Owner makes some great jig hooks just for this purpose Chuck.

Smitty

WCCT - Did you buy your molds, or make your own?  (Do-it, or Hilt?)  Satisfied with them?

Chuck,  as suggested, Tire Stores are a great place for picking up lead.  A friend of mine pours his own and that is where he gets 99% of his lead.  Also, do wear a mask because the lead fumes can be very very harmful.

My lead cents worth,

Chuck P

I have a bunch of lead core that was given to me by a salmon fisherman. You can have it if you want.

Be wary of the tire weights, as they are not a real clean source of lead, but they do work. Seemes that the best lead that we have found is the sheet lead that some of the framers use in the hospital rooms around the XRAY machines. It is good stuff, as there are not a lot of contaminates in it. Just be sure that you have a spoon handy to skim of the junk that floats to the top of the pot, as thathere will be a lot when using tire weights. Anyone with kids, be sure to keep them away from the lead, as it will affect them the most. Our club has been having a "Lure Making Party" every year since I can remember, and we will meet at someones house, share the molds (plastic and lead), and have a potluck. It is a great club function.

Dave Altier over at Coulee Playland has been pouring his own for years. You can buy them in the store there.

Give him a hollar at the store.  He'll hook you up.

btw - Dave is a former WBC president, and lifelong member.

My melting pot and 1 oz. mold came yesterday - and I made my first jig heads!  Cool.  I have the wrong size hooks right now, but the 90 degree 4/0 Gamagatsu's have been ordered. 

One question:  my experience suggests that I do a pour or two without hooks to heat up the mold before I start make a run with hooks - is that right?  The lead cooled before it filled the cavity the first time through, but the there was no problem after the mold heated up - is that typical?  Or do you preheat your mold some other way?

Can't wait to make the first cast...