best wetsuit?

Hi,

Weights are fun to make and only a little scarry, avoid wet molds.
The last molds I made were out of cedar, which turned out to be too oily, but it worked. Just carve out the cavity for what you want, and allow for the extraction of the cooling weight. Try to find really cheap or free lead. You will also need a pourable container for the melting and pouring of the lead. In a pinch cans
work, but cast iron is the best. The heating unit can vary from a fire to a high power lp heater. I prefer the latter. The coating that Bill suggests is very friendly to the env. and may eventually be required of all weights, or bismuth. Making a clip-on weight using wire requires preheating. The best molds allow preheating, and that way allow very pretty products may be created, without any seaming as the lead fills the mold.

Best wishes,

Doug

a weighty subject

Hi Pekka,

Hey I've got to believe that there are weights available where your at either by ordering at a shop or on-line. But seeing as how we, or, I am such a stickler with my gear...here you go-

I've got a mold made from aluminum that makes one pound, cylindrical weights which I find are pretty ideal in terms of distributing weight around the torso and keep the weights slim. Let me know where to send it and you can use it. Free48 is right in that weights are fun to make, as is pretty much anything related to diving.

The best lead sources are tire repair shops, they keep and recycle the balance weights. You might have to coax them with a pint or two, but hey... Melt the lead OUTSIDE over a camp stove in a cast iron crucible or container. The container will need some time to come up to temp as will the mold- the first pour or two will yield weights that look scaley and often incomplete from the molten lead not flowing properly. Once the mold gets some heat in it, simply spray the inside of the mold with a cheap silicone spray, clamp the mold in a vise and insert the plate that forms the hole (slot) for the belt, 2" nylon or rubber. Then pour away. Keep the crucible semi full, it'll help melt the next batch of lead.

Split the mold after about five minutes and drive out the plate and off you go...

Deal?

sven