Using powder paint

[HillbillyGeek]

Using powder paint can be a bit tricky at first, but here are some tips that might help:



You will inevitably spill some powder. Paper plates and/or newspaper will save time.



I like to use candles to heat the heads but a lighter will also work. If you decide to use a candle, make sure it's unscented. These liquid survival candles work very well and last forever.
Heat the head to the desired temperature. The amount of time it takes varies so you'll just have to experiment to figure out how long to heat it. Larger jigs require more time than smaller jigs. Hold the jig just above the flame -- DO NOT put the jig in the flame or it will get coated with black carbon. (Paint will not stick as well to a carbon-coated jig head.)
Here's an interesting observation: It is not possible to heat the jig head too hot for pearl white. For some reason, it is impossible to pick up too much paint even if the jig is very hot. I think pearl white sticks to the lead but will not stick to itself. One of my favorite tricks to to heat the jig extra hot, dip it in pearl white, and then dip it in "glow" -- which doesn't really have a color. Using glow by itself results in a dull gray jig, but adding it as a second coat over pearl white is awesome.



Now it's time to dip the jig. I like to use curved needle-nose pliers to grab the jig by the eye. I hold the jig by the hook bend to heat it because I don't want the pliers to get hot or the paint will stick to them. Grabbing the jig by the eye allows you do dip just the head without getting any paint in the hook eye. If you prefer, you can just hold it by the bend but you'll have to clear the eye later.



If you dip the jig into the powder and it smokes, it's WAY too hot. If you dip it and the paint looks shiny it's also too hot. Don't leave the jig in the paint for more than one second or it will pick up too much paint. Get it in and out quick. If the head is heated to the correct temperature, it will be completely coated with paint and no metal should be visible. If you can see the lead through the paint, the jig is not hot enough. To correct this, just heat it a little more and give it another dip. Powder painting jigs is like cooking with spices -- adding more is easy, but taking away some when there's too much is difficult.
After removing the jig from the paint, give the pliers a couple of taps on the edge of the paint jar to remove any excess. This is very important. The jig should not look bumpy; the paint should look uniform.



This is what they should look like.



Hang the jigs on a rack and then bake them in the oven for 20 minutes. As I mentioned in a different thread, temperatures can vary by color. Black, purple, and blue have a lower melting temp than other colors. I bake them at 325. If you bake them at 350 as the jar recommends, most of the paint will drip off and coat the bottom of your oven. The paint that stays on the jig head will be too thin and chip off quickly.



If the jig has too much paint it's not the end of the world. They will have a "drippy nose", but the fish don't care. Here's a pic of one that had too much paint on it. Looked fine before going into the oven, but it looks like this now.


Hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[kevinb]

HillBilly.....When are you opening your shop?:-"
Nice work again:cheers:

[A9]

HillBilly.....When are you opening your shop?:-"
Nice work again:cheers:

Dude, I've seen his jigs first hand. They are sweet...
He knows what he's doing

[islandbass]

Great work!

I use a sterno can and a hemostat to hold it.

Where do you get a burner like yours? With such a burner, I can see a more focused flame vs. the flame from a sterno can. Thanks!

[tnj8222]

Yet another great tutorial HB!! i havent got into powder paint yet but have been playing with latex, Which i DO NOT like so far. i just picked up some powder paint though so i will give it a try next time i paint.

i need to just start pouring my own jigs aswell. i believe i saw a post about you pouring your own.

[HillbillyGeek]

Great work!

I use a sterno can and a hemostat to hold it.

Where do you get a burner like yours? With such a burner, I can see a more focused flame vs. the flame from a sterno can. Thanks!

A company called "Emergency Essentials" sells the 100-hour liquid candles for $4.

Here's a link:
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_ ... ncy+Candle

[HillbillyGeek]

Yet another great tutorial HB!! i havent got into powder paint yet but have been playing with latex, Which i DO NOT like so far. i just picked up some powder paint though so i will give it a try next time i paint.

i need to just start pouring my own jigs aswell. i believe i saw a post about you pouring your own.

In the long run, pouring your own jig heads is MUCH cheaper than buying them, but you've got to spend some money up front for the mold. I also think it's wise to invest in a bottom-pour lead furnace because it makes the process much easier and safer than using a ladle or tin can. You'll also have WAY fewer defects with a bottom-pour furnace. The one I use is made by Lee Precision, holds about 10 lbs, and can usually be found for less than $50.

Here's a link:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/40935-11283-1635.html

If you know someone who also wants to pour their own jigs, you can share equipment and split the costs. :money:

[HillbillyGeek]

I forgot to mention one very important thing in the tutorial:
After baking jigs, don't take them out of the oven while they are still hot because the paint will be very sticky. If they touch anything (or each other), you will have a major mess on your hands. When your jigs are done baking, turn off the oven and open the door, then let them cool for 10 minutes.

Another tip:
Sort your finished jig heads by hook size & type rather than by weight or color of the jig. It's much easier to find the correct weight and color in a batch of jigs than it is to pick the right size and shape of hook.

[islandbass]

Thanks for the link. I'll be looking into those.

Good point of the oven temp too. The first time I baked them I ruined them at that temp and I heven't done the baking thing since. I have reason to try it again now that I know the right temp.

[Anglinarcher]

Well done, and I like that idea of holding the eye with a cold pair of pliers. I will start doing that myself.

You did not mention the splatter effects or double color combinations. I know you do it, and I'm sure you can explain it much better than I can.

