Poll on Scuba Weights

[jonp]

Got some from the better half's dad that used them in Panama when he was an instructor at the Jungle Warfare School. Why he lugged them back into the far North East of America is a mystery.

Should I try and cast these unknown composition weights into boolits or use them for something else?

Side Note: I went through the Jungle Warfare School when he was an Instructor and met my wife but that was 30yrs ago and never knew they were from 20 miles away from my hometown. Small world.

[imashooter2]

There is no down side to seeing how they cast.

[rancher1913]

used to be that scuba weights were hard to come by, so you never got rid of them, this was back in the 80's when I was diving. lots of times they were a harder alloy so they could take the lumps that came with diving gear. get them tested and go from there.

[Conditor22]

Smelt them and see how they form ingots, wait 2 weeks then test hardness.

I haven't had problems casting the scuba weight I've found and smelted yet :) .

[Winger Ed.]

Check 'em for harness.

Most I've seen were fairly pure judging from how soft they were, and how they tarnished.

Molds were readily available, and it was also common to find ones that were cast, probably from wheel weights.
Those I'd seen that were flat, and more or less square, obviously poured, also looked home made.

If they are bigger than the square ones, dark gray, and curved, I'd guess them to be 'factory' made and probably pure Lead.

[ShooterAZ]

I agree with checking them for hardness. A lot of scuba weights were made form wheel weights, some from sailboat keel. I got some from the scrap yard once that had a lot of zinc in them. It might even be worth getting some of it analyzed if you are so inclined.

[Rcmaveric]

I would just check BHN and cast away. I am that odd ball that will toss a few zinc pinnies into his alloy for good measure.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[jonp]

Check 'em for harness.

Most I've seen were fairly pure judging from how soft they were, and how they tarnished.

Molds were readily available, and it was also common to find ones that were cast, probably from wheel weights.
Those I'd seen that were flat, and more or less square, obviously poured, also looked home made.

If they are bigger than the square ones, dark gray, and curved, I'd guess them to be 'factory' made and probably pure Lead.

Got some square and a few round

[ButchC]

I have a few I have been meaning to give the pencil test to. Shoot those bad boys straight or blended. Ironically enough (if you're me, I guess) I happen to have a dive weight mold which matches up to one of the suspect weights. Once the weather moderates I'll be smelting down all my wheel weights to dive weights, same with raw lead scraps for easier storage. I'll save the ingots for more refined alloys. But that's just the OCD kicking in I guess.

[contender1]

I'm a retired SCUBA Instructor. I still have my lead weight molds from back when,, and cast hundreds of pounds of dive weights. I usually used a lot of WW & even pure lead when I had it. It's easy to test the weights for hardness,, and use them accordingly. I still have a few hundred pounds of them,,, and when I start smelting other lead,, sometimes I grab some of them, test,, and add to my smelt mix.
And most of the commercial, non-coated weights we had,, were usually pure lead,, or close to it.

[JM7.7x58]

I voted for you to cast with them. However I freedive for crab and spearfish, so I don’t melt mine. I do however use lots of “marine lead scrap” to good effect. I’ve used keel lead and fishing lead. All of my smelted batches I tested with artist pencils. None of it has been very hard, and some has been pretty soft. Approximately 6-9 bhn. For most pistol casting I treat it as either 30:1 or pure, and add pewter till I get to a 20:1 ratio. For rifle work I was mixing it with Linotype and pewter to make something close to Lyman #2. It has all worked just fine.
JM

[lightman]

I would test them for Zinc and for hardness and I would cast with them. I use mostly clip-on wheelweights and I melt them in batches of between 300 and 400 pounds. So I'll put a few pieces of odd lead into each pot knowing that it won't have a noticeable effect on that batch.

[farmerjim]

All of mine are from when I started diving back in the 80's. They are all soft lead.

[lightman]

I found 1 nice looking factory weight in my Son's closet that was mixed in with all of the stuff that kids leave behind when they move out. I don't have the heart to melt it but I did test the hardness and its consistent with clip-on wheelweights. I was expecting it to be soft and I was surprised.

[Retumbo]

up here most are cast with what ever scrap can be found

[1eyedjack]

Was gifted several dive weights - some cast some that were in mesh bags full of misc shot. Melted and cast into bullets that made pretty holes in paper targets !!

[LAGS]

All the dive weights I have come across had Zinc in them.
They did cast ok , but were harder than pure lead.

[jlm223]

Got some from my neighbor a few years ago, drilled into them and tested the shavings in some Hydrochloric acid, they were good to go!

[frkelly74]

I got several at a yard sale for $3.50 , and a 15 lb down rigger weight for another $3.50. I sold one belt for $20 melted several and still have the downrigger weight.

[Castaway]

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?

[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.