A couple days ago someone posted a request for a few jigs from a certain mold. Having the mold, I responded and offered. Went to my shop only to find the jig mold was on loan to a buddy, (has been since may 28th).
A quick phone call and jig mold is back where it belongs. This AM. I was gonna cast a handful of jigs and when I opened the mold to check hook sizes I was greeted by a mess the likes of which I have never seen.
My buddy had very sloppily modified the mold to take different hooks as well as eliminate the ring and barb collar, (My buddy is a model maker for a plastics company and I remembered his asking if I minded him making some adjustments to hook alignment and size, I thought a minute and knowing what he does for a living felt comfortable saying yes). 3 hours this AM were spent trying to remove his mess. I got the stuff out and was able to make a few casts but was not happy and the casts were very rough.
I cast the samples and dredged up a handful of jigs from my overstock to send the guy for samples.
I called my buddy and raised H#*& and asked what he used to destroy my mold. Anyhow, the product he used which is darn near indestructable is called quick steel. He has offered to replace the mold but said you should be able to clean it up. I gave him the model number and said barlows or zeiners will have the best price. Let me know when the mold arrives.
Anyhow it being a matter of pride I went to town trying to salvage the mold. It took the following tools and about 4 hours to get the mold cleaned up and functioning.
-Hammer and small punches
-Jewlers files, dental picks
-Dremel with assorted diamond burrs, wire brushes and felt wheels
-Aluminum polishing compound.
-Electric toothbrush with baking soda and soap and water.
Mold is now cleaned and polished except the are several gouges in the shank area by the ring and barb and one cavity is iffy as he drilled a bigger sprue hole and removed part of the eye socket.
I need to redo the hook eye sockets as they are meaningless and useless as they are moron milled a slot 0.090 deep from edge of cavity all the way to the next cavity, I havent the foggiest idea what hooks he was trying to fit but he missed by a mile. When he got the mold from me all the small cavities would work with a #1 hook 1/4 oz and up needed the gooks recommended by Do It as cavities are so big that a smaller hook would never work. I am gonna use JB weld and redo the sockets but think it is going to be a 2 or 3 step process.
Step 1 Fill the slot
Step 2 Determine hook c/l and cut a 1/32 wide by 0.015 deep slot
Step 3 Spot the hook eye area
Going to be a tedious process as I have to do it all with a drill press and a cross slide table
Anyhow, here is the link to the product which is available at a lot of auto parts stores for crack repair http://www.grainger.com/product/1MP...1MPW1&ef_id=UhcCoQAAAEVZl1OR:20131127001235:s
I was reading the specs on it and after trying to remove it, would say if you need a permanent repair is is a material worth using. It is hard to work with once cured but it is a permanent repair
Moral of the Story - NEVER LEND YOUR MOLDS!
Note the damage/modifications to the 4 smallest cavities and the little pieces of quicksteel still attached
View attachment 4View attachment 3
A quick phone call and jig mold is back where it belongs. This AM. I was gonna cast a handful of jigs and when I opened the mold to check hook sizes I was greeted by a mess the likes of which I have never seen.
My buddy had very sloppily modified the mold to take different hooks as well as eliminate the ring and barb collar, (My buddy is a model maker for a plastics company and I remembered his asking if I minded him making some adjustments to hook alignment and size, I thought a minute and knowing what he does for a living felt comfortable saying yes). 3 hours this AM were spent trying to remove his mess. I got the stuff out and was able to make a few casts but was not happy and the casts were very rough.
I cast the samples and dredged up a handful of jigs from my overstock to send the guy for samples.
I called my buddy and raised H#*& and asked what he used to destroy my mold. Anyhow, the product he used which is darn near indestructable is called quick steel. He has offered to replace the mold but said you should be able to clean it up. I gave him the model number and said barlows or zeiners will have the best price. Let me know when the mold arrives.
Anyhow it being a matter of pride I went to town trying to salvage the mold. It took the following tools and about 4 hours to get the mold cleaned up and functioning.
-Hammer and small punches
-Jewlers files, dental picks
-Dremel with assorted diamond burrs, wire brushes and felt wheels
-Aluminum polishing compound.
-Electric toothbrush with baking soda and soap and water.
Mold is now cleaned and polished except the are several gouges in the shank area by the ring and barb and one cavity is iffy as he drilled a bigger sprue hole and removed part of the eye socket.
I need to redo the hook eye sockets as they are meaningless and useless as they are moron milled a slot 0.090 deep from edge of cavity all the way to the next cavity, I havent the foggiest idea what hooks he was trying to fit but he missed by a mile. When he got the mold from me all the small cavities would work with a #1 hook 1/4 oz and up needed the gooks recommended by Do It as cavities are so big that a smaller hook would never work. I am gonna use JB weld and redo the sockets but think it is going to be a 2 or 3 step process.
Step 1 Fill the slot
Step 2 Determine hook c/l and cut a 1/32 wide by 0.015 deep slot
Step 3 Spot the hook eye area
Going to be a tedious process as I have to do it all with a drill press and a cross slide table
Anyhow, here is the link to the product which is available at a lot of auto parts stores for crack repair http://www.grainger.com/product/1MP...1MPW1&ef_id=UhcCoQAAAEVZl1OR:20131127001235:s
I was reading the specs on it and after trying to remove it, would say if you need a permanent repair is is a material worth using. It is hard to work with once cured but it is a permanent repair
Moral of the Story - NEVER LEND YOUR MOLDS!
Note the damage/modifications to the 4 smallest cavities and the little pieces of quicksteel still attached
View attachment 4View attachment 3
