Thin Zink Pour

[Johnch]

OK I admit this isn't to shoot out of a gun
But Shoot LONG RANGE with a rod and reel

As some of you know I tinker around making fishing lures
LOL Partly because when I loose a $15 or more lure it HURTS
Lets not talk about the $50 to $100 swimbaits , I WILL NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT ORDERING
But if I make ( or at least TRY) that lure and I loose it I am out about $1

So the other day I saw another bass fisherman using a lure I have not seen for sale
Might be I don't have what looked to be a custom bass boat with all the latest toys
I also might not shop the right stores

But I would like to cast it out of Zink WW's
A 3" long lure body about 1" wide flat oval with the front and side edges thin
Think of this as a spinnerbait body that will have a spinnerbait hook out the back
With the spinnerbait wire out the front
I am thinking with the area the wire exits to be thicker for durability
Powder coating the Zink for color

The oval Zink body will be thicker in the middle , tapered to the sides
Flat top with a flattened upside down V profile
With a upward tilt to the water surface to be used as a lifting surface
That is reason for the long , wide and flat bottom as a lifting surface of the body of the lure
I want to cast the (1 oz to 1 1/2 oz maybe) spinnerbait a LONG Ways into shallow water and not spook the bass with the boat
Also because of the high lift of the body can be fished super slow , way slower than a normal spinnerbait

I have casted Zink WW's for a few bullets and sinkers before
But I have never tried casting Zink into thin shapes
So before I start cutting the steel for the mold

I have to ask

Will I be able to cast the thin profile I am talking about ?
I mean will the Zink WW alloy flow repeatably well enough to the thin edges without freezing ?
How thin could I get away with for the edges ?
Before I get the edges snapping off from the impact with the water and fish strikes
Also will normal powder coating work well on the cast Zink WW's lure body ?

Thanks
John

[waksupi]

I would think at the proper heat it should work okay.
I've been making my own pike spoons for years from old tablespoons. MUCH better action than commercial spoons, and they catch lots of pike.
I also make surface and diving lures. I'm too cheap to spend much on a lure.
For distance, a good quality bait casting reel puts me out nearly twice as far as an open face spinning reel. 50+ yards is pretty easy.

[Dusty Bannister]

Perhaps a rough casting and then file to final form? Or proceed with your mold and use a slow centrifuge to force the molten metal into final form.

[country gent]

Venting will be important. As will temps. fill from heavy end to light so the added weight helps force the material in. A lot of moulds in industry settings are pressure cast with a shot tube. This isnt normally do able in the hobby shop. But another route is to have a big spot for fill adding mass to the casting and pressure to the pour.

With zinc a steel mould and the big pour sprue ( I would go 2-3 times what the mould takes) stand up right and pour then lightly play a propane torch over it from bottom to top and keeping the puddle molten you should see the sprue drop from any air spaces.

Vents as mentioned will need to be well thought out. Make them small and many.

Could the heavy areas be cast and the rest filled in with foil/sheet?