04-01-2004, 08:55 PM
[cool][blue][size 1]Hey BADMAN, thanks for the plug. But I ain't interested in going commercial. It's a matter of "dollars and cents" per hours spent. No way I could factor in my time and come out ahead.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]My whole purpose in posting that stuff is "show and tell". I know quite a few Utah tanglers have started putting together the molds and paints to make their own and they are lovin' it. As I pointed out, it is not just about saving money or showing off. it is about being able to have the right stuff at the right time.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I used to do the same thing you do. I used wire cutters, files and grinding wheels to shave down heavy heads on large hooks. Then, I went to pinching small split shot on jig hooks and painting them up. They were crude but they worked. When I finally got a good mold that I could make what I wanted I think I made a thousand up, just so I wouldn't run out. Took me a couple of years and a few "friends" helping me, but I finally had to go back to the mold for more jigs.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I don't even know what you have to pay for painted leadhead jigs these days. I know I have about 10 cents worth of materials in a plain painted jig...and about twice that in a Roadrunner. But, there are several steps and a lot of handling between the pouring and the fishing. Even though I make them up in batches, I am guessing that there is about ten to fifteen minutes of handling to finish each jig. That's not counting the drying time between paint applications.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If someone wants to make up the higher end stuff, they can buy Gamakatsu jig hooks. that increases the cost per jig by 15 to 20 cents.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I am happy to share any of the "secrets" I have developed with anyone who wants to try their hand at turning them out. I wish somebody had made me the same offer about 30 years ago. I could probably retire on the money I would have saved in false starts...just to save money on jig heads.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][size 1]My whole purpose in posting that stuff is "show and tell". I know quite a few Utah tanglers have started putting together the molds and paints to make their own and they are lovin' it. As I pointed out, it is not just about saving money or showing off. it is about being able to have the right stuff at the right time.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I used to do the same thing you do. I used wire cutters, files and grinding wheels to shave down heavy heads on large hooks. Then, I went to pinching small split shot on jig hooks and painting them up. They were crude but they worked. When I finally got a good mold that I could make what I wanted I think I made a thousand up, just so I wouldn't run out. Took me a couple of years and a few "friends" helping me, but I finally had to go back to the mold for more jigs.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I don't even know what you have to pay for painted leadhead jigs these days. I know I have about 10 cents worth of materials in a plain painted jig...and about twice that in a Roadrunner. But, there are several steps and a lot of handling between the pouring and the fishing. Even though I make them up in batches, I am guessing that there is about ten to fifteen minutes of handling to finish each jig. That's not counting the drying time between paint applications.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If someone wants to make up the higher end stuff, they can buy Gamakatsu jig hooks. that increases the cost per jig by 15 to 20 cents.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]I am happy to share any of the "secrets" I have developed with anyone who wants to try their hand at turning them out. I wish somebody had made me the same offer about 30 years ago. I could probably retire on the money I would have saved in false starts...just to save money on jig heads.[/size][/#0000ff]
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