Epoxy/vinyl for DIY weights

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A2thaK

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Location
Durango, CO
# of dives
25 - 49
I have decided to try and make my own weights. I plan on pouring them into tin cans or something similar. (Yes, I know all the hazards)

Anyways, does anyone know of a good sealer to give the weights a nice coating similar to the vinyl coating on commercially availible weights? I was thinking an epoxy would probably seal it good, but a nice vinyl would look nicer. Plus I could color code the weights. Yes I know-->:dork2:
 
some sort of truck bed spray-on liner might work?

Henrik
 
I made some out of heavy nylon cloth and lead shot.
 
12219 Plasti-Dip International
Performix 12219 Plasti-Dip is a flexible, synthetic rubber coating which exhibits excellent moisture, acid, alkaline, and abrasion resistance. It comes in a larger sized, fully resealable Plasti-Dip 22 oz can. It is perfect for outdoor applications. U.V. specific formula is also available, which is recommended for outdoor use

You can find it on Amazon.com
 
I tried Plasti-Dip many, many years (decades) ago and it didn't hold up very well. Next I'm going to try artist's oil paint (Grumbachers) mixed with a little turpentine and cobalt dryer and brush it on. If I use a color straight from the tube (without mixing) then the color match should be very good years from now if I want to touch them up.
 
Most epoxies are not waterproof. Methacrlate epozy such as the brand plexus is waterfroof but not cheap. An inexpensive material is the nylon mosquito netting used on tents. Fold a piece into quarters, sew the 2 sides adjacent to the enclosed end, fill with lead shot and sew across the top. You end up with a double thick enclosure that would dry quicker than a cloth material. Be sure to use a nylon carpet thread that won't rot. You can make watever size/weight you want including long and narrow ankle size. I have used these for years.
 
I tried Plasti-Dip many, many years (decades) ago and it didn't hold up very well. Next I'm going to try artist's oil paint (Grumbachers) mixed with a little turpentine and cobalt dryer and brush it on. If I use a color straight from the tube (without mixing) then the color match should be very good years from now if I want to touch them up.

Here it is, about five weeks later and unfortunately the artist oil paint did not hold up very well either. Now I'm thinking of color-coordinating all of my gear to match plain 'ol lead weights.
 
My latest adventure with weights was to paint them with Yacht Hull Enamel (boat paint). It's an oil-based paint. The can I used was about twenty years old and still seemed OK. I mixed a couple of drops of Cobalt Drier (used by oil paint artists) in a seperate container to speed up the drying time. This paint has held up to swimming pool use and generally moving the weight belt around which is better than the artitst's oil paint. The problem is that the weights tend to move around on the belt so some kind on non-slip somethingorother would be good. With the Plasti-Dip the weights did not move around much but didn't look good after being used for a while.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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