4 replies to this topic

[Mongojoe]

We generally do alot of fishing thru the year, and 3 to 5 days a week was not unusual for the wife and I. However, various "problems" this year prevented us going as much as we usually did... And often our daughter and son in law who live next door would go as well. So, between all of us, we go thru some sinkers... I bought a lead melting pot a few years back intending to start casting bullets, but after my accident I'm not able to get out and hunt/shoot so much any more, so I just never did..... So, I got a couple of sinker molds, and started melting down some old wheel weights and casting sinkers for the family........ Does anyone else here cast sinkers...or bullets?

[James03]

I've got a new source for free WW's at a local tire store. I went by today and picked up about 15 pounds for starters. One of the employee's is a good friend of a guy I work with so I'm in.

None of these guys seem to be shooters but they're fisherman. Instead of buying them beer I thought I could offer to cast them sinkers in exchange for the WW's. The guy at the shop mentioned they have fooled around with trying to cast some on their own but have not been too happy with the result and can't find a mold to produce what they want.

A quick Google search and I found several sources for molds online. So I have several questions, first can anyone recommend a manufacturer of fishing sinker molds? I found the "Do-It" line at both Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's as well as other online retailers.
Second question is what do you think is fair in terms of the number of pounds of sinkers verses the pounds of WW's? I am thinking a ratio along the lines of 1 to 10 (or even 15) as I would be buying the sinker mold or molds.

[Uncle Buck]

I did that as a kid...We never had any elaborate.. a pot on a old coal stove.. then my dad kind of started yelling at us for messing around with lead and breathing that stuff in and such.. I really don't know if it's safe to breath that stuff if when your pouring lead.. Just me I think about a lot of things.. I do have a bullet mold to make flintlock round ball and even sinkers.. I to purchased the sinker molds on clearance. I had a friend that use to make his own bullets.. I gave him a big box of typing lead that I had around here and he gave me a box of 357 mag lead bullets.. I still have those bullets and never reloaded them for my 357 Mag.

I do remember working with a bunch of kids and I did get lead burn...LOL LOL from a hot pot.. LOL


I guess it OK to do.. Like I said you not only can make sinkers mfg sell molds to make round ball and even bullets for shooting...

[Mongojoe]

Off hand I can't say what brand my sinker molds are...but I got them from Bass Pro... The only ones I use, however, are the molds for bank sinkers. I believe they have cavities for from 1/8 oz. to 2 ounces in each mold............ If using wheel weights I have found it makes things easier to melt the lead down outside in a large pot, then using a large spoon or ladle I "skim" off the crap that floats to the top, then pour the cleaned lead into forms to let it set up...otherwise this stuff you skim off will plug up the tiny "spout" on my production pot, that I use when melting the lead and casting the sinkers.

[JDECS]

I don't recall *when* I bought it, but I have a Hilts mold (Burbank, Cal.) that makes four "bullet" sinkers. It is made of aluminum and has a removable piece that holds steel wires to make the holes for the fishing line. I seriously smoked the mold body and keep the insert in Kroil and it drops some pretty good worm weights. I has cotched many a Bass with plastics drug under with them.

I have also made worm-weights just by pouring a little thread of lead on a cold plate or even using a snippet of wire solder. These get stuffed *inside* a worm, like for "wacky" rigging, but I'm sort of set in my ways and like the bullet sinkers best. (hee, hee ... Texas-rigged, of course!)