Carp leads

Beaker · Jan 15, 2014

Is it me or are carp leads overpriced. Is there a site that sells more cost effective leeads?
You can pay nearly £2 for a lead, no wonder Fairbrass and co can go to France when they want.
If anyone knows of a cheap lead site can they let me know, thanks.

mick b · Jan 15, 2014

Buy yourself some lead moulds and make your own from scrap lead that you buy from scrap metal dealers.

Don't worry about camouflage and all that nonsense its just a selling ploy, thousands of big fish have been caught on plain leads long before that idea came along.

For lightweight 'leads' use steel nails and old nuts and bolts and use elastic bands to secure them to the line so they drop off during the fight.

Forget all the above if your a 'dedicated follower of fashion' type Carpie

mg:

Peter Jacobs · Jan 15, 2014

Take a look here:

10 flat pear inline carp leads coated camo carp leads plus 10 free swivels | eBay

and . . . .

10 X 2 OZ CARP/BARBEL FLAT PEAR LEADS WITH LOOPS AND SWIVELS | eBay

I have no idea about the quality but at those prices maybe worth a punt

Beaker · Jan 15, 2014

mick b said:
Buy yourself some lead moulds and make your own from scrap lead that you buy from scrap metal dealers.

Don't worry about camouflage and all that nonsense its just a selling ploy, thousands of big fish have been caught on plain leads long before that idea came along.

For lightweight 'leads' use steel nails and old nuts and bolts and use elastic bands to secure them to the line so they drop off during the fight.

Forget all the above if your a 'dedicated follower of fashion' type Carpie mg:

I have considered making my own but, withsmall children around the house it is not possible.
One other point firms like Korda say ditch the lead on every occasion you dont DO YOU?
Thanks Peter I will look into it.

mick b · Jan 15, 2014

Beaker said:
I have considered making my own but, withsmall children around the house it is not possible.
One other point firms like Korda say ditch the lead on every occasion you dont DO YOU?.

All you require is a couple of hours and something to heat the lead with
An old primus or cooking stove, barbecues are brilliant as are portable gas stoves and blowtorches.
Use an old ideally stainless saucepan to melt and pour and an old table fork to scrape back the scum as you pour.

Ask yourself, if you were selling a high priced items, (and you thought your customers were stupid enough to do it) wouldn't you advise them to ditch it 'on every occasion'.......it would be licence to print money if you could get people to ACTUALLY DO IT........

mg:
Come on.....wake up and smell the coffee burning......

And leaving any lead behind is seriously bad for the environment, but then when has concern for the environment stood in the way of making money????????

.

laguna · Jan 15, 2014

I would have had no hesitation recommending Franks leads Maintenance but sadly its been sold -closed for maintenance.

You wouldnt melt and pour lead indoors Beaker? choose a spot in the garage or shed away from the kids, you can buy cheap aluminium moulds or make your own 2-part out of plaster using a custom design or an existing lead as the master. You can finish them off by dipping in resin too if you like its very easy. :w

mick b · Jan 15, 2014

laguna said:
I would have had no hesitation recommending Franks leads Maintenance but sadly its been sold -closed for maintenance.

You wouldnt melt and pour lead indoors Beaker? choose a spot in the garage or shed away from the kids, you can buy cheap aluminium moulds or make your own 2-part out of plaster using a custom design or an existing lead as the master. You can finish them off by dipping in resin too if you like its very easy. :w

Are you saying the plaster used in house building???

I tried it with plaster of paris and it just fizzed away and destroyed the mould in a few seconds!
For short runs Ive used hardwood, this was very effective for prototypes because it can be modified (carved) very easily.
Also tried heavy duty aluminium foil (baking trays) and again this worked okay for short runs.

In Iberia Ive know some locals to use small tangerines to make the shape in mud from puddles for moulding sea leads, bashing them flat with a hammer to make them no-rolling.
Where there is a will.......

tiinker · Jan 15, 2014

One of the easiest ways to make leads is to buy sheet lead from a roofer buy your self a pair of gilbo cutters . Cut the lead into strips and roll it into swiss rolls you can make inline by putting a piece of plastic rig tube in the centre or glue in a swivel with some epoxy. Use the wife's kitchen scales to work out the lengths of lead for individual weights. No dangerous molten metal no fumes no mess.

laguna · Jan 15, 2014

mick b said:
Are you saying the plaster used in house building??? I tried it with plaster of paris and it just fizzed away and destroyed the mould in a few seconds! For short runs Ive used hardwood, this was very effective for prototypes because it can be modified (carved) very easily. Also tried heavy duty aluminium foil (baking trays) and again this worked okay for short runs. In Iberia Ive know some locals to use small tangerines to make the shape in mud from puddles for moulding sea leads, bashing them flat with a hammer to make them no-rolling. Where there is a will.......

Yes any perfectly dry trough or 2-part plaster - gravity fed or home made spin caster.

mick b · Jan 15, 2014

laguna said:
Yes any perfectly dry trough or 2-part plaster - gravity fed or home made spin caster.

Almost like a foreign language,

.....almost.

Beaker · Jan 15, 2014

tiinker said:
One of the easiest ways to make leads is to buy sheet lead from a roofer buy your self a pair of gilbo cutters . Cut the lead into strips and roll it into swiss rolls you can make inline by putting a piece of plastic rig tube in the centre or glue in a swivel with some epoxy. Use the wife's kitchen scales to work out the lengths of lead for individual weights. No dangerous molten metal no fumes no mess.

