Bird Shot...

[Jig Man]

Anyone tried melting bird shot for jig heads? And if so any suggestions would be appreciated...

 

[Kdog]

lot of surface area so gonna be dirty. Melt it outside flux and make ingots

 

[Bucho]

Its really really hard so I guess has a lot of antimon in it which is nasty stuff. Take care of good ventilation!

 

[Jig Man]

Hey thanks for the feed back guys. In the process of moving, so thats how I found I still have it. This will be like the third time to move it since the 70's. So I'm thinkin maybe sell it and buy 99.9%. I think it will be a whole bunch simpler that way...

 

[Bucho]

That`s what I would do. Spare a small amount in case you ever think of rattle cavities in a moldet lure body.

 

[duffy]

Hardness depends on the type of shot if it's chilled, magnum or just straight. Should say on the bag if its still in the bag. Stuff has gone crazy price wise. You probably got it for around $12-18 and now it's going for $44-55 per 25 lbs. I have cast some jigs from harder lead thinking that they wouldn't snag as easy on jagged rocks but never could really prove that it made much difference. They do weigh less though. Most of the dross that comes off of shot is graphite if it's still the nice shiny black and not oxidized.

 

[hookup]

Sell it - shotgun reloaders want it

Or make straw tube rattles

 

[Jig Man]

Yep, selling it and keeping a little stash. I just don't reload shotgun anymore, and don't plan on getting started again.

 

[Fatman]

I've got some old Bass Pro bullet head slip weights and can't use them in Vermont - it doesn't say on the bag so I may have to call - or maybe trade em!!