decoy ballast weight mold

Jeff,
Depends on how much you want to spend.
(A) A nice aluminum mold can be machined to your specs. This may be cost prohibitive if you have to pay to have this done.
(B) A hardwood block can be hand carved or milled with a router to form the desired cavity. This is inexpensive and will usually last for several pours.
 
if you want to make more then 10, an RTV mold would be a good mix of: ease, moderately low expense, high quality and longevity. Basic process would be to carve a wooden plug, seal it, build a box it fits in and pour in high temp resistant RTV rubber to cast the mold.

I haven't done it in a while, but it is easy.
 
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take the lead off the decoy set it in plaster, let it set. Then pour the lead in the plaster. If the plaster mold should crack you can still use it just clamp it together.
 
Not sure if you care about the shape but I would use the bottom of a soda can and pour the lead in to make a disc shaped ingot. Easy, cheap, don't have to fabricate a mold if you're okay with that shape. Uniformity is assured and you can use the little soda 8oz soda cans to make an appropriate size ballast weight. I like Coca Cola so that would be my suggestion.
 
Get a piece of conduit or copper pipe. cut it to the length you want . Then cut it length wise in half . If you use copper you can do it on a table saw . Cut a notch in the end s and peen them over and you good to goo
 
There was a foundry out of Elizabeth City NC that sells that style. They also sell cast iron sinkbox wing decoys. I don't know if the keel weights were lead or iron. Sorry I don't know the name.


Phil
 
take the lead off the decoy set it in plaster, let it set. Then pour the lead in the plaster. If the plaster mold should crack you can still use it just clamp it together.
Click to expand...


Or you could make a clay model / mold of the weight to place in the plaster till it set up.
 
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