Homemade weight molds

[DA Aquamaster]

If it makes you feel better I have found a lot of the manufactured weights I have don't actually weigh what they say they do, usually under. I guess it's a profit deal.

It is indirectly.

Mold volume and thus weight is usually designed with an eye toward using pure lead. However, pure lead is more expensive and in applications where a specific hardness is not an issue, it's more common to use scrap lead that more often than not contains tin, antimony, etc to increase hardness. The resulting alloy is however lighter than pure lead.

In my experience a 5 pound mold will actually cast a 5 pound weight with pure lead, but with wheel weights the resulting weight will be noticeably harder (and more durable) but will only weigh about 4 pounds. It's not all bad though as if you drop a pure lead weight (Brinnel hardness of 5) from waist level on a concrete floor, you'll put a hefty ding in the weight if it lands on an edge. On the other hand if you drop a weight cast from scrap wheel weights (Brinnel hardness of 12-15), you'll hardly notice any damage.

So I suspect the under weighted nature of most scuba weights is related to the alloy used to intentionally save on production costs by recycling a less expensive lead alloy but also to increase the durability of the weight.

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

Set the mold on a scale (protect it from the heat) zero the scale out. Then pour till the desired weight is reached

 

[The Chairman]

Not so sure you have to be concerned about handling the lead. All of my family has fished for a ton of years, handled lead as split shot (often crimped between teeth) and sinkers. We also made tons of spit shot and sinkers and decoy anchors and none of us has ever gotten sick. We did have great respect for the fumes though. And we washed up before we ate.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but this is probably the WORST advice given on ScubaBoard in some time because it is to unsafe. While it's true that some Doctors smoke, it doesn't make it safe! Your family's anecdotal experience with lead does little to dismiss the actual science and research that shows how dangerous lead really is. Why do you think they took it out of gasoline and paint? It has some very bad mojo, indeed. In the automotive industry, I grew up exposed to lead. I blame my faulty memory directly on cumulative lead poisoning. Over the years, the warnings about lead poisoning have become far more strident in the automotive industry, where it's still used to balance tires. I remember as a service manager for Goodyear being chastised for using expensive coated weights one year, and then being praised for it the next. Here are some common safety tips... mostly common sense...

• Handle lead as little as possible. Treat it like the poison it is.
• Wash, wash, wash your hands thoroughly before eating, drinking or smoking. Add to that: blowing your nose, wiping your face, going to the bathroom, combing your hair... anytime your hands get near mucous membranes or other sensitive areas, they need to be cleaned.
• Avoid lead dust and/or fumes at all costs. Use a respirator or at the very minimum, an activated charcoal filter.
• Whatever you do, NEVER, EVER, EVER put lead in your mouth... not even to crush a sinker. I have seen mechanics do this while balancing a tire. Hammer one while the other is between their lips. It's bad, no, it's worse than bad: it's stupid. Don't do it!
• While dark lead is somewhat safer (it's been oxidized) it still poses a significant problem for Scuba enthusiasts. It's best to paint or coat lead in rubber to make it safer.

Additional reading => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

 

[SC_Hoaty]

My neighbors work with lead all the time. Have for generations. It has had no effect on them, right?

 

[Peter_C]

I grab a scuba tank, and always 32% LOL, put my right post long hose reg onto it, then breathe of it while melting and pouring lead. I also wear latex or nitril gloves.

My last pour.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Having just gone through this at work for OSHA, DEP, and EPA as we do casting of Babbit shims for a number of applications, the greater hazard is the lead dust, shavings, and residue on your hands and in the air. If there are any fumes being given off during casting of lead just above it's melting point it's not from the lead. Lead does not vaporize when it turns to a liquid at normal casting temps. However the nasty alloys and impurities that are also in there, especially with scrap lead, can mess you up good.

Some idiot account exec (fancy name for a salesman) we have just requested a quote from our dept for a lead radiation shield. Wanted us to cut it on the waterjet. Yeah right dipwad! I'm going to take an 87,000 PSI stream of water mixed with abrasive, blast through it sending particles throughout the entire shop, contaminate the catch tank (wonder how much our cleaning service will charge to handle that water and what permits we and they will need to get), and then handle the crap with the piss poor ventilation we have. I told my boss if he quotes it to include a caveat that the account exec had to stand right in front of me for the entire time the thing was cutting.

Yes we have idiots where I work.

 

[SeaHorse81]

Given the horrid toxicity of lead, all the fuss required to handle it safely, the huge likelihood of screwing up and getting undesired exposure anyway, and the affordability of premade weights, I can't imagine why anyone would want to make their own.

Some things just aren't worth doing. But to each his own.

 

[Tigerman]

Given the horrid toxicity of lead, all the fuss required to handle it safely, the huge likelihood of screwing up and getting undesired exposure anyway, and the affordability of premade weights, I can't imagine why anyone would want to make their own.

Some things just aren't worth doing. But to each his own.

Some weight systems work much better with a specific shape of weights and theire not always available. I notice this myself when travelling as my weight pouches wants "sheets of lead" not the commonly available "lumps". I kinda dont wanna travel with weights so I make due, but it IS noticeably less brilliant with the "wrong shape" weights, so I can definetly see why some would want to make their own non-standard shaped weights..

 

[rickym96]

Update. I made a new mold today and it seems with less taper in the sides of the mold I am able to pour more consistent weights. The two on the left are from my new mold.

 

[Zen Diving Inc.]

View attachment 142079Update.
I made a new mold today and it seems with less taper in the sides of the mold I am able to pour more consistent weights. The two on the left are from my new mold.

They look good, now just cover them in rubber. Plenty of 2part rubber mixes out there.