Integrated weights

[Rhino]

My BCD comes with an integrated weight system. Instead of purchasing the weight inserts from my LDS, couldn't I achieve the same thing by stuffing bags with lead or something similar? I'm just wondering what everybody else does. If you made your own weight inserts, how did you do it?

Thanks!

[ScubaToys Larry]

So by inserts, you mean weights?

The main problem with do it yourself lead, is it's not good stuff to melt and breathe to mold - and the molds will cost you a bit, and if you have any sharp corners, it can cut up your gear, and you have to make sure you are dealing with pure lead, and not something that has any iron content in it as they will then rust and stain your gear.

So you add up all the hassle factor - and depending on how much weight you are talking about - you are going through a lot of trouble to save about 10 - 20 bucks.

[Straegen]

Unless you are a big DIY kinda guy, it is hard to pass up on pre-molded or soft weights. You can always go to a gun range and get used lead, but that presents its own set of DIY issues. Lead used to be cheap as dirt, but that has changed in recent years. The markup on it really isn't that much and consider this one piece of gear that likely won't need to be upgraded or serviced so the cost per use is very low even if you pay a premium.

If you do need quite a lot, ST will likely work with you on a good price. I know I ended up with 70lbs of soft weight that wasn't much more than I could have done in a DIY once you factor in the time.

[tc_rain]

You are better off just buying them.

[awap]

I bought some pouches designed to be filled with lead shot and a 25 lb bag of shot and made my own 4 & 5 pounders. The savings was minimal and the velcro closures tend to fail and leak shot.

This is one that it is probably better to buy.

[Straegen]

On those velcro bags, you can use some nylon thread and close them up. Won't save you much money going that road, but if you are already there might as well fix them up.

[Damselfish]

Not sure what you mean by weight inserts - are you taking about soft weights, hard weights, or the pouches you can buy for some BCs (Zeagle?) that help keep the weights in place in the pockets?

I'm guessing you are looking at getting soft weights to put in your WI BC? If so, that's generally not necessary, solid lead will almost always work as well if not better, and it's cheaper. The BC generally protects you from the weights enough that you're not getting additional comfort from using soft weights instead of hard and I've not heard of wear being a problem. Maybe say what BC you have and someone who has one can say.

Unless you have a free source of lead and are making up a fair amount of weights you'll probably discover it doesn't really pay, and in the case of hard weights isn't worth the hazard of dealing with molten lead. Another thing about soft weights is, the premade ones you buy are probably made with specially coated shot. If you make them from regular shot, everytime you leave them someplace drying you will see yucky grayish water coming out of them, which is either lead dust or oxidation created by the shot grinding together, not the best thing.

[chilly willy]

I use standard lead shot bags in my BC, they are pretty cheap overall considering the cost of materials and the time to put them together otherwise. Years ago before we used BC's, I used to mold my own weights for my weight belt but they never were quite as good as the contoured ones from the dive shop. Better off to buy them.