Putting on Weight...

If you read my post about my sash windows being heavier than the sash weights due to the fact that modern glass is thicker that old 1840s glass then you would know that every time I unlock the sash lock on my dining room windows, the upper sash drops faster than you can blink.
Well, I think I have solved the problem. I placed a kitchen scale under the upper sash to see how much force it excerts and found that it was about 2 to 3 lbs. So my window is at least 2 lbs heavier than my weights.

Today I made extra weights to attach to my existing ones. Not everyone will be able to do this because they don't have loads of pewter in their basement like I do.
I bought what we have come to refer to as House #1 from a friend of mine who used to manufacture little toy soldiers. He moved to England but left a bunch of 2 lb pewter discs in a drawer in the basement. I suspect that the discs are comprised of the slag that gets skimmed off the top of the molten metal in the melting pot before it gets poured into a "spin caster" and dumped into a shallow metal container. I never did anything with these discs, I figured one day I would use them as door stops.
About two weeks ago I threw one into a small tin can and melted it on the stove.



So I had the raw material for increasing my sash weights but no mold. I made a stop at the "Crack House" today and grabbed an extra sash weight (I have several lying around) and a bag of play sand that has been sitting in the ugly green van since 2002. After wetting the sand and pressing the end of the cast iron weight into it to make an impression of comparable dimensions, I was able to pour pewter into these molds to produce little 1 lb blocks.



With a little bit of ingenuity, I held a metal rod at the center of the mold as I poured the molten metal and produced these. (A little blurry, I know).



So, if liquid nails won't hold them to the bottom of the existing weights, I can tie them on or thread the cord through them so that they rest on top of the weights.
I can probably install them this weekend!

As for my own weight gain. You know, I weighed 135 lbs in 1982 and was the kind of guy people would kick sand at. 24 years later I weigh 150 lbs and people still kick sand in my face! Not this week though. Must be the chili. Every bean has a voice......