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mchottie - You asked for pics of my jig making operations, so here goes. It turned out way long than I had hoped. Howard
Striper Jigs
First I make the mold for a particular style of jig from Plaster of Paris (PoP). This isn’t easy to do but you learn from your mistakes, steep learning curve.
Jig&mold 1.jpg
Then I pour lead. I use an ancient Coleman camp stove to melt the lead in a 6” cast iron frying pan I bought at a flea barn. Wear heavy leather gloves plus extra padding to guard against burning hands on the HOT handle of the frying pan. Molten lead is dangerous stuff.
Melting Lead.jpg
After pouring I clean up each jig of flashing using files and fingernail emory boards. The PoP molds have a fairly short life span. Maybe 50 to 100 jigs can be poured before the PoP mold starts falling apart. They just can’t take the heat of molten lead… but they work for a little while.
I paint the jigs with powder paint (PP). If I have to PP a lot of jigs, like over a dozen, then I fire up my fluidizer. I built the fluidizer from PVC piping and various couplings and parts all from Lowes. It stands 6” high not counting the wooden base. Don’t glue them, just jam them together. Plastic tubing: 1/4” OD is the perfect size for the air line. The all important paper filter is chemical grade, 11um filter paper, I got from my PhD daughter’s laboratory. All those college bills finally paid off so I can get a few sheets of 11um filter paper for free that cost about a dime apiece. (To you guys who have built your own similar fluidizers I am fully aware of the struggles you all have finding the perfect filter material. I too tried paper bags, paper towels, and coffee filters and I still got PP volcanoes that almost hit me in the forehead. 11um filter paper is the bee’s knees, the perfect 10, of filter paper. And it’s cheap too, $5 for a 100 sheets. Go ahead goggle “11um chemical grade filter paper”.) I supply air to the fluidizer by using my Porter Cable air compressor, also from Lowes. Waaay over kill but works like a charm, better than an aquarium air pump. Just turn the air pressure down to a whisper and do the final adjustments using the needle valve on the fluidizer.
Fluidizer-A.jpg
Fluidizer-B.jpg
Fluidizer-G.jpg
I’m trying to keep this short. To all you guy that don’t have the faintest clue as to what a fluidizer does, I’ll explain. PP is ground up plastic that is as fine as baking flour, but comes in colors. You dip your hot jigs (350F degrees) in PP and it sticks. Then back in the oven to cure. The end result is an excellent finish, hard as nails. The mild air current coming up through the fluidizer keeps the PP rolling and boiling and keeps the PP from packing down and caking up with each dip of a jig. It works great but hard to explain. If you are going to PP just a few jigs then you can just shake up the jar that contains the PP after every couple of jigs. But shaking the Jar becomes a PITA after a few jigs. In steps the fluidizer.
After PP is done I glue on rhinestones eyes from Michael’s hobby store. These are sold as bling for teeny boppers an old ladies. Oh, using my drill press, I drill shallow eye sockets in each jig to hold the rhinestones. Do that before you do the PPing.
I’m tired of typing?, I left a ton out… any questions then ask away.
jigs & glue pots 1.jpg
IMG_1077.jpg
Jigs 3-5-18.jpg
Howard
Striper Jigs
First I make the mold for a particular style of jig from Plaster of Paris (PoP). This isn’t easy to do but you learn from your mistakes, steep learning curve.
Jig&mold 1.jpg
Then I pour lead. I use an ancient Coleman camp stove to melt the lead in a 6” cast iron frying pan I bought at a flea barn. Wear heavy leather gloves plus extra padding to guard against burning hands on the HOT handle of the frying pan. Molten lead is dangerous stuff.
Melting Lead.jpg
After pouring I clean up each jig of flashing using files and fingernail emory boards. The PoP molds have a fairly short life span. Maybe 50 to 100 jigs can be poured before the PoP mold starts falling apart. They just can’t take the heat of molten lead… but they work for a little while.
I paint the jigs with powder paint (PP). If I have to PP a lot of jigs, like over a dozen, then I fire up my fluidizer. I built the fluidizer from PVC piping and various couplings and parts all from Lowes. It stands 6” high not counting the wooden base. Don’t glue them, just jam them together. Plastic tubing: 1/4” OD is the perfect size for the air line. The all important paper filter is chemical grade, 11um filter paper, I got from my PhD daughter’s laboratory. All those college bills finally paid off so I can get a few sheets of 11um filter paper for free that cost about a dime apiece. (To you guys who have built your own similar fluidizers I am fully aware of the struggles you all have finding the perfect filter material. I too tried paper bags, paper towels, and coffee filters and I still got PP volcanoes that almost hit me in the forehead. 11um filter paper is the bee’s knees, the perfect 10, of filter paper. And it’s cheap too, $5 for a 100 sheets. Go ahead goggle “11um chemical grade filter paper”.) I supply air to the fluidizer by using my Porter Cable air compressor, also from Lowes. Waaay over kill but works like a charm, better than an aquarium air pump. Just turn the air pressure down to a whisper and do the final adjustments using the needle valve on the fluidizer.
Fluidizer-A.jpg
Fluidizer-B.jpg
Fluidizer-G.jpg
I’m trying to keep this short. To all you guy that don’t have the faintest clue as to what a fluidizer does, I’ll explain. PP is ground up plastic that is as fine as baking flour, but comes in colors. You dip your hot jigs (350F degrees) in PP and it sticks. Then back in the oven to cure. The end result is an excellent finish, hard as nails. The mild air current coming up through the fluidizer keeps the PP rolling and boiling and keeps the PP from packing down and caking up with each dip of a jig. It works great but hard to explain. If you are going to PP just a few jigs then you can just shake up the jar that contains the PP after every couple of jigs. But shaking the Jar becomes a PITA after a few jigs. In steps the fluidizer.
After PP is done I glue on rhinestones eyes from Michael’s hobby store. These are sold as bling for teeny boppers an old ladies. Oh, using my drill press, I drill shallow eye sockets in each jig to hold the rhinestones. Do that before you do the PPing.
I’m tired of typing?, I left a ton out… any questions then ask away.
jigs & glue pots 1.jpg
IMG_1077.jpg
Jigs 3-5-18.jpg
Howard
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