Anybody ever try this before? Seems like a great idea. Gets weight down low and the bilge keels provide stability. Trying it out on my super tippy Suffren to see what kind of difference it makes.
Make sure it is well fastened. Lead is poisonous, so you don't want to leave it sitting on the bottom of someone's pond...
Yes, indeed. These are just temporarily surfaced mounted, but the joint is solid. If I like them, this winter I'll install permanent ones.
just a thought, but would Bismuth be a viable alternative? it's the heaviest non-radioactive element, non-toxic, and the melting point is similar to lead so you can cast it in a similar manner. I think it goes for around ten bucks a pound, but other than the slightly higher price mark, I think that may eliminate some worries with regard to losing it in somebody's pond
great in Alaska not too great in Texas, bismuth has a really low melting point but softens at about 100 deg. F. Magic acts use it to make spoons to bend with only the heat of your fore finger and thumb. We use it to bend copper tubing magazines, then melt it out of the copper with hot water.
Oh that's rad! Man.... how do you guys even duck hunt with HeviShot down there!? maybe you could seal it in with fiberglass so that no metal is exposed, but that'd be easier with lead AND it would remove all the risk of losing that portion of the hull anyways.
Also, thanks for the bending tip! I was wondering how I would contour my magazine tubes without destroying them. is there a thread on that method here somewhere?
A good tubing bender makes bending mags a cinch. You don't have to mess with fillers in the mags and it's super quick and easy. Spend a little $ and get a good multi-size one and you'll love yourself for it, trust me. As far as some folks being super concerned about lead in the water, thousands of pounds of lead fishing weights are lost in American waterways every year. Nobody seems too concerned about that. I doubt one of us losing a pound or two of lead somewhere is going to poison everybody. But, I'm not saying it's ok to dump lead in the water but being super concerned about us losing a little lead seems a bit hypocritical considering the situation.
cool, I will definitely pick one up then! I was thinking about running all straight mags on my boat and having their fill ports poke through the deck like on Ming's Nassau. I'll refrain from derailing this post and mention it at some point on my Texas build thread. As a Biologist, I'm not super worried about lead poisoning of wildlife since the keel is not gravel-sized like birdshot, but depending upon the chemistry of the pond it is entirely possible for lead to corrode and become suspended in solution, which could be a problem if somebody has a well in close proximity, or eats the fish in the pond. That's what happened in Flint--> the city changed water supply to a more acidic source (the flint river) and did not add anticorrosive agents to the water treatment process. Like you said, it's not a big risk considering other factors, but it's always nice to err on the side of caution for politeness' sake.
I don't have this particular bender, but it's very similar. Love it! I wasn't too worried about losing those bilge keels though. Even though they were just surfaced glued I had to use pliers to get them off. Stuck very well, even took off some paint. lol
Awesome, I was looking at something similar, but that one looks far more schnazzy. thanks for the link! did you use epoxy to get them on? I may have to keep that idea in my hip pocket when I get to the shakedown phase on my Texas. I really wish this forum was a thing back in 2002 when I built my Northampton...
Not all benders are equal or for that matter even good. I have never had good luck with the multi size benders, they are made for the home owner or DYI guy and not professional. Swagelok benders are the best and the price reflects that, my wife said yes one day (weak moment) and the bender was ordered. Many different bend radius can be had but you probably want the tight bend radius (9/16" radius). Expensive but worth it.
Just found this at HF. I'll be picking one up to evaluate. It's branded Irwin Record. Irwin Record was a European maker of nice quality wood planes back in the day so maybe this is a decent tool. Reviews are very positive. Certainly not as good as Carl's but a whole lot cheaper. https://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-inch-to-1-4-quarter-inch-tube-bender-94571.html
is there already a thread for this in the armament section? if not, I could start one later today. it'd be neat to consolidate all of the reviews etc
