[beefcake]

hi
i am thinking of buying some weight moulds but was wondering how you melt the lead?
do you need any special equipment?
thanks very much
beefcake

 

[poacher]

A Melting Pot And Ladel Would Help. But Some Tinker Nikd Mine, So I Use The Wifes Saucepan, And B4 Any 1 Says The Sauce Pan Will Melt I,ve Been Using The Same Saucepan For Years,, But Dont Tell Her Or I,m Histoty Guys..

 

[fish paste]

I have a small cast plumbers pot that sit on top of a gas ring. Soon melts and then I use a plumbers laddle.

It needs to be in a well ventilated area as it's extremely toxic.

I tried using the blow torch but you need 3 hands doing it that way!!!

 

[Manx Fisher]

Beefcake - I would strongly advise you to steer clear of trying to make you own weights just yet. It can be a very dangerous thing to try if done wrongly.

 

[Drew]

Hi Beefcake,

I strongly agree with Manx, you must know what you are doing.

Everything MUST BE DRY, if there is any moisture you will be in serious trouble.

It is better that you find someone who is competant in making their own weights and ask to see how it is done. Then you can have a go, but please be very careful.

Cheers

Drew

 

[weightmaker]

i make up to a thousand leads a week and the advice i would give is get a decent fumes mask and a good pair of gauntlets get a decent burner most camping stoves dont produce enough heat to melt lead. and eye protection as lead has a nasty habit of splashing.before you melt your lead try and get as much crap of it as possible and avoid lead pipe like the plague unless it is cut into small sections so if there is any water in it it can drain off(lmolten lead and water = explosion).and always use quality loops or tailwires. after your lead has melted preheat your mould or the lead will set before the sinker is cast properly its common sense really just take care and you will save a fortune on shop prices oh and by the way dont eat or smoke while your handling lead apparently you have more chance of lead posioning if its indjested.
hope this helps Ray

 

[harpo]

i use a cast iron milk pan which is like a small saucepan only it has a pouring spout i got it from a car boot you dont have to buy new.i have a small propane bottle thats the red bottle and a camping stove and i find this does it for me i make all me own weights from 5oz brakeways to pyramid weights.always warm the mould up before pouring in lead or it will spit back at you its mostly common sense. you will never now how to do it untill you try like fishing you dont know how to cast untill you try. BUT PLEASE BE VERY CAERFULL AND SENSIBLE or watch somebody making weights first.

 

[swelleyman]

You've had some expert advice, I learnt the hard way. As a lad I was always making weights using an enamel saucepan on an open fire (my mother only had to look for smoke when she wanted me for anything!) I was told to keep everything DRY and it went well until I decided to speed things up and cool the mould (a brass tube) in water. So ... well steam expands incredibly, well explosively actually, and the molten lead gets turned into tiny flying globules.

On very cold days my face is still pockmarked with tiny blue scars ALL OVER. How I was not blinded only luck and perhaps quick reflexes can attest.

SO ..

• Choose a dry day!
• use a SMALL saucepan (decide to make a few weights at a time as small quantities of lead take less time to melt than 5lb) with a pouring lip (if you can't afford the melting pot)
• chop/saw up your lead to make sure there's no hidden muck or WATER
• old wheel weights are small and handy but be prepared to pick out the metal bits
• I use a big old primus under a roof (carport) to make sure of ventilation
• scrape off the muck before you pour, I use a piece of thick wire
• warm your mould, I have a lid and put the mould on top of that
• work out where and in what you're going to place your mould for pouring - that needs to be warm as well!
• Give it time to solidify - obvious but if you're making big weights there's more heat to dissipate than if you're making 2oz
• USE THICK LEATHER GAUNTLETS! (I used to keep bees so have a huge selection!)
• The only use for COLD WATER is to cool down, immediately, any part of you that gets burnt ACCIDENTALLY - don't pick things up without protection!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[peterthe fish]

i agree with all the previous comments about safety. I use a milk pan from the pound shop on a camping stove under a garden shelter. The lead i use comes as flashing from a friend who is a builder. Cut the lead into smaller bits to melt quicker and use an old teaspoon to scrape the crap off. you know the drill now about warming the mould etc. I enjoy making my leads as when catch on them and my tied rigs i get the marvelous sensation of truly doing it myself! Best of luck and stay safe.

 

[woodbutcher]

been making my own weight for a few years now if you can get your hands on more than 1 mould it save,s a lot of time no 1 has mentuned clamping the mould together i use a metal G clamp works well i all so have a bucket of water handy for when the slag is removed from melting pot it goes in the bucket not sure if anyone mentuned glasses/goggles wear them
BE SAFE

 

[weightmaker]

best type of clamps to use are spring loaded ones much quicker personally i wouldnt have a bucket of water anywhere near me when melting lead i throw all that is skimmed off the top into another pan which has holes drilled into the bottom when its full i place on top off another pan and reheat it with a blow torch you will be surprised how much clean lead you throw away when skimming the crap out off your melting pot.

 

[blueskip]

I find it much easier & safer to go to the most popular venue in the area on bottom water of the big springs, you get weights, booms, clips, beads, snaps, feathers, swivels, etc, etc, plus if you are lucky the odd razor fish or whelk.
Some of you guys make up some really complicated rigs, then hurl them out to sea without being able to cast properly, its great!
Similar to the golf balls I collect, when I fly fish in the river down the side of the golf course!
Carry on lads, cant remember the last time I bought a weight, swivel, or golf ball!
recycling blueskip

 

[bribones]

hi there ,i use a large cast pan for heating the lead ,just make sure its a one with rivets on the handle instead of welded,large soup ladle to the wifes dismay and a small vice to grip the mould,i always heat the mould with a blowtorch before i start and only melt enough lead for a dozen weights at a time,once ive finished any lead left over get poured into yorkshire pudding tins so its clean for next time round,heavy duty gloves and a pair of grips to handle the mould once it gets a bit on the warm side,if in doubt practice with small amounts first,safety for yourself and others is the main thing...good luck

 

[viper525]

scrap lead,an old dog food tin(baked beans if you like!)and a butane or propane gas torch(like plumbers use)1.bend a pouring spout into the tin one side,2.melt the lead.pre heat the mould with the blow lamp to drive out the moisture,it should then run freely,alternative would be a painters kettle and small laddle with spout if poss.other ingredients are.well ventilated room(more so with scrap lead)and gas cooker.