2 lbs of lead and a 2nd degree burn later....

So I spent the last 2 hours casting 1 ounce egg sinkers out of lead that I reclaimed from the lead line of an old cast net. Even though they sell aluminum die 's that produce nicely rounded, perfect egg sinkers of various weights, the way I look at it, the whole point in casting my own sinkers is to save money, not shell out $40 on a fancy die, so I made a couple out of Fimo modeling clay.


The result is admittedly kinda crude, so instead of this:


I end up with these, which are not pretty, but serve the function of having mass and making my bait sink, admirably well:


If you're thinking about pursuing a similar venture in thriftiness (cheapness? stubbornness?) keep a few things in mind. First, lead is pretty toxic, so good ventilation is a great idea. Also, don't pick your nose, eat, smoke, or suck your thumb while dealing with lead, unless you enjoy trips to hospital or the accompanying possible side effect of crazy psychosis sometimes associated with lead toxicity. Second, molten lead is pretty hot (around 620 deg F hot) so heavy leather gloves and other precautions are probably a good idea as well. Third, mixing hot things with cold things does not turn out well, especially in the case of molten lead and slightly damp Fimo molds, which, in my personal experience, can result in an exciting display of molten lead flying and popping out of the mold, much like water thrown on an grease fire, resulting in this:

For a fairly stupid move on my part, I got out of it with relatively little damage, and now I know to heat my molds first, and make sure they're absolutely dry before pouring lead.