I like that idea Tinker, I will certainly give it a go. I also have thought about using stones in pva bags. I would just tie the stone to a length of light line and place that inside the bag along with my bag mix. If the "lead" snagged the light line would break and all that is lost would be s stone.

john step · Jan 15, 2014

If you dont need to cast to the horizon but need a lead with a flat side to hold position there is a ready made mould you can use! SOUP SPOONS. We used to make weights like this to hold bottom in the flow on Southend Pier as kids.( I won't tell you where we FOUND the lead!!)
1.Heat your scrap lead in a container on a camping stove.
2. Scoop out a spoon full of the moulten lead in the spoon and dip it into a bucket of water...keeping it upright of course.
3. The lead will now slip out of the spoon onto the pile and the next one is ready to be made.
4. Holes are easily drilled in the edge of the weight.
5. The drilled scrap is then available to be recycled into the melting pot.

Insulate the spoon handle, wear goggles and DON'T USE THE WIFES' BEST SPOONS.
Best of luck

tiinker · Jan 15, 2014

john step said:
If you dont need to cast to the horizon but need a lead with a flat side to hold position there is a ready made mould you can use! SOUP SPOONS. We used to make weights like this to hold bottom in the flow on Southend Pier as kids.( I won't tell you where we FOUND the lead!!)
1.Heat your scrap lead in a container on a camping stove.
2. Scoop out a spoon full of the moulten lead in the spoon and dip it into a bucket of water...keeping it upright of course.
3. The lead will now slip out of the spoon onto the pile and the next one is ready to be made.
4. Holes are easily drilled in the edge of the weight.
5. The drilled scrap is then available to be recycled into the melting pot.

Insulate the spoon handle, wear goggles and DON'T USE THE WIFES' BEST SPOONS.
Best of luck

I belonged to the Leigh & Westcliff in the late 50s early 60s there was quite a group of us some used to make leads to sell to the visiting anglers 4oz grapnels and the wire loop had no bends in it and would break free after a few casts and would be picked up from the flats when the tide went out .

pointngo · Jan 15, 2014

I use car body repair filler to make jigheads. Isopon P38 stands up well to the temperatures.. but stay well away from the fumes when melting lead, outside is best.

to make a lead mould, get a couple of small containers just a bit bigger than the lead length and about as deep, then get an inline lead, put a toothpick through it, and coat liberally with cooking oil... Mix the filler and fill one container, then lay the lead/toothpick centrally across the top while it's still soft. Do the reverse for the other side and you then have a two part mould which just needs a bit of work to make somewhere for the swivel to go, then drill a pouring hole and a vent hole. You also need to make sure the two halves marry up... after the two sides are made, put a lead into it and close it up, then mark the mould so when you pour it all lines up.

When pouring I put the mould into a small vice otherwise you get a frilly lip around the whole lead.

richiekelly · Jan 15, 2014

If making your own leads there are a few precautions that should be taken, obviously wear gloves and goggles,

Always make sure that your mould it warm before use to be sure that there is no moisture in it, moisture in the mould will turn to steam and will explode the metal back out of the mould.

Do not pour into the mould while it is off the surface you are working on as the molten metal will come out of the bottom of the mould and may burn you.

Don't get the metal to hot, I know this sounds daft but the hotter you get it the more flash you will get around the outside of the lead when its removed from the mould, temperature affects the viscosity of the metal you are pouring.

S-Kippy · Jan 15, 2014

Sod that...I'd rather pay £2 than mess about with molten lead.

Beaker · Jan 19, 2014

I have decided to buy from one of the internet sites all my distance leads at 60p apop, and use lead strip or stones for bags. Many thanks for all the replys.

laguna · Jan 19, 2014

mick b said:
Almost like a foreign language, .....almost.

Any type of plaster can be used successfully if properly mixed and left to dry. Simple trough moulds can be used hundreds of times over and even some multi-part moulds can be reused but it depends on the level of detail required. Most leads are simple in their design and therefore plaster is a very effective, cheap and durable material to use even if they are sometimes intended to be sacrificial.

A trough is a simple one-part mould formed by creating an impression into wet plaster, suitable for easy removal of simple casts with little or no detail.

Two-part moulds are suitable for more intricate patterns and deep undercuts, formed in two layers to a parting line with a release agent.

Spin casting is a jewellers technique for filling voids without sprues or risers, made from temp resist RTV silicone or plaster, suitable for centrifugal casting of hot metals that reproduces intricate detail.

Anything can be reproduced with a mould made of plaster.

terry m · Jan 20, 2014

S-Kippy said:
Sod that...I'd rather pay £2 than mess about with molten lead.

Echo this completely.

Fume, from molten lead is incredibly dangerous and will ultimately accumulate within and poison your blood. Any recreational 'lead melters' would do very well to ensure that they are outside and in an extremely well ventilated area as a minimum. Additionally make sure your kids/grandkids are not around. Developing bodies are more susceptible.

Ronnie · Jan 24, 2014

Why mess around with all that? just go into your local Tackle Shop (yes some still exist) and ask for some Sea Weights, my local shop sells them for 50p, in sizes from 1oz to 6oz. simples

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