Jig Buffet

So for the past 4 evenings I've been working on a new batch of jigs.  I've again used Matzuo hooks in size 4, 2, 1, and 1/0.  This us my first batch to use the 1/0 sized hooks.  I wanted to try them just to have some longer shanks on some jigs.  Head sizes were 1/16, 3/32, 1/8, & 1/4 oz using my do-it-yourself walleye jig mold.

 For colors I did a bit of new and then more of what I've had.  The new was a rainbow trout head to go with my new Nothland soft plastics.  Pearl base with blue top and pink belly, then silver glitter dipped with UV coat.  I also did a few pearl base, black top, and a bit of ruby slipper on the belly to try a "bleeding" look.  Then a yellow chartreuse with a full cover of copper head which gives a mustard with speckle finish.  Also I did some blaze orange with copper head full coat to go with the Northland golden shimmer soft plastics.  Anyway here are a few pics including a couple taken under a black light.

After the above pics were taken it was time to "bake cure" the jigs so the paint is durable.  Had the usual set of 'nose bleeds' on some jigs from paint collecting at the tip of the jig that was facing down and forming into a bit of a 'Pinocchio nose'.  4 extreme cases of this resulted in very thin threads of paint with a gob at the end between 1" and 3" long or close enough to that.  

Also as I've seen before some jigs reseal their eye shut during the bake.  Tonight the biggest issue was with the new "super glow blue" paint jigs.  They were also the jigs I did last and that had the thinnest coating.  So I'm surprised at this and left to wonder if there is something special with this particular paint or maybe that I had just painted the jigs with it 20 minutes before baking them.  Maybe there is something to letting them sit over night?  Will have to do some kind of tests on this at a later time...  Anyway the bummer due to the sealed eyes is that I broke the eye buster on my Rapala tool lanyard.  I've been expecting it to break for some time but always have been surprised at how well it has put up with the abuse I've subjected it to breaking out eyes from freshly painted jigs.  Though using it to clean out an eye after a bake cure is asking a lot and as I twisted a jig to take it off the buster is when I noticed I had bent it and really broke it since it appears to have been hardened metal that broken instead of bent....  I did manage to 'tune up' the generic eye buster I had in the bigger tackle bag so that it lines up well and used that to finish the night.  Maybe it will prove to a fair buster now that the parts line up well.

So now all I have left to do is the time sink of gluing eyes on the jigs and getting my fingers coated with super glue....  Fun Fun Fun.... :)