mold questions for redman

[redear]

redman,
I have another question. I plan on putting a hinge and handles on these molds, but I noticed that in some of your photos of your molds that the hinges and handles are absent, do you use them like that? Was thinking you probably held them closed with a pair of channel lock pliers. I mean if that works then I may not move my pin holes on this mold I'm workin on.

 

[redear]

I pressed the blank yesterday morning, not completely but almost. I took some phone pics before I started. the aluminum I have is really too hard due to it's t6 temper which is really high. It was all I could do to get the 4 ton jack to press it. of course the blank being flat sided didn't help it sink into the alum. the flat sided blank did sink into the alum. enevenly to start with, with one side sunk into the alum. more than the other. I had to open the mold up with the blank in place, and determine which side was higher, and lay a peice of 1/2" thick steel bar on top of the blank where it was too high and whack it with a 4lb. hammer, check and repeat. I did this with both sides of the mold until the blank set evenly, then went back and pressed the mold again. right now I am very satisfied with the way it is going. now I have to tap out the pins and reface the inner surfaces of the mold because when you press it the alum. bulges a little around the blank. I will definitly end up getting softer aluminum. I am pressing this blank before the hook slot is pressed because for one thing I don't know where the balance point will be, and I wan't a level hanging jighead.

 

[redear]

and being a flat sided jighead, I used no starter drill hole. It was a good thing my blank was made from an allen wrench which is really hard steel, it didn't deform any with all it went through. I may be speaking before I know for sure, but from what I experienced today, I believe a person could do this without a press frame or hydraulic jack, using a 4 pound hammer and having a sturdy steel surface to lay the mold on that is flat and laying a 1/2" thick peice of steel or iron on top of the mold before hitting it, this protects the aluminum from any deformation from the hammer. just saying I know I could do it all with just the hammer and a peice of steel to protect the mold and spread out the blow. I mean we gotta look into ways for guys to do this with limited resources right? But the pins aligning the mold halves, from what Ive seen are absolutely nesessary.

 

[redear]

should be able to get the wife to help send some photos by email to one of ya'll maybe sun. or mon. I hope, anyway I'll hollar when I do. gonna try to go fishing one of those days, seven days of night shift, I'm ready for some pond time.

 

[Fatman]

Red - you really got us hanging here LOL - Sounds like things are moving along okay. With your discovery of needing a softer aluminum blank is that gonna make it alot easier for you as far as the eye slot for the hook??? I'd say because of the QA on sickles you might want to make it longer than say what Do it does.

 

[redear]

fatman, I worked on the mold again this morning and sanded out the bulges around the jighead cavity that is made when you press the blank, and then I taped a size 8 sickle hook in just the right spot with cellophane tape and put the mold halves together and pressed the mold with the hook in there, the aluminum bulged out around the hook slot too so that needed sanding out too. fatman I'm not sure of your question but the hook slot is a breeze to press even with the hardness of the alum. I am going to elongate the eye recess with a dremel tool just like my other do its, and maybe do something with the hook bend area too because all the hooks are not perfect like you said. I had no trouble at all pressing the hook slot after the jighead, the tape held the hook in place and when pressed, the hook just cuts right thru the thin tape, works great. the head and hook have been pressed now and the inner surfaaace of the mold halves have been sanded flat altho I can see light thru the mold halves around the edges on both ends of the mold when put together. the fill hole and the countersink cone recess still needs to be done. getting ready for bed now, have one more night shift to work. seems like when I see a little problem with the mold, if I just let it alone till the next day and give myself time to think on it, the answers become more obvious, in other words don't rush it, works better that way.

 

[redear]

fatman, i am gonna leave a note for the wife and my phone with a memo to try to email you the photos tonight . she doesn't know much about what I'm doing but she has seen my iron frame and alum. peices so maybe we can get something for ya'll to look at as far as whats been done so far.

 

[Fatman]

Okay Gang Redear sent me the photos of his mold build so here they are:

 

[redman]

Redear nicely done. But do think you might have some problems later on with your hook placement. Think that you would have a easier job of it with a machine's vice and drilling a pilot hole first. Well I will admit it looks good. Now that you got your feet wet bet we will see more molds coming from you. The next aluminium that you get the soft aircraft kind.

Like I said nicely done glad that I could be of some help.


