I am wondering what you guys do on cleaning your eyes on jigs? I have a file tool that is just thin enough to get the tip into the eye and twist out the excess. But my hands do ache and get alot of poke from the hook...lol..Is there an easier way?
I normally clean eye out before I cook em so at least I got that part right!

I have found nothing to be better than a small pair of ring splitter pliers. The small ones can clean down to a 1/32 pretty good without any real effort. I wouldn't even think of trying anything else now. I think I bought these at barlows.

Heat up a small paper clip and run it thru the eye.Works even after heat curing.

I use a wood tooth pick right after dipping while still hot. Then if it still has too much and closes again I have a small needle bodkin that I heat up and stick through and it melts the paint out. I lie, the idea fe1 has with a paper clip, that should do what my bodkin does.

The tooth pick I have shaved the. Down to make the point longer and a lot thinner. I keep them I a small jar so I can use them again and again. I do have one for every color I have and I sharpen both ends!

I use this little tool, works great... But, like you, I do recommend cleaning the eyes before you cook um!

Just throwing this out there, why clean the eyes at all? When I powder paint, I hold the jig by the eye with a pair of forceps and no powder gets in the eye.

^^^^^^^ THIS^^^^^^^^

This plus 2! Easiest way to clean dem eyes is to not get em dirty in the first place!

Don't know how you guys do it and keep from having to clean the forceps from the paint. I tried that about one or two times
and said heck I like sticking the wood tooth pick in better, but that is just me! Kind of like many of you like that heat
gun and I hate that darn thing! Give me my alcohol burner and I am happy!

Skip, I keep a fine, triangle file on my desk to touch up heads that might be a little rough, and I do have to knock off the paint build-up off the tips of my forceps with the file about every 10-15 jigs but still, that is way faster & easier (for me anyway) than trying to poke a hot wire through the eye of a hook, especially when I'm painting #6 & #8 hooks.

After a large batch of jigs I usually have some powder paint built up on my forceps, but I just hold them over the heat gun until the powder paint turns black and starts smoking. Then you can pull it off with a paper towel easily and they're good as new. Except they are burnt on the end like some forceps that I had in high school.

TexM,I suppose those in High School were used in Biology class over a bunson burner Aye? Yea right. LOL
Seriously though I use a propane torch to heat the wire for eye poking.

Well Skip you do git some paint on the forceps but it is easy to remove and quick. I just use a pair of pliers and grab the tip of the forceps. Simple slight twist and the paint crumbles right off the foreceps. Quick, need to do this every 15 or 20 jigs. Takes a few seconds is all. Way faster than messing with each jig eye.

Guys when I tried that it builds up a lot fast for me, maybe get 2 and need cleaning, LOL! Also when painting Roadrunners you are either going to paint the hook of the hemos.

I still like he tooth pick best and have used same ones for the most part for 10 years, LOL! Don't want to get pliers and twist my hemos either.

Also in the final end I like the hook shank to the eye painted and just none in the hole and really like it better if eye it self is painted.

Plus remember I use an alcohol burner to heat my heads not a heat gun even though o have 2 heat guns. I tried the heat gun for about 30 seconds and knew that was not something I wanted to do! Hate them for this job. I paint at my kitchen table too and not a good place of a heat gun really. I do no part of my jigs in other than the house and none in garage. I did give a try to painting vinyl paint with an air brush and that was in the garage, but decided that was way too much trouble and was only going to do the white under coat for that, but way too much spider web!

Guys thanks for trying to help but at this stage I am not going to change unless something come along way better than that and does same job or better/easier. When I tried it I spent more time cleaning the stats that if I had just used my tooth picks, LOL!

Skip

Hey skip! does using an alcohol burner heat better or is there a difference?