Custom weights

[CT-Rich]

I have both soft shot and hard weights. The advantage of soft shot is it doesn't chafe in the corners of weight pouches. Hard weights are much denser. The plastic bags will chafe against the outside fabric and the inside lead. My guess is they won't last and will leak shot over time and become a headache you won't want to deal with.

If you want lead weights to fit into weight pouches on a harness and be less than $5 a pound, I would suggest buying or making a mold. I bought my 2 piece mold for 6 lbs weights 40 years ago and still use it. You can make a mold pretty easily by carving the them or filling a bag with plaster and letting is dry in the intended pouch. Afterwards, clean it up with a pocket knife and then using it to cast in sand. Rough corners can be hammered down pretty easily. You can coat them with plastic pretty easily, too. A bar of soap will also work.

Uncoated lead shot will grid together and create more lead dust that either goes into the water or in the back of your car.

 

[pwoolf]

About a year ago I bought a bunch of (very small) shot from a boat yard salvaged from the ballast of a defunct sailboat's keel. I've tried several different ways of making pouches - some of them hairbrained, like the 30 inch long soft weight "snake" I made by filling a length of bicycle inner tube with shot and gluing the ends shut. The idea was to attach to BP following the sides of the (single, backmounted) tank, crossing over at the top behind my neck. This was my brilliant way of getting enough weight forward for proper trim. That test dive was over pretty fast after I got my head out of the sand.

Really interesting experiments with different weight solutions! Your experience with the durability challenges of plastic bags matches what I've found in my research. I wanted to share an alternative that might interest you - using cupronickel coins (like US nickels) as weights.

The coins solve several of the issues you've encountered:

• They're more durable than shot since they're solid pieces
• No need for special containment beyond standard weight pouches
• They're readily available at banks
• The corrosion resistance is excellent (same alloy used in marine applications)
• They maintain full value if you want to change your setup

For your trim weight needs, coins can work well since you can adjust the amount precisely. The density is about 70% that of lead, but this is easily accommodated by adding a few more coins. One pound requires about 91 nickels ($4.55).

This approach eliminates the safety concerns of handling lead while providing similar functionality. If you're interested, I've put together some detailed information about using coins as weights if you are curious.

 

[Ted Judah]

Here are my custom weights.

 

[CT-Rich]

Here are my custom weights.

That is very clever. Those are abalone shells pressed into a sand mold? they look really cool with the vintage belt. how did you attach them to the belt?

 

[Ted Judah]

That is very clever. Those are abalone shells pressed into a sand mold? they look really cool with the vintage belt. how did you anchor them to the belt?

Stainless bolts with wing nuts embedded in the lead.

 

[happy-diver]

Absolutely unique, truly magnificent, best thing I have ever seen

Have you thought about getting into earings