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Post by pearldiver on Sept 3, 2005 13:12:38 GMT -8
Hey...Just a question. Allen was SOOOO kind and made me a new repro cotton D-ring weight belt for my teeny one pound weights. I am very happy about that and it is made PERFECTLY. It even smells the same. But anyway....I was wondering if anyone would be interested in obtaining the teeny weights. My husband works at Chrysler and I am conning him into doing some G-work and make a Voit one pound mold to fit the belts. I know they are expensive to buy on ebay and hard to find. He is bringing a teeny weight into work and asking a guy to see if he would be willing to make a mold for me. What I'm asking you is....If I had this mold made, who would be interested in obtaining the one pound weights if I made them. I would probably lean either towards Voit name on them or U.S. Divers. What one would you guys want more of. My husband said it would be tough to have the name in the mold, and would ask if it is possible. So, let me know who may be interested in finishing their outfit. I saw you guys drewling over my weight belt. I've dove with that weight belt for 35 years. It's VERY comfortable and no back pain. You can tighten it nice and tight and the weights are very tiny and fit close to your body. What do you guys think? Any interest?
Gayle
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2005 20:11:31 GMT -8
Gayle
I'd be interested, my wife is getting certified this fall to dive and doesn't like the large weights I use and loan to her..........what would be your cost?
Michael
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Post by Gayle on Sept 4, 2005 4:12:15 GMT -8
Hi Micheal,
I'm not certain on the costs just yet. I am mainly seeing how many people are interested first. The Die will cost nothing, so it is a matter of lead, shipping and seeing how much the belts would cost from Allen. Your wife will love a weight belt like this. Plus it is easy to doff if you need to in an emergency. For some reason the buckle stays in place where it should be. In front of you. The only other luck I had with a weight belt are the olden day rubber ones that Aquacraft made with the loop style quick release clasp holding it together. I made two pound weights for that one and it doesn't hurt my back either and fits nice and tight. I usually have four weight belts set up. One for a drysuit, one for a full wetsuit, one for underwater metal detecting with too much weight so I stay down, and one for my thin Henderson suit. Then I just grab the weight belt I need for that type of diving. I'll keep you posted when I find out if the die can be made. My husband loves a challenge!!
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Bob3
Regular Diver
Posts: 33
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Post by Bob3 on Sept 8, 2005 18:07:31 GMT -8
I sometimes kick myself for melting mine down...
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Post by pearldiver on Oct 14, 2005 13:57:37 GMT -8
Update: The weight mold is on the drawing board and should be done in about a month. I'll have 'Voit' on the weights and keep you posted. Hang on to your old lead.
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Post by Gomez' echo on Oct 14, 2005 15:07:38 GMT -8
I'll do the belts. Dan and I have been working on the Voit green. So far, I personally think that the color was a dark green, dark in the sense that the USD blue is dark. My thought is that the harnesses fade and the darker the better when they were new. But, that is speculation. We have a sample of an original, but then it is good and faded. USD blue is easy, the Voit green is not. Let me know if you want a 1" belt.
Allan
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 14, 2005 15:58:37 GMT -8
I have about 30 pounds of fishing weights now...
John
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Post by pearldiver on Oct 15, 2005 3:06:53 GMT -8
Sounds good John. Allen made my belt longer than the original one so I can add a few more weights and I have a little more slack for the loop on the d-ring when buckled. The radius' on the weight mold have been the problem so far. The weights I have are different from each other. Healthways was curved a little, some US Divers had a notch for the belt to lay in flat, and some real old US Diver weights didn't. So it must have been the time of manufacture or even a different manufacture. I'm not up on that, maybe Diving Doc knows why. In any case, does anyone out there have the ability and know how to melt down lead and make these weights without getting themselves killed? I would like to keep the cost of these just to the borrowing of the mold, or have someone volunteer to do this for everyone at a very nominal fee. You all would look cool and vintage wearing one!!
