Make your own hip weights

[CCspearo]

Hi folks I thought I would share my experiences with making my own hip weights. Hip weights have the advantage of snugly fitting on both sides of the body，they require less length of weight belt，they don't jam together like smaller single weights，it takes the same time to cast 1 big weight as it does to cast a small weight. If you make your own cast you can have different weights for summer，autumn and winter wet suits.

This is my sand cast for hip weights. I tap a wooden version of the weight into the sand，carefully remove it and pour in the molten lead which is heated in an old coffee tin on a gas burner.
I preweigh the lead first and only melt enough lead for the size of weight I need. I have made weights from 1.5 kg for my 2mm summer wet suit to 5 kg for my 7mm winter suit

the top one is mine the bottom one is a store bought one. I get the curve by bending the weight over a log with a rubber mallet. The sand mix is 6 parts washed beach sand and 1part fireclay. I wet the sand enough that I can mould a sand sausage with my hands and the sausage breaks cleanly.
I also use this sand mould for making drop weights. For the uninitiated these are a weight 300 to 500g that clips on the end of your float line so it can be anchored when you find a good spot on a reef but can be clipped on your weight belt when you want to want to clip your float line to your speargun for shooting large pelagic fish.

This is my light weight belt for my 2mm suit and my drop weight.
I have heard stories of blowouts and flying molten lead due to the expansion of the moisture in the sand. I have made over 20 castings this way and never had a problem.
I do recommend using all the safety gear leather gloves, shoes and apron, full face and head protection and non flammable overalls. Make sure to keep the work area well ventilated and wear a breathing mask.
Good luck with your efforts.

 

[Mr. X]

I have a gas-ring on my propane BBQ, do you think would that be powerful enough to melt lead? Coffee tins are pretty thin, it wouldn't have occurred to me to use one for melting lead. I have a few Nescafe tins in the shed: round - short & tall - and rectangular; some of the newer ones have card sides though .

If coffee tins work then Christmas sweet tins (Roses/Quality Street/etc.) might too, they seem a bit thicker to me. But old kitechen pans might be better? Charity shops often have old saucepans and ovenware very cheap - one local shop showed me several fancy French Creuset cast iron pans going very cheap (probably 50p or £1 - they often go for over £200 new apparently), when the enamel goes they tend to get sent to the charity shop.

 

[sharkey]

LPG gas in theory can get to about 1900C with just air, in practice its hard to get anywhere near this in the field even with oxy to assist which is why oxy/acetylene is most often used for high heat & steels. The good news is that lead melts at low temps at about 330C which is very easy with LPG & just air. So long as the burner can put out enough energy (not just heat) to allow the change from solid to liquid, it should be easy with any LPG (liquified petroleum gas). Cant really comment much on the choice of hardware, but lead is very low melting point so it will melt before other alloys & solders which may have been used in the production of kitchenware, just go slowly.

 

[Mr. X]

Thanks sharkey. BTW that belt looks familiar. Does it have a double-D ring buckle by any chance?

 

[CCspearo]

Thanks sharkey. BTW that belt looks familiar. Does it have a double-D ring buckle by any chance?

Any gas camping burner is good enough to melt lead. I melted 5kg in one go with my cooking burner as shown in the following pic. I use an old coffee tin with an added wire handle and a piece of steel bracing with a 25mm turn up for removing slag from the top of the molten lead before pouring

 

[CCspearo]

Any gas camping burner is good enough to melt lead. I melted 5kg in one go with my cooking burner as shown in the following pic. I use an old coffee tin with an added wire handle and a piece of steel bracing with a 25mm turn up for removing slag from the top of the molten lead before pouringView attachment 43969View attachment 43970

I like the coffee can because I can clamp my vise grips on the lip on the base of the can to help pour the lead. A small sauce pan would probably work on smaller pours. I find vessels with larger surface area exposed to the flame like frypans lose heat quicker and take longer to melt lead. I also use a small propane torch from above to speed up the process when doing 5kg pours. Not needed but it gives me something to do while waiting. Watching lead melt is like watching paint dry. Note the long handle on the coffee tin to avoid the radiant heat from the molten lead. I use long welding gloves to protect my hands4. By the way the belt in the pic is an old cam lock style belt i found on the bottom of the Tasman Sea. It was broken and discarded and I had to make a new lever part.

 

[CCspearo]

I like the coffee can because I can clamp my vise grips on the lip on the base of the can to help pour the lead. A small sauce pan would probably work on smaller pours. I find vessels with larger surface area exposed to the flame like frypans lose heat quicker and take longer to melt lead. I also use a small propane torch from above to speed up the process when doing 5kg pours. Not needed but it gives me something to do while waiting. Watching lead melt is like watching paint dry. Note the long handle on the coffee tin to avoid the radiant heat from the molten lead. I use long welding gloves to protect my hands4. By the way the belt i the pic is an old cam lock style belt i found on the bottom of the Tasman Sea. It was broken and discarded and I had to make a new lever part.

This is the buckle. It has been burned in sump oil so the sharks dont think it is a shinny little fish an bite me on the belly.