is there a way to melt weights so that it fits in any space you need?
hmmmmmmmm kind of toksic,cut em hack saw ?
I know someone that is getting into casting for 1/8th scale.
Apparently there is a type of sand that compresses into a stiff shape that you can make a mold out of. Then you heat up aluminum or iron on a special pot, then pour. This would probably be overkill for O and smaller though.
Unless you want to weigh the crap out of a loco so you can get more pulling power.
Instead of trying to melt and cast custom weights, which could get to be a very tedious and expensive hobby, I use #9 lead shot. I just pour shot into the available cavity and then use hot melt glue or silicon sealant to cover the opening and hold the shot in place.
I haven’t tried it yet, but in talking to my dad, a retired organic chemist with a lot of successful patents, you don’t really have to worry about lead vapor. The problem is consuming it, so you want to avoid dust and such. He actually gave me a large ingot of lead for the purpose, which, if you know him, is saying something. I captured some very old mercury vapor lamps with a considerable amount of mercury in them from an old building we were remodeling, and he is holding them hostage due to the dangers of the mercury getting loose in a habitated environment, so the gift of the lead means he’s usually careful, but not worried in this case.
He says it should melt between 200 and 300 degrees. He said I could try the stove with a pot I didn’t care about, or a propane torch. I’ll post back when I try it and see how it goes.
I have used wheel weights that I have gotten from my buddies gas station and I have also used roof sheeting that I have gotten on a Roll at the home improvement store as weights. i used Walthers Goo to glue both tothe cars I wanted to weight. Kevin
Sure,fisherman been making their own sinkers for years…However…Melting lead is very TOXIC and must be done with extreme care to include thick gloves and think apron and should be done outside…Also even with thick gloves you must wash your hand throughly before eating or smoking.
Why all of the precaution? Simply put LEAD POISONING.!!!
Best to use BBs or the #9 shot that was mention.
I like the shot idea alot!!! Kevin
I use it also and would caution the obvious. Be sure to keep gloves on and don’t breath lead dust. It is an excellent way to put weight below the center of gravity on passenger cars and other cars like hoppers or gons where other weights would be in plain sight. If you’re interested in meeting NMRA specs, just weigh the car and then weigh a quanity of material to add up to your desired car weight.
Dale