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Being the cheapskate I am, making my own sinkers
was not a difficult decision for me. After all, the
materials are virtually free (except for a decent
melting pot). I had seen websites that gave diagrams
about how to make various styles of sinkers and realized
that I could save a few bucks by following a few simple
rules. Not only that, I actually enjoy doing this! I
love making things and if you mess up on a sinker, you
melt it back down and try again. My kind of project!
Store -bought sinkers are OK.
You’ll obviously pay more for them, and they may not
meet your needs as well as the ones you tailor yourself.
After all, you know your needs better than the store
does. So, how do you get started? Here we go:
Make a few phone calls to your local tire shops.
It won’t be long before you have all the lead you
need. I hit the jackpot and was rewarded with about 150#
of wheel weights! I have given away a good bit of this
lead and have about 30# melted down into bars for future
use. There are other sources for lead, but tire shops
are usually eager to part with wheel weights. Scrap
metal yards may have cheap lead and old batteries can be
good sources. However, the acid in batteries is
dangerous stuff and better left to those who know how to
deal with it. Pure lead ingots can also be purchased on
EBAY and from other sources although this may get a bit
expensive.
You’ll need a means of melting the lead. Now,
you can go cheap and melt it in one of mama’s pots.
(Never use that pot again for food purposes). A propane
torch will heat lead to the melting point. Problems
arise, however, once the torch is removed. Lead
solidifies rather quickly, and unless you are able to
pour it into the mold muy pronto, you have to start all
over. To alleviate frustration, I suggest investing in a
melting pot designed for lead. They come in different
types and can run the gamut in price ranges. I have
found Ebay to be a good source for used melting pots.
Garage sales may render and occasional melting pot as
well. One that you can pour from is easier to use (in my
opinion) than one that requires you dip the melted lead
with a ladle. I was fortunate enough to get a nice one
that had various levels of heat (electric). So, just
shop around and find one that will serve your needs. One
point of justification is that you can always re-sell
the melting pot when you are no longer in need of it. An
old camp stove or propane fish fryer will work for a
heat source if an electric melting pot is not available.
Now you have your lead and a means
to melt it. But what do you use for a mold? You can buy
molds made for a plethora of sinker styles. Pyramids,
bank, egg, pinch-on, and other molds can be had. But
remember, I’m a cheapskate, so we won’t go there
(though you are welcome to do so on your own accord). I
have my own molds. A
4-post lug nut wrench has served as a mold for
sinkers in the 2-4oz. range. They come out with smooth
sides and work very well. I also made a pyramid mold out
of auto bondo (plastic body filler). I took a small,
empty mushroom can and filled it 3/4 full of auto bondo.
Before it hardened, I had a 4oz. pyramid sinker (store -
bought) ready to insert. I coated the sinker with some
petroleum jelly so it wouldn’t stick to the bondo. I
inserted the sinker into the bondo and waited just a
minute before pulling it out. As the bondo hardened, I
now had a hollow mold of a pyramid sinker. By pouring in
different amounts of lead into this mold, I can get
anything from 1oz. - 4oz. sinkers. My real need, though,
was surf sinkers. You may call them spider sinkers,
sputnik sinkers, surf weights, or whatever. I just know
they hold well in the surf and cost too much at the
stores and tackle shops.
My first ones were made by drilling holes through
1/2” copper pipe. I used 1/2” because I got some
free.
I used scrap wire given to me by a couple of
electricians in my Sunday school class. They brought in
12 awg, 10 awg, and 8 awg wire. The 12 awg seemed too
light. This is what you get from the store.
It’s good for fairly calm days without a bad
current. I decided to go macho and went for some 8awg
legs on my weights. I learned the hard way that sinkers
can hold the bottom too well. My Jigmaster 500 reel was
loaded with fresh 30# line and it snapped before that
sinker would break free. OK. Lesson learned. 8 awg is
probably fine for 50# line on up, but I now go with 10
awg wire for the majority of my surf weights. It holds
well yet allows the sinker to break free with the test
line I use most often. I found that a 7/64” drill bit
was right for drilling holes for 10awg wire legs. The 12
awg wire required a 5/64” drill bit. The wire legs
should fit tightly in the tubing. Too big of a hole and
the lead will run out of the hole!
Again, the copper wire can be had for free if you
just ask. Almost any construction site will have scraps
thrown out. Some folks like using stainless welding rods
for the legs. If you go this route, just be sure your
line can handle the stress when you decide to reel in.
