Wire Keepers - loose in head

[Edgecrusher]

Hi all,
I recently had a friend in the states pour me some do it round head with wire keepers for me to check out before I bought the molds, love the heads but there is an issue with the wire keepers being loose in the heads.

I supplied the keepers - I have an account at shortys and used the mustang wire 010 keepers, has anybody else had the same issue? You can physically wobble the keepers.

I bought the molds and want to make sure I get the right keepers the first time! I was going to buy the large size but they will probably be too large

 

[Jay Wirth]

I suspect they grabbed the wire keeper to pull jig from mold. When still hot the lead will compress a bit from the pressure pilling them out and quickly cool with a wobbly wire keeper or sometimes even the hook

 

[Edgecrusher]

Could be a possibility but it's pretty much every one out of a hell of a lot of heads, it's got me wondering.
I bet you are right though and it's a handling issue.
I can't see the shortys keepers being a problem, probably pulling to soon from mold too

 

[hookup]

I pour tube & jig with wire "weed guards" in them. The wire helps loosing them in the rocky ledgy rivers I fish



Other's pour them for the market place and it's been a big complaint from anglers that the wire pulls out of the lead head. Since mine are for personal & friend use, I can take the time to put a small loop in the end of the wire which keeps the guard in the lead head.

 

[Kdog]

I use wire staples and form them into keepers. The only times I have had issues were
1. Dirty keepers - not cleaning after baking the glue off of them.
2. not having a kink in the end inside of the jig head.

I have also used straight wire and find that as long as they are clean a little bend on the end that goes into the head is 100% necessary.

Only other thing I can think of is metal being too cold either pouring temp or the wire form.

 

[goodtimesfishing]

Pre heat your keepers and hooks. I think your molten lead is hitting the cold keeper and solidifying the lead before it can form tightly around cold metal keeper. An old thrift store electric frying pan is good for preheating hooks and keepers.

 

[Fatman]

Could be they pulled the heads from the mold before the lead had really set and didn't pull out by the sprue. I know I get in a pouring groove and think hey I can go quicker and not staying in that groove I've found a bunch of my 1/32nd no collars have a loose head

If? you're going to powder paint them when cured that will tighten them right up. Even if you use regular paint then epoxy coat that would help too.

 

[goodtimesfishing]

Great point fatman, the keepers will tighten up when you powder paint them.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Thanks some great ideas, yes I can probably put aside and powdercoat them.

 

[Streetwalker]

Loose keepers are almost always a handling issue.

Those little keepers don't need to be preheated. They are so small as soon as you pick them up with tweezers/pliers they would be room temperature again. Same for most hooks.

Keep the mold hot, put the keepers and hooks in mold. Close the mold, wait a few seconds and those keepers and hooks are HOT.