Homemade weights

[Desa]

One other thought. I have never priced them, because I am not a fisherman, but what about lead sinkers for fishing. I have picked up hundreds of them off the bottom in areas where lines get broke. the small ones about the size of a quarter would add up in a hurry, and are small enough to be comfortable. Just another option...

 

[Curt Bowen]

That's what I figured. Thanks Tobin. They say that in NYC you can get anything at any time, and that it never sleeps. All lies! NYC can be a pain when it comes to outdoor gear, gun shops, and the like. Not much hunting going on in Queens! Not counting criminal hunting ofcourse. Hee hee. Sports Authority is mostly the kind of sporting goods store you get here. Heck, we don't even have a Wal Mart. Where I used to live (Tallahasse) there was a great outdoor sporting goods store that would have had exactly what I need. Here in NYC however, the hunt is on. People will look at me cock eyed if ask for lead shot. Then if I try to explain why I need it, they will really think I am crazy and that's assuming they speak English...

Simple

I use soft weights you can buy from the dive shop. Cut them open and poured them into my specialized sized tube weight i wanted.

Does your dive shop carry soft weights for those fancy weight belts?

 

[616fun]

Does anyone know of a reason why someone could not take 7.5 Lead Shot and make their own weights using a food saver?

This would make the packages air tight and water proof.

Are there any adverse consequences to doing it this way? I just have a hard time buying weights for $2.20 + tax a pound when I can do it this way for around $0.58 a pound!

I'm too tight to pay that much for weights - so I bought a yard of heavy canvas at a local sewing shop along with some upholstery thread. Then I went to Gander Mountain (local outdoor store) and bought #9 shot for $12.99 per 15 lb. I was able borrow my grandma's sewing machine and make 50 lbs. of soft weight for about $30 (real men don't own sewing machines ).

I thought about using a FoodSaver to package the weight and then place them in the canvas bag, but I decided it was too much work.

I have dove with them 2-3 times now and so far have only noted these issues:

They ooze a milkly white liquid while drying​

They take a long time to dry​

Basically just don't leave them in your BC or you'll have a mess on it. I assume that eventually the run off will cease. Other than that they rock!

 

[cool_hardware52]

(real men don't own sewing machines )

Real men own manly (7 class) sewing machines!


Rinsing off the lshot before use is helpful, as is a larger size like 7 1/2 or #6 or #4. Larger shot has less surface area.

Are you sure it's the shot that's bleeding and not the canvas?


Regards,



Tobin

 

[neil]

That's what I figured. Thanks Tobin. They say that in NYC you can get anything at any time, and that it never sleeps. All lies! NYC can be a pain when it comes to outdoor gear, gun shops, and the like. Not much hunting going on in Queens! Not counting criminal hunting ofcourse. Hee hee. Sports Authority is mostly the kind of sporting goods store you get here. Heck, we don't even have a Wal Mart. Where I used to live (Tallahasse) there was a great outdoor sporting goods store that would have had exactly what I need. Here in NYC however, the hunt is on. People will look at me cock eyed if ask for lead shot. Then if I try to explain why I need it, they will really think I am crazy and that's assuming they speak English...

I used to be a New Yawka. Go across the GW bridge to Paramus. On Rte 17 is Ramsay Outdoor (one in Ramsay, too). I used to get my reloading supplies there. There are also a couple of gun shops out there, but I don't remember where. All in that Paramus area.

Neil

 

[scubadobadoo]

Thanks Neil. I am learning that New Jersey seems to be where NY shops!

 

[GreyIII]

I dove with my new weights made from my wife and my daughters older nylons/pantyhose, and it's been 4 days and they are just now dry.

I ended up putting them on kitchen racks, in the tub, so they didn't sit in their own water. After 3 days I put them outside on the deck and viola...dry in one day of work. Go figure.

I used #7.5 shot for my weights but when I make my wifes I will use a larger size.

If you just double up or even triple up the nylons they don't seem to rip. Although the nylons I used had Lycra in them.

Also to save a bit of a headache I would use white nylons or at least lighter colored. After I made mine from Black I realized I wanted to mark what weight they were. So I tied them inside white nylons and wrote on them with a Sharpe so I know what their weight is.

 

[Kestrell]

I have seen on ebay where they sell the mesh weight bags.You can fill them with your own lead and i think they have a velcro closure or you can sew them closed.

Yep. Problem soved.