Redman

 

[redear]

top photo is the hook taped in place, ready to be pressed, 2nd and 3rd photos are of the same mold half I think after pressing the hook, and resurfacing the mold with a 320 grit sheet black sandpaper on a flat surface, like redman said, pulling the mold across the sandpaper in one direction only, this sands the bulges down around the jighead cavity and hook slot also. 4th pic is of the mold halves after pressing the jighead blank and resurfacing the mold halves. 5th pic. was just me trying to figure out how the blank should be situated in the mold, I decided on an angled placement because I want the fill hole to contact a flat surface of the head instead of the pointed nose, making it easier to smooth the head up with a file after cutting the sprue. 6th pic. is the mold and jighead blank after just a little initial pressing, barely making an impression in the aluminum. pics 7 and 8 are of the iron frame I made to house the hydraulic jack and mold. I used wood blocks and a couple little wood wedges to keep the mold from moving, but I could have pressed the mold without anything holding the mold in place, the trick is to make sure the jack is sitting on top of the mold so the molds gap is equal all around, in other words the pressure is straight down on the mold.

 

[redear]

pic 9 is a couple jigs that I tied, that have been catching crappie, this is the jig that I want this jighead for, giving me a flat sided head to paint eyes on easier and a set back hook eyelet placement so it hangs horizontal better. pic 10 was the mold halves just before I pressed the jighead blank for the first time. pic 11 is the iron press frame without the hydraulic jack or mold or anything loaded into it, so ya'll can see it better. this thing was made with 3 inch box tubing with a 3/8" wall thickness, very heavy, but I probably would have bent anything built less sturdy because I had to give the jack maximum thrust because my aluminum was so hard. the mold needs a fill hole now then I can hold it together with a pair of channel locks and try it. the most tedious part of this whole thing was making the brass pins fit just right, and also making the jighead blank. a conical one would have been 100% easier than my flat sided one. there will be a few more pics later when I finish and pour this thing. I really want to thank redman again for sharing his trade secrets, without him this would not have happened at all.

 

[redear]

I don't know if ya'll can see it or not in the press pics. but there is a 1/2" thick steel plate sitting on top of the mold and the jack sits on top of that, I did this because the base of these type jacks look like cast steel or iron and it's also fairly rough in texture so this protects the jack by giving it something big enough to sit on, because the mold just isn't very big, and it keeps the mold from getting all marked up. I just think the bottom of the jack would have risked breakage without that plate. My little variation of pressing the hook after the head blank worked like a charm, taping the hook down with cellophane tape and looking at it for a while to make sure it is square with the head, it pressed exactly where I needed and the tape didn't interfere.

 

[CrappieHappy]

nice work!!

 

[JSC]

Looks like with a little more work and you will be able to turn the jig heads out.

 

[Fatman]

Redear

I tried flicker, Photobucket and AC/DC (yes DOC it's a photo editing program) trying to resize the photo's but every one got so grainy and distorted it was better to leave the originals. Thanks for all the descriptions and how you were doing things. I would love to try something like that but just don't have the tools.

 

[redear]

worked on it again this afternoon, and made the fill hole and two new brass pins because the others were really not tight enough after driving them in and out so many times. another hour or so work on the new pins and I'll be able to pour heads I think. I'm fresh out of my size 8 sickles right now so will probably pour a few matzuo size 8 aberdeens. I did shave the area where the hook bend lays with my mill drill, so I can use different hooks, oh, and I elongated the hook eyelet recess with a dremel. going fishing tommorrow. fatman, thanks for posting the pics, I think they turned out good considering.

 

[Fatman]

Red no problem - I wish I had the stuff to make my own. I have Do-Its and I pour paint then tie and feel really good when I catch something on something I made myself but Man add in the fact that you made the mold yourself!!!!! That's COOL!!!!!

 

[redear]

went fishing today and they didn't bite much, still had a good time tho. came home and finished the mold, except for the hinge and handles. want to pour a jig tommorrow, just gonna do it without the hinge and handles.

 

[redear]

fatman, I sent a few more pics to your email. poured a few heads today and the mold worked perfectly with no flash at all, however after a few heads looking great the heads werent filling out all the way and I was skimming alot of crap off the top of the pot, so I poured alot of ingots to empty the pot, and when I got to the bottom of the pot there was alot more scale and impurities there too, with the spout all plugged up. got it all cleaned up now, and I took the jigheads about ten of them and powder painted them, and tied a few up. the jigs have the right look and balance I was looking for, and they are easy to tie on .

 

[Fatman]

Okay thanks for letting me know I'll get em posted for ya