Nickel plated lead shot for filler?

kidzanshin · Post by **kidzanshin** » 18 Apr 2008 09:53

What up yo!

Ive been looking for a decent, small filler for filling my footbags, being in the UK means using the links in various topics would be expensive

anyway i found a fairly local gun dealer and although I cannot get steel in any decent sizes, he can get me nickel plated lead shot

he gave me a sample and feels very nice, its non toxic to touch and after doing some research on t'internet looks like providing the nickel is hard enough its non toxic to ingest (for birds anyway ha!)

has anyone tried using this stuff? would people be happy to have this in their bags as what seems to be a non toxic alternative? shall i buy it?

CHEERS

Matt

ObArA'BaRs · Post by **ObArA'BaRs** » 18 Apr 2008 10:36

The best of both worlds.

Sounds like a great idea.

Benzilla · Post by **Benzilla** » 18 Apr 2008 18:05

the only problem with plated shot is taht they may sometimes shed their plating, and have sharp edges of the flaked metal in the bag. But i guess this would only shorten a bag's lifetime by a few days so no big deal.

I'd try to hunt for a solid shot before buying it though.

zeroman13 · Post by **zeroman13** » 18 Apr 2008 20:25

I use copper plated lead shot and it does shed it's coating. But I haven't found it to be detrimental to any of my bags. So if you want to try it go ahead!

kidzanshin · Post by **kidzanshin** » 19 Apr 2008 05:24

OK, well i was only really considering it as a kind of non toxic filler with the benefits of lead but if the coating goes that ruins my plan

thanks for the replies guys! i think ill just go for steel then

Chase · Post by **Chase** » 20 Apr 2008 09:27

I use it in my bags. It was the first big bag of lead shot I found. If you are only using the bag for freestyle the plating will last for months on end. I've been using a bag for the last couple months for freestyle only and all the shot still has plating. It will flake off if you kick it a lot (havn't noticed the bags deteriorate fast at all...

For all you hypochondriacs out there, at least the plating will last well through the break in process, so you don't have to go wash your hands every time you massage your bags.

kidzanshin · Post by **kidzanshin** » 23 Apr 2008 07:23

thanks C07!

I think ill go for the steel of there is a risk of the plating coming off from kicking or after a period of time, but i might pick up a small amount of this and keep ur advice in mind when using it

cheers

Jdigges · Post by **Jdigges** » 24 Apr 2008 12:59

personally, i like lead a lot more than steel. but the nickel plating does flake off, but its thin enough that it doesn't really bother the bag

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 24 Apr 2008 13:38

The plating won't rub off if:

1) the plated lead is the only fill you plan on using in a bag or
2) you break-in bags just by playing freestyle and only freestyle (no hand kneading or kicking).

I don't know if plated lead will flake more due to other filler components, but I guess it's dependent on what you believe makes a playable bag.

Bags do break-in because of the plating, but I don't think it would be a problem for nickel. Copper maybe, since the plating is more flaky.

I think if you have available filler to use, use it. Lead plays better than steel, and it's a little difficult to make steel a substantially playable filler in bags. Whatever is cheaper for you to use is what I would invest my money into.