DIY Jig Head Painting ?

[bcalvert]

I have been researching making my own jigs. One of the tips that i found for keeping the eye clean when using powder pait is to take some play-dough and make a small ball. Form the dough ball around the eye prior to painting. When you bake the jig for the final hardening process for the paint, the dough will become brittle and can be easily broken out leaving a clean eye.

I have not tried this myself, but it sounds like a sound solution.

[Toni]

Toni

Did you switch from Vinyl to powder? If so, which one did you settle with? I started tying my own jigs and painting is the next logical step. In my experience, the jigs I have bought, the vinyl ones seem to hold up better and have brighter colors so I am tempted to go towards vinyl (especially since I have the time & space to dip & dry).

No, still vinyl. Paper clip pushes the paint out of the eye.

[HillbillyGeek]

Toni

Did you switch from Vinyl to powder? If so, which one did you settle with? I started tying my own jigs and painting is the next logical step. In my experience, the jigs I have bought, the vinyl ones seem to hold up better and have brighter colors so I am tempted to go towards vinyl (especially since I have the time & space to dip & dry).

I absolutely LOVE powder paint. To get a rock-hard finish, you've got to "cure" them in an oven. As someone else mentioned, holding the jig eye with needle nose pliers while you dip will keep paint out of the eye. There is a catch: hold it by the hook when you heat it over a candle. Then grab the eye with pliers and dip. Why? Because you don't want the pliers to get hot enough for the paint to adhere.
I'm going to be unemployed in four days, so I'll post a tutorial with pics.
Mixing different colors is fun, but it takes a lot of tweaking to get it right. The powder in the jar is not the same color as it is after being cured in an oven. I make a "shrimp orange" that looks more like bubble gum before being baked.
Some colors have different properties than others. For example, pearl and gold do not drip or make jigs with beaks -- regardless of how hot you get them. Other colors are notorious for dripping. Black is one of my favorites, but getting the jig head the right temp is critical.
Powder paint can also be touched up with fingernail polish. Sparkle blue polish over a black powder coat is very cool. Again, I'll post pics when time allows.

[HillbillyGeek]

Pouring your own jigs will save a lot of money. I highly recommend the Lee bottom-pour furnace.
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=637732

[Gringo Pescador]

HBG - I ended up going with vinyl. The reason being (for me) the vinyl doesn't seem to chip as easy as the powder (this is with store bought jigs, I have never powder coated my own). It is a longer process to paint them, (longer drying time and multiple coats) but since I am not doing mass production that is not a problem. I set up a little oven and can coat (single dip) and hang 150 in about an hour and have them ready for the next coat the next day.

As far as paint in the eyelets - still experimenting with that one. I tried just using a large needle to poke a hole into the eyelet, but what ended up happening is that I was losing jigs on every little snag and fish, it seemed that the left over paint in the eyelet was weakening the line and breaking it. Once I cleared the hole out completely, never had another issue. So, the batch I am doing now I put a little ball of playdough (about the size of a BB)over the eyelet and let it dry before painting. We'll see how easy it is to remove once the paint is finished.

Looking forward to your tutorial (good idea), if I get some time maybe I will post one up for vinyl also.

[blurock]

(I know it's already been covered but thought I'd throw in my two cents haha)

Rapala makes an Eyebuster too, I got one in a gift set or something, somewhere along the line. I tried it a few times, and it never worked very well for me. My best result always came from using the hook point of another jig head or hook (the jig head was easier to hang onto)

[jens]

I have been cutting very small pieces of foil to cover the eyes. I crimp them with small pliers. Very time consuming, but well worth it IMO.

[Toni]

I use a bodkin now. Eyebuster was a bust.

[Gringo Pescador]

I sit and watch TV, roll a BB size ball of PlayDoh and smash it over/into the eye. Hang it over night and it hardens. Paint, dry, then just peel away with a cheap pocketknife.

[Bodofish]

I've been using the eye buster for a while now and it's nothing but a slam dunk. It operates like fingernail clippers but one side of the jaw has a hole in it. Stick the eye in, squeeze down the point, give it a twist and you're done. It takes an entire 3 three seconds, including getting it out of your pocket.

[Toni]

The eye buster I used had a triangle part that poked into the round hole of the eye. I didn't want it scraping the inside of the eye, possibly causing scraps that could cause the leader to fray.
I use a bodkin that just takes a poke into the hole in the eye.

[Bodofish]

I can understand your fear but the steel the hooks are made of is much harder than the eye buster. It doesn't even come close to scratching the eye's. In fact it's marginally harder than the paint.

[G-Man]

I just use the pointed end of a hook to clear the eye, works every time. Once you break through, push it in to the barb, wiggle it around a bit and the paint should flake off completely.

[racfish]

I know this is a late answer but I use finger nail polish (enamel) for my lures that I paint. The color selection is awesome. I use that for my salt water jigs for squidding. The polish lasts long time.