parts. A pressure washer is ideal, but you need to make a special screen to put them in and hit them on a cement floor, then let them dry in the sun. Its worth the effort when the lead is FREE, which many times it is, but its labor intensive.
Also ,the guys at the tire station will toss in the rubber valves , as they use the same bucket as a trash can, so make sure you remove those.They will stink up the whole neighborhood if you dont.
If any of you guys need any really good Flux (free), let me know, I have some really good stuff I could send you. It will bring all the impirities to the surface, and make the lead pour quite nicely.
And pleaaaase Dont forget about ventilation. If you are new to casting, get someone to show you how first. Dont take any chances.