# Outdoors > Fishing >  Who makes their own sinkers?

## Gibo

Had another session today. Good cook up lasts about 4 years of fishing

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## 300CALMAN

Nice. my molds have paid for themselves.

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## veitnamcam

Hard part is finding the grey gold.

I made some the other day, back soon with a photo.

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## Gibo

Yeah doesnt take ling at the price the shops charge aye. Last time we used a double gas burner, this time a drum fire. More fun this time and outdoors is far better than the garage ha ha

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## Gibo

> Hard part is finding the grey gold.
> 
> I made some the other day, back soon with a photo.


Mates a roofer and a fair bit is re roofing so more lead than a man can shit

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## 300CALMAN

You have to PAY tire shops for it these days. still cheaper than $2+ a large sinker at the shop.

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## veitnamcam

> Mates a roofer and a fair bit is re roofing so more lead than a man can shit


Lucky bugger then.
hope you look after him.



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## veitnamcam

Heres some weights i made for my longline.





I milled slots into them to releive an  area for the tie so it wont wear on the bottom.

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## Gibo

> Lucky bugger then.
> hope you look after him.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G388F using Tapatalk


He doesnt fish deep enough to use em  :Grin:

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## Gibo

Jepus those are hearty! What are they half a kilo? We were making 1,2,3,4 and 4.5 oz today

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## veitnamcam

> Yeah doesnt take ling at the price the shops charge aye. Last time we used a double gas burner, this time a drum fire. More fun this time and outdoors is far better than the garage ha ha


Dont do it in the garage bro especially with kids around. Probably worse than p contamination!  

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## Munsey

I make them , when I was installing fires , I saved my lead flashings up , had over 60 kilos in a pile . Caught a ginger kid scoping it out for his ginger dad down the road .  :Pissed Off: . Gutted,  cashed it up the next day as I new the thieving ginger pricks would have stolen it .

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## Pengy

> Heres some weights i made for my longline.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I milled slots into them to releive an  area for the tie so it wont wear on the bottom.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G388F using Tapatalk


Jeez, it must of taken ages to melt that lot with a lighter

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## veitnamcam

> Jeez, it must of taken ages to melt that lot with a lighter


No not really the lighter lights the bloody big lpg/oxy heating rose that turns a pile of lead into 10liters of molten lead in no time at all  

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## southernman

Yea I have in the past, just bought another mold, and looking at getting one for jig heads, before the next cook up, 
  only do it once every few years, I have plenty of lead, but its harder to get hold of now,

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## veitnamcam

> Jepus those are hearty! What are they half a kilo? We were making 1,2,3,4 and 4.5 oz today


Touch over 9 pound 



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## mikee

> Touch over 9 pound 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G388F using Tapatalk


Go big or go home eh

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## veitnamcam

> Go big or go home eh


25 spiky dogs have an amazing ability to make some slack line.

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## mikee

> 25 spiky dogs have an amazing ability to make some slack line.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G388F using Tapatalk


its not the spikeys its the threshers that do that  :Have A Nice Day:  but i hear that  @stingray is very good at sorting out "knitted" long lines

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## Beaker

That new BBQ set or rather the pizza oven would sort the long line issues !  :Have A Nice Day:  just pick up the clips the next day, and add nylon....  :Have A Nice Day:

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## tiroatedson

My mother in laws boy friend makes them all the time. He's 'Sinkermaker' on trade me


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## gadgetman

I haven't made any for a looong time but have accumulated heaps of lead and moulds.

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## veitnamcam

> I haven't made any for a looong time but have accumulated heaps of lead and moulds.


your problem is not enough fishing to lose some gear.

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## 300CALMAN

> your problem is not enough fishing to lose some gear.


Gadgetman is't the only one  :Oh Noes:

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## gadgetman

> your problem is not enough fishing to lose some gear.


You are totally correct with that. How could you tell?  :Grin:

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## Harryg

Made a lot of 8oz sinkers a few years ago. still some left still. got about 50kg lead had about another 20kg that "mates" scrounged off me to make sinkers then the buggers sold the sinkers so no one gets any lead from me now

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## Maca49

I make a nice 500 grain 45 cal which covers both projectile and with one hole a sinker!

