Fatman
Active member
Ok here's the second batch of picts from Redear
mold questions for redman
- Thread starter redear
- Start date
redear
Active member
first two pics are one half of the mold completed, third pic is the mold just after pouring a head, using channel lock pliers to hold it, fourth pic is just after opening the mold up after pouring a head, fifth pic is two jigs I tied up with a quickie paint job, yellow chart. with white wing, sharpie eye, sixth pic is a jighead just after taking it from the mold. thanks fatman for posting the pics and thanks again redman for the guidance. oh, these heads are only .110 thick or a little over one tenth of an inch.
redman
New member
redear Like the way that you milled out your hook slot. I put mine out on the edge so I don't have to do any milling. I keep my hook on the edge so that I can remove it easier and put the hook in the mold when it is hot.
The Channel locks are a good idea put do try to get a hinge and some handles on the mold think that it will be super good then.
Redman
The Channel locks are a good idea put do try to get a hinge and some handles on the mold think that it will be super good then.
Redman
JSC
New member
Lookin even better .....
This is a very cool project. Have learned alot from it but just wish i had all the equipment needed to make my own style of molds.
That jighead design looks good too - could put some nice big eyes on those!
If you have pictures at their original size, i would like to post them (as well as the text from this whole thread) on the main site in the tutorial section. Either way i want to post this on the main site but with larger pictures would make it even better. You can email them to me..... [email protected].
That jighead design looks good too - could put some nice big eyes on those!
If you have pictures at their original size, i would like to post them (as well as the text from this whole thread) on the main site in the tutorial section. Either way i want to post this on the main site but with larger pictures would make it even better. You can email them to me..... [email protected].
Fatman
Active member
Attica,
I have the photo's but they're from his wifes cell phone. I tried a bunch of different editing programs but they just got the washed out look to them when I tried to enlarge and I'm with ya on wishing the photo's were bigger.
Let me know if you want me to send you the photo's - I don't know if his wife still has them on her cell phone or not.
Fatman
I have the photo's but they're from his wifes cell phone. I tried a bunch of different editing programs but they just got the washed out look to them when I tried to enlarge and I'm with ya on wishing the photo's were bigger.
Let me know if you want me to send you the photo's - I don't know if his wife still has them on her cell phone or not.
Fatman
redear
Active member
guys, I had the pics on my cell phone, but the first set of them have been erased. they look better on this site than they did on my phone. As far as equipment goes for building one of these, I believe I could do it with far less tools than I have, it would take me longer tho. I really think you could do this with a four pound hammer, instead of the jack thing. you just have to protect the aluminum with a 1/2 or 3/4" peice of iron or steel. the hardest thing to do is get some brass pins made to fit your holes right. I found that a 1/4" brass rod was to small to fit snug into a hole drilled by a 1/4" drill bit. so I took a 5/16" brass rod I had and turned it down till it fit. those pins hold the mold halves in line while they are gapped apart with the head blank sanwiched in there. I'm still not sure what type of aluminum is best, but I know that a softer aluminum would have made it alot easier.
redear
Active member
I think a person needs a longer set of pins for when he presses the blank, and then a shorter set for the final pins that will remain with the mold. when you press the blank, the pins need to protrude from the mold half enough so that even when the head blank is in there gapping the mold halves apart, the pins are still long enough to go into the other mold half, keeping them in line. caught a bunch of bluegill today on my new jig with a crappie nibble on the hook, went for crappie but hey I'm not complaining.
Fatman
Active member
Had to be a great feeling knowing that you made the jig from making the mold to the finished product!!!!!!! I'm gonna check with a guy at work to see if they'res a way too get the pictures bigger without losing anything.
redear
Active member
there were three pixel settings on that phone, I used the middle one, something like 640x480, maybe if I took some pics with the higher pixel setting, it might not degrade so much. I could maybe get the press frame against a better backdrop to see it better too, maybe outside. I took the mold to show a buddy at a sporting goods store yesterday along with a couple jigs, and he was in awe of the mold and jigs, he loves little jigs on ultralite equipment, he just couldn't stop playing with the mold. do need to put some handles and hinge on it tho, burned my fingers a couple times the other day. I think I found a new favorite hair jig style, with the little wing on it, looks so buggy. don't they call that mississippi style?