Stainless welding rods don’t come cheap if you buy
them. Copper wire cost less.
For my next surf sinker mold. I took an old
shower curtain rod that was about 3/4” in diameter and
made of aluminum. It had a pleated design that made
drilling holes through it a breeze.
Plus, the aluminum
is so soft; the drill bits ate right through, making the
drilling part extra easy. I made up a few sinkers
ranging in length from 1.25” - 2” long. A quick trip
to the post office allowed me to weigh the sinkers
precisely. I
found that a 1.5” section of the 3/4” shower rod
would give me a 6oz. sinker once filled with lead.1.2”
gave me a 4oz. sinker. So, you can easily adjust the
weight to suit your personal needs. I like 4-6oz. the
most, but made a few 7-9oz. just in case. A plumber gave
me a short piece of scrap 1” copper pipe. I cut a
1.5” piece of it and made a surf weight that tips the
scales at 9oz! I
recently visited my mother-in-law’s and it turned out
to be a scavenger hunt in her yard. I found an old CB
antenna that was made of long aluminum rods. They were
1” and 3/4” rods.... perfect for surf weights! There
was enough to make tons of weights. Better yet, these
rods were round, which meant I could cut them with a
pipe cutter. Easy to cut, drill, and it’s
non-corrosive. So, there are simple ways to make your
own molds. Most are readily available and usually free
for anyone with a keen eye.
Melting lead is not rocket science, but there are
some very important precautions to take. This stuff is
HOT! (Duh!). Wear long pants and safety glasses or
goggles. You never know. Your eyes are precious. Do NOT
get careless and not protect them. Ventilation is a
must, do this outside or with a fan blowing the fumes
away from you. It’s not a bad idea to even use a fan
outside! Lead fumes are not good for the skull! If you
cherish knowing who you are and where you live, don’t
breath lead fumes! Finally, water and hot lead DO NOT
mix! One drop of water in a mold will cause molten lead
to splatter, and it can travel a good distance. I
learned this one-day when I was making sinkers well
after a rain shower. I was in my driveway and had
already made a few sinkers when a drop of rainwater fell
from an overhead gutter right into my mold. That lead
spit out of the mold and just a drop hit my arm. The
rest fell to the driveway. Yep, it is hot! I would guess
that even a drop of sweat could cause the same reaction,
so be mindful of moisture around your workplace.
That brings us to children and pets. Don’t let
either run around in the area you are melting lead in.
It only takes a few seconds for things to go very wrong!
Also, make certain that any extension cords are not
going to trip you up. Just take a few precautions and
making sinkers can be a fun experience.
Once I get some wheel weights
melted, I use a cheap spoon to dig out the steel parts
of the wheel weights. Just reach into the melting pot
with the spoon and get the non-lead parts out. I also
skim away any “slag” that’s floating on top of the
lead. Now it’s ready to pour. If I’m making a spider
weight (with legs), I have a tray filled 1/2 full with
sand. I brush the sand away until a small, smooth
section of the pan is free of sand. I place the mold
(copper pipe or whatever) down and then pull sand over
the legs to hold it all in place.
I have my eyelets
ready along with a pair of needle nosed pliers. I set
the eyelet into the mold and pour the lead.
I hold the
eyelet in place for about 15-20 seconds, until the lead
is fairly solid. (By the way, I use 12awg wire for the
eyelets).
You can buy the eyelets, but it only takes a
minute to make them and you can make any length you
want, so, that’s what I do. I usually make up a batch
of eyelets before I get started.
Lead will cool quickly if you place
the weights in water. Let them cool for at least a
minute after removing from the bucket of water.
Personally, I don’t like having water anywhere near me
while I’m making weights but you can have a bucket of
H2O to drop them into if you want them to cool rapidly.
Well, it’s that easy. Wire, lead, a mold, and a
few smarts is all it takes to make your own custom surf
sinkers. It’s fun. It saves a few bucks that you can
spend on other equipment, and you can get as creative as
you want. Who
knows? Maybe you will create the next great type of
sinker that has everyone saying, “Why didn’t I think
of that?”
I hope this was helpful to someone and that
you’ll have good success making some nice weights for
you and your buddies. Good luck, God bless, and tight
lines!
By Adrian
Devine
Aka “Wannabefishin”
If you have any
comments or questions, be sure to post
them on the Surf-Masters Message
Board
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