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## Beaker

I'm using a mould that me the old man made about 30 years ago, plaster paris around wood plugs. Just stick a nail, slightly greased in he middle, and away you go.
Also have a al mould, works ok, but prefer the other.... Memories and all.. In fact hes here this weekend, maybe a sinker making mission is on.

And anyone that wants to donate some more lead, please pm  :Have A Nice Day:  i wont sell, but will leave a bit of it in shit under water postions.....

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## Tommy

> Made a lot of 8oz sinkers a few years ago. still some left still. got about 50kg lead had about another 20kg that "mates" scrounged off me to make sinkers then the buggers sold the sinkers so no one gets any lead from me now


Had 3 x 20l containers worth nicked a few years ago by the feral crackhead at the neighbouring business. Fucked off wasn't even close. I get quite a few dud car batteries through work, any easy way of reclaiming the lead without burning skin/driveway and getting the bomb squad out?

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## 300CALMAN

> any easy way of reclaiming the lead without burning skin/driveway and getting the bomb squad out?


NO but I will break them open for you  :Psychotic:

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## 300CALMAN

@Tommy I would imagine that its high purity/soft. Good for making buckshot but not rifle bullets. Oh sorry that's right this is about sinkers...

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## veitnamcam

> @Tommy I would imagine that its high purity/soft. Good for making buckshot but not rifle bullets. Oh sorry that's right this is about sinkers...


Be good for subsonics tho.

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## Bill999

Id like to cast my own Knife jigs 
these things cost the earth for 400g piece of long skinny lead
mainly to get a 500g 600g 700g and 800g jigs in my tackle box for targeting puka

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## Gibo

> Id like to cast my own Knife jigs 
> these things cost the earth for 400g piece of long skinny lead
> mainly to get a 500g 600g 700g and 800g jigs in my tackle box for targeting puka


Uncle made some out of stainless curtain rail. Crimped one end shut, filled with lead, crimped other end and drilled hole. Stuck the reflective tape down each side. Fished as good or better on Kings at White Island than the bought jigs.

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## Bill999

jeez hes a smart cookie I like the sound of that Idea

whats the cheepest way to melt lead?

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## Gibo

> jeez hes a smart cookie I like the sound of that Idea
> 
> whats the cheepest way to melt lead?


An old pot, over gas or in the coals of a fire works. We melt down the bulk of it and transfer to a smaller vessel (tin can) with a spout bent in for the pouring part. 

Vice grips and big poly grips are your friend  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Bill999

cheers @Gibo

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## Gibo

Don't use an alloy pot, cast iron or stainless is best. We lost a lot into the drum fire due to a alloy pot getting a hole from the heat.  :Have A Nice Day:

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## gadgetman

> jeez hes a smart cookie I like the sound of that Idea
> 
> whats the cheepest way to melt lead?


Or make a crucible furnace.

Melting metal in a home foundry, backyard metalcasting, metal casting

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## 300CALMAN

> Be good for subsonics tho.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G388F using Tapatalk


True if you can hollow point them enough to get them to expand. Never tried it and hear mixed reports of people who have. Pure lead is however VERY soft and can be damaged easily. It can be included in a number of mixtures to harden it up.

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## matai

> Yea I have in the past, just bought another mold, and looking at getting one for jig heads, before the next cook up, 
>   only do it once every few years, I have plenty of lead, but its harder to get hold of now,


 @southernman   I have been looking into doing my own softbait jig heads, found a mold but struggling to get hooks with the right shank on them. You haven't found a source in your travels?

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## southernman

> @southernman   I have been looking into doing my own softbait jig heads, found a mold but struggling to get hooks with the right shank on them. You haven't found a source in your travels?


I ordered them in, with the mold, Mustard hooks, don't remember number, did have sum success with heating and bending a few with gas torch at work, but always a bit leary, hate to loose a big fish cause the hook broke were I heated it.
 depends on type of mold, on type of hook, and you have to watch that hook is strong enough, many from states aren't, as they use jigs for bass and pickerel, that don't fight as hard or have jaws like snapper or king's, 
 find the hook model for your jigs and order in sum, may have to go over seas, but jig molds out now that take a far more common hook.

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## southernman

try do-it jig molds for hook models,

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