[mallard83]

Thanks a lot, everything is much clearer now. I haven't had the time to try it your way yet but I am sure my jigheads will turn out better than they were. The Salmon and Steelhead better look out after I have mastered your technique.

Thanks again.

[fishing collector]

When using powder coat you have to practice, practice, practice.... Try different temps from 325 to 425.... Make a little jig to hang the lures in the toaster oven or get a wife that doesn't care if you cook in her oven... ;-) To clean off old paint try paint remover or an airbrush sandblaster. Using auto touchup paint works well or if you have an airbrush use "One Shot" Sign paint.To heat up a lure/jig try a heat gun or set them in a toaster oven and take them out one by on.e and dip in coating. You may have to practice on the correct temps. Order a Eastwood catalog to order paints and primers... www.eastwood.com .... Use some old lace to make scales or get some netting from a craft or fabric store. All you do is spray through it with a airbrush. Practice on an old spoon or a piece of broom handle.. It won't take you long to get the hang of it.... I even spray my hooks with red or green paint.... Works for me!! Let the lures sit for a while and cure so they don't stink!.

Try this for a step by step powdercoating class for beginners .. http://www.powderperfect.com/ppstoreeastwoodDIY.asp This site is great for a fantastic tutorial for powdercoating. Try it.. you will like it. You can get powdercoating gun at http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisear ... &Submit=Go for just about $60.00.... Once you learn a little about powdercoating you will have fun. You can coat a lot more than just jigs...

The tutorial that is posted here by hillbillygeek is a great start for all...... He has done a fantastic job! =d>

[HillbillyGeek]

Well done, and I like that idea of holding the eye with a cold pair of pliers. I will start doing that myself.

You did not mention the splatter effects or double color combinations. I know you do it, and I'm sure you can explain it much better than I can.

Sprinkling a small amount of a second color of paint over the first color can create some cool combinations. My favorites are red over chartreuse, black over chartreuse, pink over white, pink over chartreuse, and black over brown pumpkin. To do this, I just break the end off a bamboo skewer leaving it a tad frayed, then use the skewer to sprinkle the second color over the first while the jig is still hot. When the paint is baked, the colors blend nicely.

NOTE: Pearl white does NOT work well for this technique because it does not blend with other colors. If you want to use white, use "bright" white -- not pearl white.

Here's a pic:



The tool in the pic is called a "jig eye buster". If you need to remove paint from a hook eye, this is the way to do it -- quick and painless. I highly recommend them. :thumright

[Aintskunked]

my dad and i do this every year when we make a bunch of shad darts to go to the columbia. i ahve a question for ya though does baking them really make them that much stronger? We normally dont bake ours (mainly cuz the jigs dont last that long for us before we get snagged) I think we tried it one year and the paint dripped off the jigs. Also great lookin jigs i usually use one of them BBQ lighters and hold the bend of the hook with my fingers, once I feel the hook get a lil warm thats when I know there ready to dip

[HillbillyGeek]

my dad and i do this every year when we make a bunch of shad darts to go to the columbia. i ahve a question for ya though does baking them really make them that much stronger? We normally dont bake ours (mainly cuz the jigs dont last that long for us before we get snagged) I think we tried it one year and the paint dripped off the jigs. Also great lookin jigs i usually use one of them BBQ lighters and hold the bend of the hook with my fingers, once I feel the hook get a lil warm thats when I know there ready to dip

Baking them helps the paint become more uniform, but it's not absolutely necessary. If the paint drips off your jigs, the oven is probably too hot for the color. Black, blue, & purple should be baked at lower temps than other colors. If the oven temp is set correctly and they still drip, there's too much paint on the jigs. When I dip jigs in paint they come out "powdery", and baking them creates a nice high-gloss finish.

If you are fishing where the fish are, getting snagged is an unavoidable side-effect of using non-weedless jigs. That's one of the reasons I make my own. High-quality commercial jigs cost at least $2 and can be as high as $4. Even if I factor in all the equipment and materials, my homemade jigs still cost less than 50 cents. If I lose a dozen per day, it's not a big deal.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to hooks:
Some anglers prefer heavy wire hooks that will not bend or break, but those hooks can be very expensive. The gammy 604 is a good example. If you get hung up on something sturdy, you're gonna lose the lure.

Other anglers like to use hooks that bend because they can recover many of their lures by giving the line a slow, steady pull. The VMC 9147 is a good high-carbon jig hook that will bend, but not easily.

Personally, I think hook rigidity should be determined by the size of the fish, the gear you use, and the way you fish. For example, if you are fishing for large fish using a stiff rod, low-stretch line (braid or fluorocarbon), and have a tight drag setting, a heavy hook is probably necessary or the fish could straighten it and get away. There's not much shock-absorbing in this setup. Sometimes that's necessary, but usually it's not. A good situation where this type of rig is necessary is heavy cover where you have to "horse" the fish out quickly or it will wrap your line around underwater obstacles.
Using a more flexible rod, line that has some stretch, or a lighter drag setting will allow you to use lighter, inexpensive hooks without worrying about fish bending them. YOU can still bend the hook when it gets snagged, but you won't loose any fish to a straightened hook.

Stay away from Eagle Claw 570 jig hooks. They bend too easily and do not stay sharp. (They have "chisel" points, which suck big-time compared to "needle" point hooks.)

[fishing collector]

Thought I would add this info about Jig fishing. I thought it was very interesting..The world record brown trout was caught using a jig on 4lb test.....IT WEIGHED 40LBS 4 OZ.... I really don't use jigs all that much but I think I will add a few to the box... The whole story about this fish is in the freshwater forum on most memorable fish....