redear
Active member
cut up some more aluminum into blocks today, and would like to maybe get them ready for when I have another blank or two to press. Just started vacation, not going anywhere, so maybe along with the honeydoos and the fishing I'll find time to tinker with them. would like to make another jighead like the first one except a little heavier, and maybe another one similar to redmans jighead for threadneck kiptail jigs.
stanger1944
New member
Where do you get your aluminum blocks for mold making may I ask?redear said:
redear
Active member
stanger,
I got this aluminum from online metals, and it is 6061 with a t6511 temper which is too hard for easy pressing of a blank, but since I already bought it, thats what I'll use. I will order from grainger next time, they have the 6061 in extruded temper which I hope means, as extruded, as in no temper, just guessing here. and they are showing a 6313 in a half hard temper. just remember that the alloy number such as 6061 etc. only means the alloy, and it could be any number of tempers. I would go with a 1 1/2" wide and maybe 1/2" thick. What I have now is 3/4" thick, but wouldn't go any thicker than that. If it is a tiny 1/64 or 1/32 head, you could get away with 3/8" thick aluminum I'm sure. I do have a few scraps of aluminum in 3/8" thick but haven't tried it yet, redman says it works.
I got this aluminum from online metals, and it is 6061 with a t6511 temper which is too hard for easy pressing of a blank, but since I already bought it, thats what I'll use. I will order from grainger next time, they have the 6061 in extruded temper which I hope means, as extruded, as in no temper, just guessing here. and they are showing a 6313 in a half hard temper. just remember that the alloy number such as 6061 etc. only means the alloy, and it could be any number of tempers. I would go with a 1 1/2" wide and maybe 1/2" thick. What I have now is 3/4" thick, but wouldn't go any thicker than that. If it is a tiny 1/64 or 1/32 head, you could get away with 3/8" thick aluminum I'm sure. I do have a few scraps of aluminum in 3/8" thick but haven't tried it yet, redman says it works.
redear
Active member
we have some aluminum wiper blades at work that where made up by our maint. dept. and they are softer aluminum, with a mirror like finish. I know they get most of their stuff from grainger too, just not sure about their metals.
Fatman
Active member
Can't wait to see some more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
redear
Active member
I hear ya doug, we'll see what I can get going. the wife is pretty persistant with the honeydoos today, used the chop saw on the aluminum until I got to the end, then had to use a hacksaw cause the peice was too short to hold in the saw's clamp. It was pretty tiring to cut thru with the hacksaw as that hard alum. is dense and hard, but it still gave as good a result as the saw.
redear
Active member
cleaned up the burrs on the alum. blocks I cut the other day, and drilled a few alignment pin holes. seemed like I was all thumbs today and started by drilling through two blocks only to have the bottom one move even when clamped? lol then while sanding an alignment pin down in diameter, I went too far and the pin was loose, so I let it alone and came back this evening and evrything kinda started to fall into place, this time drilling on the mill/drill machine and this seems the way to go. cold rain for a few days, so maybe I'll spend some more time in the shop.
Fatman
Active member
Here's some more pics Red asked me to post for him
redear
Active member
drilling the pin holes in the corners this time, should make it easier to put handles on the mold later, as they will be in the center of the blocks. drilled I think all four pairs today and now I need to make some more pins. probably only have enough brass rod for a couple molds, but that'll keep me busy for now. I marked all the mold halves today with one of those letter sets that you tap with a hammer, and put a few marks on them too, this will help me remember which half is the top half and which is the bottom, and the hash marks will help me put them together the same way every time. I wrote all over them last time with a marker to help me, the letter imprints look better and they are permanent.
redear
Active member
haven't made any more brass pins for the molds lately as the gills are on the beds and have been fishing for them. Tiny 1/64 threadneck jigs with a crappie nibble has been working good. need to find a little ball bearing the size of a 1/64 round head so I can make a mold for that.