Lead

[sailormatlac]

Hi,

I often see people here using lead to weight up their rolling stock (locomotive).

I'm curious where to get lead for this purpose without having to hunt down old devices to scavenge.

Thank you.

Matt

[faraway]

My LHS has not US railroad but Airplanes and ships. Those guys use sheets of lead (about 1" * 2") to balance their really flying and swimming models.

[Chuck]

I use old tire weights. Go to a tire dealer/shop and ask if you can have some -- they gave me a bucket full of wieghts. Most of them still have the metal clip that holds the weight on the rim of the car, but that is easy to remove. In the past I have used my BBQ and a couple of cans to melt the lead weights down -- but be careful -- the fumes are toxic! . I have also used a hammer to flatten the lead and then used a chisel to cut the pieces into useable sizes and shapes. Most tire shops will willingly give the old tire weights away -- all you have to do is ask!

Chuck

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

The tape on type weights used on aluminum and Mag type wheels have self stick tape already applied to them and are segmeted into 1/4 oz sections . They are flat and make hiding them easy. They are not as cheap as give-away- used weights but still reasonable.

[gbwdude]

As mentioned in the post above, I use the self-adhesive weights but in 1/2 oz. size. They are reasonably priced, just DO NOT BUY THE ONES OFF OF EBAY! Talk about a scam there, $8 -$10 for two sticks. For that price, head to Harbor Freight Tools and buy a decent sized box. They're made of zinc, not lead, so they're safe to work with too.