Casting lead weights

Lobster · 2017-12-01T13:15:32+00:00

I recently attempted to convert 1 kg of old lead piping in my 'scrap' store into a nice neat 1 kg weight for exercising a damaged shoulder. Was trying to make a cylindrical shape; I know naff-all about casting but melted it down on my gas hob in a baked-bean can, with the aid of a blowlamp. Wrongly hoping that it would not be hot enough to melt a plastic wastepipe, I then poured the molten lead into a short length of it, which promptly splayed outwards providing me with a very mishappen plastic- encased lump of lead! It does weight 1 kg at least; but I'd like to have another crack at it. Other than the obvious, searching for a length of suitable metal pipe to use as a mould, anyone got any better ideas? (bearing in mind my level of expertise and available kit?!) Thanks

Dec 01, 2017 24 Replies

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Geo 8 years ago

No - was my own idea. Used to boil U2 batteries too to get the carbon rods out to make arc lamps - can still see.

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tabbypurr 8 years ago

I'm puzzled that you'd need to boil them. I just took the rods out. (I've no memory of what size the cells were.)

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Geo 8 years ago

Maybe didn't /need/ to - but it was more interesting to see the rods ejected slowly under their own "steam".

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Jethro_uk 8 years ago

I really would not like to be caught by the old bill with that in my possession ....

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Lobster 8 years ago

snipped-for-privacy@hayter.org (Roger Hayter) grunted in news:1ngfn87.p8mq0d1xbc7oyN% snipped-for-privacy@hayter.org:

Had forgotten about this thread... FWIW I ended up casting my weight in a sawn-off deodorant can, and about two inches tall equated to my 1 kg. Thanks all!

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