Floppy Lead Codpieces

[RunTheExperiment]

There. Now that I have your attention

Background / Bigger Picture:
(Re)-Acquiring a personal set of SCUBA gear to enjoy local Great Lakes area freshwater diving.

Situation:
Bought weight pouches with weight from eBay. 36lbs for $35 plus shipping!

• I thought they were a pair of pouches that were full of shot weight that I could gain access to and adjust.
• Reality is both pouches are sewn shut. The only way to access the shot is to get out the seam ripper and open them.
• They (the bags) literally look like 2 codpieces with dive belts running through them.
• Each side weighs just over 18lbs / 36lbs total.
• This is too much weight for me / my set up so I need to adjust.

Potential solutions I've come up with fall into 2 categories:

Rip them open and repackage the shot weight into smaller bags that I can use to properly add weight to myself and my rig.

• Safety precautions of a respirator and conducting work outside, use of long clothing, and layers of nitrile disposable gloves while handling.
• Could possibly use a food sealer as others have done, but would risk the wrath of my wife if I exposed the food sealer to any lead dust in the operation.
• The food sealer method would require a non-reactive liquid to be added to eliminate floaty weights.
• It's been discussed on the board previously about the lead dust/residue that washes out of shot weights exposing myself and others to lead oxide dust after each dive and possibly marking a boat. No Bueno.

Rip them open, melt them down and cast solid weights.

• Yes outdoors, long clothes, respirators, welding gloves, disposable forging equipment, a torch, etc.
• As has been discussed on the board many times this is also inherently dangerous due to exposure to lead dust, splatters, burns, setting the lawn on fire, brain damage, and worse.
• Could CNC out patterns more like the "Pocket Weights" design in some scrap wood and food seal the newly cast blocks to eliminate exposure post-casting to the new blocks.
• Yes, block weights have a smaller surface area per volume of lead to create exposure to the dust and are less likely to leave a residue.

It has been a few years since the previous forum posts were opened or commented on. So my intent is to see if there are any updated views from the hive that could be helpful.

Things that would sway me:

Is there a new mesh or material that prevents the lead dust washout?
Is there a consumer-accessible coating that could be used to coat cast weights?

So, what sayeth the hive?

 

[tursiops]

Sell them or toss them.
Start over.
You clearly won't be happy with shot weights. A different buyer might.

 

[TMHeimer]

"Codpiece"....you learn something new even at my age. I thought it had to do with fish...

 

[RunTheExperiment]

Sell them or toss them.
Start over.
You clearly won't be happy with shot weights. A different buyer might.

@tursiops I was excited to buy these prior to finding the threads that others mention the lead dust washout issues. If there's a solution, I'm all about learning.

 

[RunTheExperiment]

"Codpiece"....you learn something new even at my age. I thought it had to do with fish...

I suppose to wear them like a codpiece it would require rotating them 90 deg and would provide extreme X-ray protection.

 

[Jonn]

Lead isn’t a precious metal but it’s precious enough. Your local scrap dealer will give you $0.50 / lb for you to put towards your new store-bought weight belt.

If you’re keen to get your hands dirty with a fun technical project and show off your one-of-a-kind homemade castings, by all means go for it! If you’re worried about contamination (as you should be) and are wealthy enough for our somewhat pricy hobby, the numbers aren’t really making sense here.

 

[RunTheExperiment]

Lead isn’t a precious metal but it’s precious enough. Your local scrap dealer will give you $0.50 / lb for you to put towards your new store-bought weight belt.

If you’re keen to get your hands dirty with a fun technical project and show off your one-of-a-kind homemade castings, by all means go for it! If you’re worried about contamination (as you should be) and are wealthy enough for our somewhat pricy hobby, the numbers aren’t really making sense here.

@Jonn I do love to get my hands dirty with a good side project.
I understand our diaspora of divers come from all walks of life and experiences and just maybe there have been some upgrades in understanding since the old threads ended. If cost were an issue, I would have taken up golf.

 

[Tracy]

I just sew bags out of old boat canvas in the sizes I need. Wet weights don't have lead dust. Dry weights need to do a lot of shaking around to generate much dust and then would have to somehow become airborn. It isn't just blowing straight up into the air through a canvas bag.
So basically, don't shake your soft lead weights for hours while dry and then throw them into the air.
In summary, wash your hands when you are done playing with lead and worry about other things in life.

 

[Doc]

+1 @Tracy
I have used double layers of lycra spandex or even heavy pantyhose to make inner-pockets for these DIY projects. Cable ties if you can’t sew.

I drop them into zippered “pencil” bags made of Cordura found at Walmart. Or buy army surplus/tactical pouches from eBay. You’re hauling these on suspenders rigs, right?

We’re simply talking about shotgun lead, I used #6 > #8. Lead handling is just common sense, if it’s brand new in the original 25# bag, pretty harmless. If it has been wet or oxidized, re-wet it and engage your brain.

 

[OTF]

Solid weights are best weights. I really don't understand why shot weight bags even exist. Increased corrosion on the massively increased surface area = lead going everywhere. Gross. And less dense. And harder to put on a belt.

Sell it or melt it and re-cast for fun. If I were going to cast my own custom weights I'd make some of these cool streamlined freediving style weights.