Home Made Weight

[DirtyWaterIL]

I have several hundred pounds of home made weight that was given to me. the problem is that all I have are very large 8-15 lb blocks. I want to melt it down into smaller peices to use as trim weights in my BC pockets. I came up with an idea to do this and wanted some feedback from anyone with experience with this. My plan is to break up some of the weight into smaller peices and put it ona scale to get the desired weight.Then I will put it into a pot of some type. I was thinking maybe a small steel mixing bowl or a steel tube or something like that. I would then place the bowl on a steel wire stand I will make. Once the bowl of weights is in place i was planning on putting a mapp gas torch under the bowl until the lead melted, then just turning off the torchto letthe lead cool. I have no real expereince with this so i'm not sure what to expect. All I really want in the end is some small 4-5 lb chunks of lead to put in my trim pockets that wont be sharp enough to cut the pockets. Any ideas or comments?

[retire2disney]

try out this link for some cheap and effective equipment. http://www.hiltsmolds.com/LeadMeltingEquipment.htm
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<DIV></DIV>make sure if you do this you have plenty of ventilation. melting lead does release small toxic amounts.

[techgnostic]

Anyone have a reason why I shouldn't coat my lead belt weights in Tool-Dip, so they can also be used in BC weight pockets without roughing up the fabric? Of course I'd cut out the belt holes so they remain dual use weights.
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<DIV>Thanks</DIV>

[cummings66]

The lead is slick anyhow so you'd never mess up the pockets. I woudn't worry about that. Just cast them in the sizes you need and be done with it, if you need odd shapes make a sand mold out of casting sand.
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<DIV>Be careful with it, water and lead do NOT mix, you'll end up with an explosion if it does get together and water can remain in the lead weight after a dive for months.</DIV>

[DirtyWaterIL]

Originally Posted by techgnostic

Anyone have a reason why I shouldn't coat my lead belt weights in Tool-Dip, so they can also be used in BC weight pockets without roughing up the fabric? Of course I'd cut out the belt holes so they remain dual use weights.
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<DIV>Thanks</DIV>

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<DIV>Ive seen some peopel coat their weights in tool dip with varying results. If you only use 1 layer it will crack and peel and look very bad. if you dip it several tiems so the dip is nice and thick it will look decent and hold up. </DIV>

[techgnostic]

Originally Posted by DirtyWaterIL

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<DIV>Ive seen some peopel coat their weights in tool dip with varying results. If you only use 1 layer it will crack and peel and look very bad. if you dip it several tiems so the dip is nice and thick it will look decent and hold up. </DIV>

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<DIV>Good to know, thank you very much. I've found a spray on version as well.</DIV>

[CompuDude]

Yes, I've seen homemade coated lead and it seems to work fine.

I'd rather pay a few bucks and get good, pre-coated hard weights.



Naked lead is bad. Soft weights are worse.

[techgnostic]

I haven't seen pre-coated weights in too many places...that's why I was planning on doing it myself. Any source recommendations?

[CompuDude]

LeisurePro has them (same kind I use), as do retail shops all over SoCal. but I don't know if it's worth buying online, however, due to the cost of shipping LEAD.

[techgnostic]

Good point! ($8 to ship a $4 item.)
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<DIV>Looks like I'm back to spray coating. NP </DIV>