|
Another simple and quick way to make sinkers is with a potato mold. Just take a large potato, cut it in half, and then carve out a cavity for the type of sinker you want. Since this is a one-piece mold where you use only half the potato, you are naturally limited to certain types of sinkers. You can make rectangular, dipsey, pyramid, and cylindrical or pencil-type sinkers. Although you can pour these sinkers and then drill eyes in the lead for the fishing line, it is better to cut a small slot in the extreme bottom of the cavity and put a wire eye into it. Then pour the hot lead into the cavity and when it cools pull out the finished sinker. Such a potato mold, with the position of the wire eye, is shown in Fig. 130. When you pour the first sinkers you'll find that the moist potato will sputter and sizzle. But after you pour two or three sinkers it will dry out and then you'll have no more difficulty in this regard. Naturally, the potato mold doesn't last very long and after a while it dries up and shrivels too much to be of any use. However, a potato mold is inexpensive and so simple that you can make another in a matter of minutes. Figure 130. Potato mold.
|
