Poll on Scuba Weights

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Looks like the are going for $2-$4 lb plus shipping on ebay. How many do you have?

[Winger Ed.]

he was an instructor at the Jungle Warfare School. Why he lugged them back into the far North East of America is a mystery.

.

I wouldn't have wanted to leave them behind either.
And it wasn't like he had to take them as carry on baggage at the airport---

If the govt. moved him, the weights would have gone on along in his 'house hold effects' for free.
All he'd have to do was tell the movers, "Take those too".
When he got back state side, point and tell the movers on that end, "put those over there".

[Jeff Michel]

I always cast my own, 2 and 4 pound. Just used scrounged plumbers scrap from old iron pipe or wheel weights. I'd run a batch and see where it takes you.

[jonp]

I wouldn't have wanted to leave them behind either.
And it wasn't like he had to take them as carry on baggage at the airport---

If the govt. moved him, the weights would have gone on along in his 'house hold effects' for free.
All he'd have to do was tell the movers, "Take those too".
When he got back state side, point and tell the movers on that end, "put those over there".

Yup, that's how I moved. Everything free of charge back to the homestead.

[USSR]

At the scrap yard today, saw 2 of them. Dropped the first one and it went "thud"; dropped the other one it went "ting". Only the first one went home with me.

Don

[GaryM]

I cast dive weights from the same lead I cast bullets.

[jonp]

Looks like 100% "cast and shoot" Guess I have my answer unless a contrarian votes.

[Drm50]

I have 1/2 a 5gal bucket full of things that look like belt buckles. They are harder than pure lead and back side is corrugated in casting. I thought these to be divers weights that were strung on a belt of some type???

[kevin c]

I have 1/2 a 5gal bucket full of things that look like belt buckles. They are harder than pure lead and back side is corrugated in casting. I thought these to be divers weights that were strung on a belt of some type???

Sounds like home cast weights, but a pic would help settle the question.

[scattershot]

If it melts, it will make a bullet, as far as I’m concerned.

[David2011]

I would think if zinc were present, the weights would show evidence of not filling out properly. Cast, shoot and enjoy. BTW, was your father-in-law the Puerto Rican Sergeant at the MWR boat rental dock?

IMO scuba molds never fill out like boolit molds anyway. I’ve known several people that cast scuba weights and the preferred source was almost always COWW. That’s certainly not a guarantee though.

[Castaway]

What is, or are, COWW? Guessing WW is wheel weights

[lightman]

What is, or are, COWW? Guessing WW is wheel weights

Clip-on wheelweights.

[RogerDat]

If it has a weight amount cast into it weigh it. Molds for scuba weights are designed to cast the weight they cast into the weight in pure lead. Lighter than stated weight then not pure lead. Matches weight it will have to be pretty close to pure lead.

I tend to melt stuff like that in a single batch. Get a chance to check out the temperature it melts at and how does it cast into an ingot mold (muffin tin puck or bread pan slab)

If actual weight and melt point seems to indicate plain lead use it as such in bigger batch if not then either test or play it by ear but should have eliminated zinc from consideration based on melt temp and melt pouring and consistency.

I do avoid cast fishing weight scrap. Too many items to be confident in ability to avoid tossing a handful in that are from contaminated lead. Half dozen dive weights are easy enough to deal with and end up with a clean batch of lead.

Can't beat a spring loaded prick punch as a quick and dirty field hardness check. Prick punch some know plain, COWW, solder and linotype lead. Hit a piece of zinc. Study the results. Gives you a bench mark for doing a quick push with the punch against scrap to determine the relative hardness.

[dale2242]

The spring loaded punch is an awesome idea.
Sounds like it is better than wacking the edges of a known alloy ingot against an unknown one to compare hardness.
I will give than one a try.