Soft Weights

[bart73]

I use soft lead from SP, wich are completely sealed. so no water can come in, or residue out.

 

[Hatul]

I use soft lead from SP, wich are completely sealed. so no water can come in, or residue out.

Can you post a link to this, please.

 

[Ed L.]

:shocked2::shocked2::shocked2::shocked2::shocked2:

 

[Hatul]

I bought soft weights some time ago. Later I heard that some pellets used for these can leave a residue that is not good for the environment, but I thought I had clean pellets. Today I rinsed them after a dive and was horrified to see a gray residue come from them. Are there any soft weights that are not bad? I greatly prefer them to the solid ones, but don't want to pollute the places I dive.

This is something that has bothered me as well. I use soft weights with integrated BC, and I'm concerned about lead leaching into the ocean and rinse tanks. I'm careful to rinse the weights last when all the other gear is out of the rinse tank.

I think a better solution is the vinyl coated weights. I'm considering just getting a whole bunch of 1 lb coated weights to stuff in the weight bags of my Zeagle Escape. They come with a single slit.

Adam

 

[captndale]

You have probably noticed that new solid weights appear shiny. The surface is bare metallic lead. After a short time the surface takes on a dull gray appearance as the surface oxidizes. (By the way, lead oxide is a "salt." A salt is, by definition, an oxide of a metal.) Lead oxide is not soluble in water, is quite hard and acts to protect the underlying metal from further oxidation.

Soft weights are commonly made of lead shot, encased in a synthetic cloth bag. The individual pieces of shot oxidize the same way large solid weights do but, unlike solid weights, the lead shot pellets are subjected to continual grinding against each other. The grinding wears away the lead oxide on the surface and is carried away with water as it drains out after a dive. That gray residue that your weights leave on the laundry room floor where you dropped your weights is lead oxide. It is toxic to your children and pets who may play in it or lick it up.

 

[ruready7]

My soft weights have a graphite coating on them. That is what makes water gray color when they drain off. Your weights might have the same coating.

 

[Coldwater_Canuck]

what about if you put the shots in like a Ziploc bag or something, squeeze all the air out and close it? No reason comes immediately to mind why this would work: they still weigh the same but stay dry. Am I missing something?

 

[TMHeimer]

Don't worry about it. The amount of toxic stuff coming off your weights is probably of so little concern compared to farm pesticides & industrial pollution that it really doesn't matter. Divers get too uptight about little stuff like this. Time to get flamed....

 

[Hoomi]

Don't worry about it. The amount of toxic stuff coming off your weights is probably of so little concern compared to farm pesticides & industrial pollution that it really doesn't matter. Divers get too uptight about little stuff like this. Time to get flamed....

Put on the asbestos suit, because here it comes!

Who do you think you are, having so little regard for the fragile marine environment? An American?

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, I'm ready. I'm a dual citizen of America and Canada, a country which criticized the U.S. for not signing Kyoto, yet doesn't support the U.S. proposal to ban bottom trawling. Go figure. These plans really do something to clean up the oceans--much like the way N.Y. State cleaned up the Hudson River since the70s to the point where you can swim with and even EAT the fish (In moderation!). But enough of all this- let's not hijack this guy's thread. Check out my old threads on shell collecting and we can argue forever....