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Lead Weight Mould - How?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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Pav

Well-Known Member
Nov 1, 2005
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Any suggestions on how to make a belt mould as I have a growing pile of scrap lead.

I'm guessing mild steel and welding? , or can you get away with a wooden mould with the low melt point. Cheers.
 
I've used steel pipe with rubber belt in the slot. Wood is useable but creates a few problems. A plaster-of-paris mold with a bolt glued in will be OK. My latest weights are just a pound of lead, melted in a kitchen ladle (ss), and a single hole, drilled and tapped.
There is also a very nice aluminium mold with inserts from Canada. A little pricy mabe but streamlined and 3/4 kilo and half kilo size, if the memory is right.
 
I´ve tried with gypsum. Thats was not a success. The mould must be baked for a really long time to have ALL water evaporate. Otherwise the water will turn in to gas when poring the hot led, which will result in bubbles in the cast.
I can really recommend a materiel, which you can heat before poring the led to ensure that the led flows into all corners and edges.
Maybe mould-sand could be a good idea since it can be reused over and over.

Good luck and wear thick gloves and carbon filter mask ;)

Best regards
Herup.
 
I've made lead diving weight moulds from lots of materials. Wood is best for a small batch. Fully machined/welded steel is my favourite and can make 1000's of top quality weights but need a lot of expertise and facilities to create (I have these).

Buying ready commercially made aluminium alloy weight moulds is still relatively cheap and lasts a lifetime.

Search button should get you more info than you ever need.

Good luck.

Dave

Added picture of my current favourite self made steel mould for bullet weights and my belt fitted with weights made from the mould. Despite the rust on the mould through lack of use this year it has made litterally 1000's of weights and is still going strong.
 

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I don't have access to the equipment Dave has - so I bought a simple alloy 'H' mould from Leo Darmitz in Canada his email address is: logicdesign@rogers.com. He markets it as the Allton mould I think.

Myself and buddy have been happily making standard 1kg freediving weights for the last few years using the same mould.

Very helpful guy and very reasonable prices - especially if you think about time and effort to make one yourself in metal.

James
 
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Anyone looking for moulds to cast weights for FREEDIVING??
I have the perfect moulds. Have a look at the photos and E-Mail me if you are interested. I am the guy, i.e. Leo Darmitz, in Canada that is mentioned in the previous post. My E-Mail is still the same - logicdesign@rogers.com The weights are 1.7 and 2.5 pound (772 & 1135 gm respectively). I would post prices here, but prices have a tendency to change.
 

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easy mold can be done in aluminum or iron.
 

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They look great. Are these moulds you have made?
The mould in the 4th photo looks easiest to make. How are the two parts of the mould held together when pouring.
 
Nice Moulds and the finished product looks Cool :) Do you coat the weights or paint them asn the black finish looks awesome!!!!

Pav I reckon a clamp with the plastic feet taken off it will hold that bad boy together.
 
I use two piece molds I got used off of Ebay. I still need a four pounder but they always go too high for a tight wad like me. I use whatever scrap lead I can get. Wheel weights, old batteries, pipe packing, whatever. What the pictures don't show is that I generally add spring clamps to the outside of the molds to prevent blow outs. I spray the molds with silicon mold release. And, just like casting bullets you need to pre heat the mold if you want a nice finish. The first one usually comes out a bit lumpy but It does the job of giving the mold an even heat and they re-melt just fine if you don't like the look.
 

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The perfect weight is the pinch weight invented by Tin Man. But the mold is complicated. It's one of my prized possessions :)

RubberBelt.jpg


PinchWeightsDemo1.jpg


PinchWeightsDemo2.jpg


PinchWeightsMold.jpg
 
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Pav ,excuse the delay here is the photo attached.
 

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Pav,I could not resist and I bought a mold lpojibwa I think it's great, not wanting to influence your ideas seems to me a choice to consider.
 
The perfect weight is the pinch weight invented by Tin Man. But the mold is complicated. It's one of my prized possessions :)

RubberBelt.jpg


PinchWeightsDemo1.jpg


PinchWeightsDemo2.jpg


PinchWeightsMold.jpg

Dan, where'd you get the mold from? Does Tin Man sell those? I'd love to own one.
 
I got from it Tin Man about 2 years ago when he first came up with the idea, I could see it was solid and jumped on the opportunity to get a mold. Like I said it's one of my prized possessions. After diving with these weights you really can't use any other ones. Tin Man doesn't make or sell them any more.
 
Thought i would bump this back to the top. Are bullet weights like OMD was making commercially available? They look more comfy than typical weights from the stores.
 
well you can always make the lead moulds out of clay ( i think--> u might want to check that with someone else)
NEVER GET ANY WATER IN MOULTEN LEAD-although you probally already new that
scape off the impurities
and always consider whether or not its worth your health to save $100 - maybe get a high tec marsk or something
 
My advice would be to buy the weights already made.

I made lead weights for the dive shops for just over a year. I wore a chemical mask, wore heavy clothes, gloves, worked in a very well ventilated area (outside) the whole lot.

I started getting pains in my sides, headaches, loss of energy pains in my joints and chest . The first blood test I had showed a rise in my blood/ lead level by .6 and im due to have another in 2 months time.

I did everything by the book and Ive still damaged my health.
ITS NOT WORTH YOUR HEALTH!!!!!

Sorry if I sound like im preaching and im sure there will be a few guys that come on and say theyve had no ill effects but its just not worth your health.
 
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I'm with everyone regarding concerns of smelting my own lead, that is why i asked if anyone has seen commercially availble weights like those OMD was making.
 
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