If you have seen the post that Capt Lou has made about the jigs I made for him, then you know that i have been rather busy. :)
I've also made up some new bass jigs, with a few different head styles, Arky & a Flipping Jig. These are fairly basic colors.
A couple more.
Those look good Jim. ~c~ I don't know if you saw this video or not, but I showcased one of your swimjigs while fishing Lake Okeechobee a few months back. Your swimjig caught me the most bass on that outing. ~beer~
Check it out: https://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=155444.0 (https://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=155444.0)
I caught a bass on a jig one time. Pretty stuff, Jim.
By the way- what are you using for weedguard glue? I'm having issues, especially with longevity. Thanks.
Dale
That's very cool Lou! Thanks for the shout out too! :)
Dale, thank you too! I use two part epoxy. Devcon brand 30 minute is what I normally use since I can get in a local hardware, but I've been using that brand for many years. They used to have some longer set time epoxies, 60 & 90 minute, but I've not been able to find them in a good while, so I guess they're no longer marketing them.
Even though the longer set times took longer to be able to use a fly or jig, the strength was better and it allowed me to work longer so I could do more with it. I often coat things like fly rod popper heads with epoxy and could do 20 or 30 of them at a time. Didn't matter to me as long as I mixed them properly, they were ready overnight.
Great looking baits. I'm really partial to the watermelon with some red strands in it ~shade
Thanks Jim. I'm having issues with weed guards coming out after a year or two. I've tried some two-part epoxy (don't remember the brand), Gorilla Glues, some Super Glues, etc. with horrible results. Some never take to start with. I never had issues years ago like this.
Dale
Dale, I'm not sure what to say about that. I've never had one come out while using the epoxy and have tried to pull them out.
I powder coat my heads with the teflon pins in place, so no powder is getting down in the hole, and also make sure that I'm careful about mixing the epoxy in equal proportions and it's mixed very well. If a weed guard doesn't fit, and I usually test them before using the epoxy, I'll drill them out a bit with a drill bit, by hand. That way I'm only removing enough lead to get the weed guard to fit the hole. That's worked great for me.
Usually only about a drop or two of epoxy is in the hole, so there's not a lot holding the weed guards in place.
I'm in a lead pouring & jig making group on Facebook and a few have complained about weed guards that came out, but they were using super glues, which are not all waterproof. That, I can understand, but epoxy is pretty tough and waterproof.
I know, it's been weird. I don't paint my heads at all either.
We used to pour the heads with the weedguard in place, using foot long bundles. This worked great. If you try that now the weedguard turns into spaghetti as it melts into oblivion. I'm going to try your brand of epoxy, trust me.
Dale
Dale, any chance that some of the heads were old when you added the weed guards? Maybe some oxidation in the holes? I'm just guessing, and running things through my head that might cause the epoxy/glue not to hold. Most that I'll make are fairly fresh pours, so new lead.
Also, I can't really say that I've had any problems with older jigs, even with oxidation. The other night I was looking through a bunch of jigs that were in a tackle bag. I've had some for several years, and they all appeared to be as good as new. I powder coat jigs for the colors, but also because it does help in slowing down any oxidation. In the past, I've pulled jigs out of packages, that had been painted with other types of paint, and the paint fell off because they had oxidized so bad under the paint. Nasty stuff.
No Jim, this all happened on fresh poured heads. I poured 100 Arkies and 100 Football heads a few years ago and had glue problems from the start. I tried a few glues and while the epoxy was the best, when I checked a few weeks later I could pull some of the guards out. Maybe fifteen made it this far, yet the other day I had two more pull out after I caught fish with them. Two years plus. I know, weird.
I built my first bass jigs in 1980-'81. It's not like I haven't done it before. I can say that I haven't been 100% happy with the weedguard material and wondered if just maybe it isn't kosher. I got it from Skirts Unlimited(?) or something like that, and they do not match up with what I thought I was ordering. Their "FG-30" and "FG-40" are not what I used to use. Again, I used to buy the bulk stuff with Guido. And you know that HE knew how to build a jig.
I have some old heads that date back to the early eighties, and those puppies are NOT going to lose their weedguards.
Dale
I've purchased weed guards from various sources, so no idea where they all came from, They could be from the same manufacturer, but I bought them from different sellers. I do know that epoxy will not stick well to some plastics, but no idea if different types are used in the manufacturer of the fiber weed guards. I still have a few bundles that were nylon and not melted together like they are now, but most that I've used have been the FG-30 or FG-40 types.
I have tried to cast the weed guards into the heads, and had the same issue as you with them melting. Since I also tie all my jigs, I still rather epoxy them in later after tying, as that's a whole lot easier than working around the weed guard.
It is very weird what you're describing and I really wish I had good advice, to prevent that from happening, but since I've never had that problem, have no idea what is the cause or the cure.
It might be one of those things that you never see again, or if you do, find a simple explanation for it, but until it happens, you're not going to know.
Those are the worse types of problems, and I hate not being able to figure something out.
I hope trying a different brand of epoxy fixes it for you and that we're both still around a couple of years from now to know. ::)
I use LockTite gel super glue and haven't had a problem I do clean the holes out with a drill bit by hand. Like Jim I use Teflon pins when I powder coat, my weedless round head jigs I use pins I had made from drill rod, they work well, I couldn't find Teflon pins in that size.
Jim, those jigs look great!!!
Rodney
And the LockTite was one of my problem glues. See how this goes for me? I've built THOUSANDS of jigs over the years with zero issues. Then I cam back to fishing, decided to build more jigs, and in the last three years or so I haven't hit a lick. Oh yeah, I also am struggling with hooks...
Dale
I've had some weed guards come out and got them back in with hot glue. I don't make my own, they were off the shelf at one of the big box stores. To be fair to whatever brands they were, I was stripping the paint off with acetone to try some off the wall colors.