Sounds like you are serious about jumping into lurecrafting. You are asking some of the right questions. Wish I had someone to ask all that stuff way back when…when I was fumbling around learning by doing…and not doing right.
Not sure if you have been pointed to the BFT lure making board. I helped get that started and was moderator for quite a while. I put up some links for sources of supply and there are some good discussions with pictures. That will help you.
**I will make the offer to have you come over to my tackletorium for a one on one jig making session. I can show you examples of many kinds of jigs, and discuss their applications. If you tell me what kind of fishing you do most and what plastics you use, I will be better able to make realistic recommendations. **
Jig molds are expensive and there is no reason to buy them just to collect them. I know. I have over 40 and that is after getting rid of quite a few. But, if you select them right, and take care of them, they can help you make quality jigs and save money…over time. You will not likely save much money if you only use a few jigs. But, the real reason for making your own stuff is to get exactly what you want and not have to settle for what the “experts” at Wally World or Sportsmans want to sell you…because that is all they have.
I buy my molds mostly from Barlows. They are lure making specialists and usually have the best selection and the best prices. They also carry all of the component parts I need…like special swivels, split rings, wire forms, etc. Some places sell a few molds, at higher prices, but sometimes do not have the other stuff you need.
If I were to start from scratch today, and were limited to only a couple of molds…for plastics…I would first choose a mold with several cavities for round headed jigs…from 1/32 oz. to 1/4 oz. This will allow you to make one at a time of the exact size you want. These work for all plastic grubs and twisters.
My second mold would be the “minnow head” mold, with the triangular shape and the barb on the back side. These are for fishing tube jigs. Again, it is good to have them in several sizes rather than multiples of only 2 sizes.
**A lot of jig makers use powder paint. It is quick and easy, for making one color heads, with maybe a bit of glitter. But, anybody who has ever used the heads I make will testify that mine hold up 1000% better. Powder coated heads pop off the first time you ding the jig on a rock. I have up to five or six coasts of paint, glitter, clear gloss and epoxy on my jig heads before they are fished. You will wear out the hook or lose the jig before the paint comes off. Oh yeah, I use mostly CS Components vinyl jig paint and epoxy clear coat. **
Most glow paints are not very good. I add glow powder to clear vinyl paint over a base coat of white or chartreuse. Then I paint the highlight colors and glitter over that. The powder is space age strontium alumino silicate. It holds a high charge for hours. My tackle room glows like a cockpit of an airplane hours after I have shut off the lights.
Is glow paint better? I use it heavily for ice fishing, as do quite a few of my fishing buddies. They wouldn’t leave (my) home without it. A very noticeable difference in results. And, in murky water, low light conditions or night fishing, glow can really make your lure more visible. And visibility is a key to getting strikes. Fish have different vision that we do and they can detect the glow emanating from a jig in low light that you or I might not even notice. There have been days when I have switched to a glow head even in bright light and had more hits.
PM me if you would like to spend some time in a hands on session of pouring and painting. Believe me, there is nothing better to help you get a real grasp of how easy it is and what it takes.
Also, we used to have “jig parties” for small groups back in the olden days. Haven’t done that for awhile. It’s something good to do during the colder months…which are upon us. Anybody else up for a jig party?
Hope this helped. Stick with it. It’s only time and money.