Freedom Plate Divers Roll Call: show us your rig!

[dmaziuk]

I think you meant there is NOT much clearance there. The V-weight pouch comes empty, so you can put as much lead shot in there as you want or will fit. But, being so long, I bet you could fit at least 3 # in there. Plus, if you put the bolts that hold the rail through the grommets of the pouch, that will stand the rail off a little further from the plate - giving you room for even more shot in the pouch.

Oh, good one. The pouch holds about 3.5 lb, maybe 3.8, on one side. Now I know what I'll do with the remaining shot from that 5 lb SeaSoft bag.

There's also grommets on the wing, adding even more clearance on the other side.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Hey guys, @lexvil and @stuartv,
What do you think of a casted solid lead block with 11” center attachment points recessed to allow for nuts.
Cast it with the curve to follow the plate and a concave outer surface for the tank and thicker at the bottom to keep the angle. Bolt it on over the wing. Think it would work?

 

[Chanly83]

@Eric Sedletzky what about cast lead into a tank kicker bent out of stainless?

 

[stuartv]

Hey guys, @lexvil and @stuartv,
What do you think of a casted solid lead block with 11” center attachment points recessed to allow for nuts.
Cast it with the curve to follow the plate and a concave outer surface for the tank and thicker at the bottom to keep the angle. Bolt it on over the wing. Think it would work?

I think that would work. I would make sure to made the recessed points big enough to allow for wing nuts, if the user wanted to. Probably with a lock washer.

The only thing I would be concerned about is if the lead would be soft enough to eventually deform from having a tank strap pulling a tank really hard against it. I'm not saying it would. I don't know. I just know that lead is supposed to be softer than steel.

What about, instead of replacing the tank rail with a solid lead version, you just cast a big weight to fit between the plate and tank rail. It would have indents to line up with the rails and the cross piece in the rails that would hold it captured in place once the tank rail is bolted on.

Another option might be to focus on putting weight on either side of the center of the plate - in that area of the wing's center panel that doesn't have bladder. One example: If you had a thing like this Soft STA:

OMS Soft Stabilizing Adapter

But, where it has the two side rolls, you took those out and replaced whatever is there with lead rods, instead.

Or, going back to the earlier idea, what about casting a lead weight that fills up the space under the center rail and then just sticks up higher on the outside sides of the rail. It could be pretty wide, and the center rail would hold it in place. The bottom of it could even curve up away from the plate, to keep it from holding the wing down flat to the plate in the middle. Sort of like it's cradling your tank. You could probably get 8 - 10# of lead in there that way, if you wanted a weight that heavy.

 

[dmaziuk]

I think it should work. I don't know if you'd get may takers though: I only dive locally once a year, if that, and the local lakes are very shallow. I can "suffer" it in a weight belt too... You'd need someone who dives in 7 mm / 14 lbs all the time and doesn't want ditchable weight.

 

[stuartv]

I think it should work. I don't know if you'd get may takers though: I only dive locally once a year, if that, and the local lakes are very shallow. I can "suffer" it in a weight belt too... You'd need someone who dives in 7 mm / 14 lbs all the time and doesn't want ditchable weight.

Yes. I should have said that, too. I think it would work, but I personally would be unlikely to use one. If I'm diving in cold water, I am very unlikely to be diving my Freedom Plate rig. My 5mm is good, for me, down to at least 60F and I don't need very much weight with that suit and a steel tank.

 

[lexvil]

Hey guys, @lexvil and @stuartv,
What do you think of a casted solid lead block with 11” center attachment points recessed to allow for nuts.
Cast it with the curve to follow the plate and a concave outer surface for the tank and thicker at the bottom to keep the angle. Bolt it on over the wing. Think it would work?

Overall, yes, meaning to replace the rail, maybe a high antimony content for hardness?? Or just a cast weight with tabs to reach out to the holes?? For me getting the plate to 15 lbs is ideal but may not work for many others. Another approach may be a stainless block I’m lieu of the rail, that could add 7 lbs or so or a series of SS plates akin to the weighting system I had for a Canon camera.


I dive dry almost exclusively and I need the weight, if I’m diving wet I use light weight stuff.

 

[MichaelMc]

On adding lead to the plate, my preference would be allowing some high up, to trim out some kept on a belt for ditching.

Adding it low on the plate is convenient and compact vs non ditchable on say the harness belt.

But if you want at least a few pounds as a ditchable weight belt, adding lead high on the plate may be essential for trim. Tank neck or band are always possible, but put the weight further from the body.

A lead free weight casting option is Fusible Alloys such as Bismuth-Tin with melt temp of 281 degrees. It is four times the price though. Density is 8.5 vs leads 11.4. Lead-free, Fishing Tackle Weight Bismuth-Tin Alloy - 281 It might be possible to cast with a silicon 3D printed mold.

 

[lexvil]

On adding lead to the plate, my preference would be allowing some high up, to trim out some kept on a belt for ditching.

Adding it low on the plate is convenient and compact vs non ditchable on say the harness belt.

But if you want at least a few pounds as a ditchable weight belt, adding lead high on the plate may be essential for trim.

Agreed, I have pouches on my top band and put 10 lbs there, leg heavy divers will understand.

 

[dmaziuk]

Agreed, I have pouches on my top band and put 10 lbs there, leg heavy divers will understand.

That's where I normally have all my weight.

For a local dive though I last used umpteen lbs with Al plate, I figure the FP, plus 4-5 lbs in that v-pouch, plus a couple of 3's on the top band should do it.