DCA lead mould tail eyes how do you make yours

Regular Joined: Sep 14, 2008 Posts: 424 Location: Burnley

how do you make the eye? can you buy a tool? as anyone made a tool?
any links or pictures would be great.
kindest regards chris

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:56 pm

I don`t think you will bend cold wire of that gauge easily with a homemade jig, you will probably even struggle with hot wire . I`d go for the easy option of wire half the thickness and make a long loop.
Stainless bike wheel spokes from the tip are good .
sniggle

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:59 pm

And you can make drop nets with the rims .

Regular Joined: Sep 14, 2008 Posts: 424 Location: Burnley

hi sniggle
the gauge is 2mm do you have any pics of any homemade jigs.
good tip about the bike wheels.
kindest regards chris

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:02 pm

I have never got round to making a jig for lead eyes but think if you drilled two holes 2mm apart in a steel bar and pushed in heavy gauge masonry nails (hilti gun nails or similar) the same dia as the holes you should be able to bend 2mm wire round them then tweak the eye up tight with pliers.
Easier to just bend a spoke in two and stick it in the mould .
King Neptune will be the owner soon whichever way you do it.
Best of luck....sniggle

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:20 pm

Hi, This is one of my 6oz weights, i used one of those small plantpots, filled with polifilla and shaped, the wires are cut from a hamster cage. It aint pretty but by god it works, and cost me nothing.

This is a weight im trying out next boat trip, its 12oz and the groundbait cage is a birdfeeder which i cut in half, the centre piece with the eye is cage wire again. cant wait to fill it with goodies n see if it works. Ive left the perches on for the moment, i cant decide if im going to put short snoods on them and see if anything takes the bait. big grin

Regular Joined: Sep 14, 2008 Posts: 424 Location: Burnley

looks good manic_muppet hope it works for you let us know.
and as for sniggle thanks for the info and my boy want to kill you
as i cut a spoke of his bike wheel and got caught lol
kindest regards chris

Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 4:45 pm

Hi, thanks i will let you know how i get on with it, and if its any help, an old budgie cage is another good source of wire, i have one ready for the chop on my porch. big grin

PS, im lucky enough to have a relation working on demo, but all you need to do for cheap lead, is watch out for the local scrap collectors and try buy theres cheap, or even try the scrap yards. If you see a demolition site, talk to the lads they will collect some n sell it on the side too. winking

Regular Joined: Sep 14, 2008 Posts: 424 Location: Burnley

thank you manic_muppet
your info is the dogs nuts because of the response to this post i am in the making of a new post of how to make lead weights start to finish with pictures. you guys are the best and i want to give somat back.
kindest regards chris

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:33 am

No problem chris, im always looking for ways to save money, and solve problems i encounter,

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:43 am

I have every type of mould needed for boat or shore fishing and if anyone wants to make their own and share costs and time there welcome to come down. Also have moulds for making pirks in various pattens and weights. Cheers keith. Oh by the way lead is not a problem at the moment

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:38 am

Just a thought, the main problem with making the eye wires is closing the eye up tight . Why not use a reversed lead link type wire instead it would be easier to form but you would need to use wire heavy enough to take the cast.
Have a look at manics top photo and think lead link and you will see what i mean.

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:46 am

Put a couple of extra bends in the reversed lead link and its a bait clip as well.

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 8:51 am

There is another way and that is to shorten the length of the wire so that the lead covers the eye that you have made but before pouring the lead attatch a swivel so that only one eye of the swivel is clear of the weight. By the swivel being attached to the wire it will stop the swivel being pulled out of the weight during a really heavey cast. big grin

Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:09 am

The main problem with moulding a swivel into a weight is that the swivel is easily damaged retrieving over shingle and rock up walls etc . OK on small leads but not big ones.
When scrap lead scrounging i often get big leads with the top of the swivel missing , if it happens during a cast it could kill.