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Makings of dive weights

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

New Member
Sep 25, 2003
32
3
0
I happened to be away and missed out on one of the threads mentioning how they made a mold and poured their own weights for freediving. They were more streamlined than your typical diving weights if I recall. If anyone remembers this thread please info me, Thanks.
 
The procedure was told by malta spero at the custom wooden gun tread but I remember some of the parts (or at least I would do them in this way :D )
- choose th desired shape (blocks with the cross section of a wing)
- carve a piece of wood in the actual dive weight shape
- put some lime into a bucket, water it and put your model inside the model (side up).
- wait it to dry, than lift the wooden model.
- place an iron sheet with the same thickness width of your weight belt at the center of the curvature
- pour the molten lead

let it cool and dismantle it without breaking the mold....

I think the last part is the most difficult stage..

take care.
 
Thanks Memo for reply

Also is the mold than just a one piece or can be two part mold and is it lime that is used for the lawn like we may find in the gardening nursery or of something different???
 
I would use a single cup shaped mould made from either cement or or ordinary lawn like lime. The trick is in the removing of weights from mould...
 
If you buy the molds you`ll probably end up spending more than buying the weights unless you`ll make loads of them.
Be careful, melt lead acts like cold water poured into a very hot pan. You`ll have to find some balance here between too hot and not hot enough (hard to tell from just having a look). And pour it in one go. If it boils like hell, stop it and start again later just avoid pouring the lead bit by bit waiting in between to stop boiling. You`ll end up having a weight with many lead layers instead of one stable block and it will fall apart. Good luck!

Regards, Joe
 
I guess warming up the mold would be a big plus since it looks like one casting per lime mold is all you will likely get unless the mold doesn't break after the first cast.
 
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