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Post by Gomez' echo on Oct 15, 2005 3:35:41 GMT -8
As most black powder shooters know (I am one), melting lead and cast round balls is a very simple process. Seeing as how you are probably going to have one mold, i.e., casting one weight at a time, the little Lyman pot which holds about 8 pounds will do nicely. The pot is cast iron and lasts forever. www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=855578You can heat the lead with almost any heat source. I use a single propane camping stove or even an electric hot plate works. www.centurycamping.com/stoves/trail/DO NOT use the kitchen stove. Wives get really upset about those little splatters of lead on the stove and when they hit the vinyl flooring, well, they melt it a little!!! I do my casting in the garage with the doors open, lead fumes you know. But overall, it is a very easy process. Wear heavy gloves and clothes/shoes that a few little scorch spots don't matter. Casing lead is no big deal. Here is what Google gave me: members.aol.com/illinewek/faqs/casting.htmand www.civilwarguns.com/9803.html |
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Post by SeaRat on Oct 15, 2005 12:49:32 GMT -8
Okay, there are a few things to discuss here.
Lead is very toxic if it gets into someone, and even at low levels can lower the IQ of children. It is therefore very, very important to have good hygiene when handling and melting lead. Do not do it inside the house, as lead fume could result in contamination of the house floors, etc. This is especially important when children are in the house, but us older people could also be harmed. In commercial settings, melting lead must use very good ventilation if it is done inside. Usually, a dedicated "local exhaust" to the outside is necessary. If you don't have this option, then only do this melting outside. Heat the lead outside, in a pot or something that will be dedicated ONLY[/B] to that purpose. Do not use it for anything having to do with cooking after melting lead.
Then, melt the lead only until it melts. At that point, very little fume would be released. Continued heating could release lead fume, which could then be inhaled with bad results.
These bad results are not initially recognized, as they add to the "lead burden" of the body over time. It is the "over time" part that is important. The effects can happen years after the exposure(s), and they are cummulative. Take the time to do this right.
John
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Post by duckbill on Oct 15, 2005 23:57:07 GMT -8
If you do wind up doing your own casting (as simonbeans said, it isn't difficult), you will probably find you will have to play with the temperature a little to get it just right. You can estimate it's temperature by how much it is "fuming", but this is also related to the amount of impurities in the lead. Too cold, and you will end up with lines in the finished product, a result of cooling in layers as soon as it touches the mold. This can also result if the mold itself is too cold, so dip a corner or two of the mold in the molten lead for about half a minute or so to heat it up before casting. If the lead is too hot, the weights will have a frosted appearance on their surfaces. Doesn't hurt anything, but doesn't look great unless you happen to like it.
You will quickly learn to scoop the slag from the surface of the molten lead from time to time as needed with a spoon (as John said, DON'T use the spoon for anything else thereafter). The dirtier or more oxidized the lead, the more the initial slag. From there on out, the slag is due mainly to oxides being formed.
BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO HAVE WATER GET INTO THE MOLTEN LEAD. The lead will "explode", sending molten lead everywhere. Wear safety goggles and keep that pail of cooling water well away from the lead. Remember, molten lead is hot enough to start fires, too.
And, as has been stated already, avoid breathing the fumes.
But, most of all, have fun. I have found lead casting to be very relaxing.
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Post by pearldiver on Oct 16, 2005 2:49:06 GMT -8
Hey everyone, Thanks for the information. I will be certain to wear protective gear when I make lead weights for the test run. So far the mold will be the same style as the fishing weight molds that you open, not the pour in the open back style. I had one of those and didn't like it. They weren't a standard weight when done. But anyway...the weight will carry the name Voit with made in USA on it just as the original one. The guy using the CNC machine made a few molds for his fishing hobby, so I trust he knows what material to make the mold out of so it doesn't melt!  |
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Creed
Pro Diver
Posts: 189
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Post by Creed on Oct 20, 2005 7:29:33 GMT -8
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Post by pearldiver on Oct 21, 2005 20:43:12 GMT -8
Thanks. I asked the dude to measure the weight size. It is 4 inches x 4 inches. The little ones are 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches. By popular vote, the mold we make will have VOIT on it and Made in USA. By the way, why is Voit so popular???
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