covering lead balls with rubber

S

starcrafttom

Active member
So i poured 4 12 downrigger balls tonight and was thinking on how to cover them with plastic or rubber. I have never melted plastic or rubber but i have the pot and burner to do it. other then stealing tires off Susan's car I dont know where to buy a large amount of plastic. any ideas of supplier or how to tips on covering the balls. I figure a dip and dry method in a large pot.
 
Haven't had enough coffee yet to have thought this through, but the first thing that came to my mind is a rubberized plastic dip I've seen that is used for tool handles, etc. Here's the first Web site I found for the plastic dip product: http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip Looks like you could even color-code 'em for different weights.

Just a thought...

T
 
I've used the spray-on tool handle cover stuff... worked well for some metal parts on our sailboats. Easy to use, no "dipping or heating" necessary.
 
Tom,

I have used Plasti-dip for that purpose and a number of others. You can brush on several coats as desired. Recoat if it wears off in spots. Great product for DIYers. Get you some of the solvent that's in it though, to add to it. Because once you open the can it starts to thicken up and over time will become hard. I think it's xylene?

Dan
 
thanks for the info. i used the tool handle dip a long time ago for tools and for got about it. I would have to brush it on as they only sell it in small cans. if I bought enought to dip a 12 lbs ball i would not be able to store it, well maybe air tight tupperware.
 
I have a couple of weights to clip on my shrimp lines that I covered in silicon calk, a little messy but turned out ok. I used rubber gloves and just smeared it on, than wet the gloves and smoothed it out, hung to dry for a couple of days. There is always a couple half used tubes of the stuff around so it allowed me to put it to good use.
 
Tom
I have used that spray on undercoating that you can get at most any auto parts store. The stuff wears like a champ.
Chuck
Bootleg Hooch
 
You can buy Downrigger cannon balls in Canada ..( Canadian Tire ) ...already covered with a vinyl/plastic cover....if that is what your talking about...Tug
 
Tom,

I'd be surprised if you can find a plastic that you can dip/dunk into that would work. Plastics that might work might be a sheet, (polypropylene, polyethylene or copolymer types) that would be thermomolded, (Heated, formed around your weight ball, and then vacuum compressed to draw up to the ball.) These will be less tolerant of bumping and banging than the brush on products already mentioned, and harder to get a 100% water proof seal. Go with the flow, and paint it on :wink

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
tug i can buy them here, if I wanted to waste $40 bucks. the price of lead has gone thru the roof. thats why i pour my own. I just poured 4 and have enought lead for four more. After that i need to find a new supply with lead.
 
Rick, The coverings do several things. 1) they look better 2) they dont bang up your boat as much , both when using them and when storing them. 3) the dont stick to rocks as easy. lead will stick to and grab rock, reefs and other things, but hard rubber or viynal will slide off or so goes the theory. My lead balls come up with sand, rock, and shell imbedded in them all the time.
 
starcrafttom":3i7u58zi said:
tug i can buy them here, if I wanted to waste $40 bucks. the price of lead has gone thru the roof. thats why i pour my own. I just poured 4 and have enought lead for four more. After that i need to find a new supply with lead.
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Tom, around here, folks that mount and balance tires for a living frequently throw away their old wheel weights. When I was looking at pouring a 750# lead keel for a sailboat I had in mind, I found several places that had pails of lead sitting in corners unused and ready for the dump.

Charlie
 
yeah I look for a supply at the usual places but a local guy in marysville pays all the tire stores $1.5 a lbs. he sells fishing weights and downrigger balls for a living. i just have to keep checking around. My current supply came out of a pulp mill. I have poured about 12 balls from that so far and have enough for 3 more? maybe.
 
starcrafttom":26ghcltq said:
Rick, The coverings do several things. 1) they look better 2) they dont bang up your boat as much , both when using them and when storing them. 3) the dont stick to rocks as easy. lead will stick to and grab rock, reefs and other things, but hard rubber or viynal will slide off or so goes the theory. My lead balls come up with sand, rock, and shell imbedded in them all the time.
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Good points. I hadn't thought about the sticky-ness to rocks. That would definately make difference when winter blackmouth fishing.
 
...Was just reading up on coated verses un-coated downrigger weights and came across this interesting information..

 Bare lead downrigger weights usually produce a harmful electrical charge that repels fish.....Inpurities in the lead often cause this problem. Scrap iron from old wheel weights can be particularly bad because it contains ..antimony ( tin )..The best practice is to use only coated weights which are readily available on the market or you can paint or vinyl dip them yourself to insulate them from harmful electrical charges.

Tug
 
Tom,

Have you coated your balls yet? (wow, that didn't sound right :shock: ) I've used Coat-it or Gluvit on the bottom of my driftboats to help slide over rocks; think that would work just as well on lead balls? Might be easier to apply. Just a thought.
 
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