What do you guys use....?

[Archibald]

Air gun pellets squashed flat with pliers. I got a tub of used ones from a friend who shoots target air pistol a few years back, but you can buy them at gun stores.

Same thing for me...you mean small lead-bullets use in air-pistols ? And yes, I buy in gun stores...  

[NARSES2]

I use very small lead pellets which "pour" into spaces and fix with super glue (get them at the Nat's from I think Ted Taylor on one of the club stands - Nick knows him)

I've still got some old car tyre weights left but recently I discovered that the local RC Car shop sells tyre balancing weights which not only have the weight on them (in grams) but are also self adhesive.

Finaly when I make to much miliput I put some weight in the extra and use that as future ballast

Chris

[Radish]

Whatever's handy, but usually tyre thingies or fishing weights.  

[biscuit]

Fishing sinkers packed in blutack

mick  B)  

[Mossie]

Marbles, ball bearings, Milliput is suprisingly dense & you if you can get hold of some iron filings you can add them to it or putties.

If you've got a kit where there is little room in the nose, ie ones with large amounts of glazing, put weights in the engines, wing roots, behind the cockpit, basically anywhere spare in front of the centre of gravity.  Don't be afraid to hack plastic to make more space.

[kitnut617]

I use lead sheet which I got from a local scrap metal dealer (when the dealer asked what I was going to use it for, I told him I was going to use it as ballast in my models and he gave me a foot square sheet for nothing)

I've also used fishing weight too, my method is if there's space I glue a piece of plastic card in first, then slide the slot in the weight over the card and then crimp the weight with pliers.  I've not had one come loose yet.

Robert

[Scooterman]

I go the BB, penny and lead fishing weights route, but I do have a ever shrinking supply of lead foil I got fro a dentist years ago.  You know those x-ray slides they stick in your mouth for pics?  Lead foil on the backsides.  After the slide is developed they used to just throw them away.  Now that everything in Central Oregon is 'green' that lead foil is considered toxic (which it is) and dentists have to collect and dispose of the lead as if it was medical waste.

Slightly off topic but does anybody remember the first boxings of the Revellogram 1 /72 B-52 and Arii 1/144 C-5s?  The instructions told you to use batteries for weight!

[Hobbes]

I've got lots of lead foil off of wine bottles. Not ideal (not dense enough), but very malleable. Useful for 1:144 models.

[Gary]

You know, I  am so glad to hear no one is making wax castings of the voids and using these casts to make plaster molds, and then molding lead ballast. That would be friggen nuts.

I think I read that in a FSM some years ago.  

[Nick]

I use very small lead pellets which "pour" into spaces and fix with super glue (get them at the Nat's from I think Ted Taylor on one of the club stands - Nick knows him)

Ted's a nice chap, he gets a cheap bucket load of these ball bearings delivered to his house. He then puts them all in those little pots you get camera films in and sells them for £2 a go.
He might be on the Hornchurch club stand at Telford.

I've used about 1/3rd of the pot I got 2 years ago but use white paper glue to fix them with. I have used large screws and fishing weights for larger or awkward models.

Nick B)  

[SinUnNombre]

Interesting suggestions, guys. I'm going to Wal-Mart later, so I'll keep my eyes peeled for anything that would work. But just digging around the house, I've found some really heavy cotter pins that could be formed with pliers to just about any shape. Thanks again.

Jon

[SinUnNombre]

Well, back from a successful Wal-Mart modeling run. Grabbed up some BB's and super glue, and put about 25 or so in the Bronco, and she seems plenty weighted down. The cockpit's all detailed up and the pod is together with the wing on. Hoping to get the tail booms at least together if not on before I call it a night. And I'm debating wether I want to start an in-progress thread in the workbench section or just wait and post the "done" pics.

Jon

[Jennings]

You know, I  am so glad to hear no one is making wax castings of the voids and using these casts to make plaster molds, and then molding lead ballast. That would be friggen nuts.

I think I read that in a FSM some years ago.

Actually, someone is.  There's some guy selling "custom nose weights."  And the kicker is, there are apparently people stupid enough to *buy* them!  So not only are we too lazy to scratch build anything more difficult than an antenna wire nowadays, we're too insecure about our ability to counterweight a model adequately that we have to have a "professional" do it for us!  There are some people who should stick to diecasts

J

[RotorheadTX]

Something like this...  :dum:

[Mossie]

Actually, someone is. There's some guy selling "custom nose weights." And the kicker is, there are apparently people stupid enough to *buy* them! So not only are we too lazy to scratch build anything more difficult than an antenna wire nowadays, we're too insecure about our ability to counterweight a model adequately that we have to have a "professional" do it for us! There are some people who should stick to diecasts

J

I know that Aeroclub do a weight to go in the shock cone of Airfix's 1/48 Lightning.  Okay, there's not a lot of room in the nose of that kit, but there is some above the intake assembly, you should be able to get something heavy enough in there.  Plus you can put it in the nose cone too.  Bit daft if you ask me.