The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Can anyone give me details of anyone who supplies these or give me instructions how to make my own. I presume I need a diamond tipped drill? Does anyone on TFF make them?

Check out ebay, or just glue a swivel yo a stone.

Penninelad wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:30 am Can anyone give me details of anyone who supplies these or give me instructions how to make my own. I presume I need a diamond tipped drill? Does anyone on TFF make them?

https://www.pallatrax.co.uk/product/swi ... e-weights/

I use them for ledgering, I really like the 1/2oz ones

I have some that are yet to be used - but - do they make a difference? In crystal clear water, Test/Itchen, I think they could but in the muddy R. Thames - ??

Another option is to use epoxy or clear silicone sealant to glue suitable pieces of gravel/sand/twigs/substrate around a lead or together in a bundle with a wire/swivel to attach to. Flint for instance is very hard to drill successfully but glues together nicely. Flat shapes can be very handy in faster flows. Best of luck with your experiments

For lead weight there is a huge range of coatings available from white to black as night! And all colours in between.

Used to coat mine at work in the tackle shop - dip it in aquarium gravel whilst still hot.

An ordinary tungsten carbide tipped masonry drill will drill most stones. Use a 3mm bit in a slowish running drill and then use epoxy to hold a small swivel in the hole.

I simply araldite a link swivel to the stone. The araldite going over the link part. Simple, cheap, environmentally friendly (mainly) and easy to replace.

Natural stone sinkers seem like a good idea , I used to use them quite regularly, making a dozen or so at a go, but eventually I gave up as weight for weight compared to conventional lead sinkers they had to be quite large,and holding the bottom on a fast river needed far more weight than a natural stone sinker could provide . For still waters there probably is a place for then, or shallow clear slow rivers etc.

David

There’s been many alternatives to good old fashioned lead and I haven’t found one that superior

Bendsomecane