Cast Iron cannonballs

A

alley cat

Active Member
Have just purchased 4- 12lb cast iron cannonballs(environmentally friendly etc)has anyone on this site used them before ?
I am thinking out loud here in that they are slightly larger in diameter and a being iron what effect are we going to create in the electrical charge department on the downrigger cables.
I got them in anticipation of the ban on lead coming down the horizon.
All answers and opinions appreciated.

Tks
AL
 
Al, all metals have different properties and react with salt water
resulting in varying electrical outputs.
I can't see how it would make an difference if you use a black box.
There was a company making cast iron weights called "enviroball"

http://www.enviroball.com/
it would be interesting to try them out, let us know!
 
I had a friend give me a couple about 16 or 17 years ago,they were old and uncoated and basically just started to flake apart and make a mess in the boat,seemed to fish okay.Sent them to the recycler, and went back to lead.I suppose if they were coated they would be fine.DAN
 
they all come coated. other wise they would be a big ball of rust
 
Lead Cannonballs will never be banned, the only way for lead to hurt animals is for them to ingest it and what animal is going to chew on a 12# lead ball?

(yes I know Salmon Sharks occasionally chomp on cannonballs)

Alaska-Salmon-Shark.jpg
 
These are coated , and I can see dog b. your comment on what fish will bite a 12 lb ball ? , but I am looking at the uproar from the enviromentalists who have an extremely powerful lobby and I have found over the years that you never say "never" , I hope you are right , but bitter experience with these nut bars tends to make me hedge my bets.

r.s. your comment is the one which gives me thought as I do not use a black box and have fished well from my boat over the years , however having said that I have now introduced a different factor into the equation right ?
Only two ways to go here , 1) fish one side cast and the other side lead or 2) get someone who knows how to measure the charge on the downrigger lines(static and unloaded and then we go out and measure the lead ball down then the cast iron ball and compare the results.

AL
 
As soon as you bounce bottom or a reef the coating gets detroyed and they DO rust I tried them once and after just one day they started to rust and being a bit bigger in size definattly created more drag.It was a demo model about 5 years ago though maybe yours are different???


Wolf
 
As soon as you bounce bottom or a reef the coating gets detroyed and they DO rust I tried them once and after just one day they started to rust and being a bit bigger in size definattly created more drag.It was a demo model about 5 years ago though maybe yours are different???


Wolf
 
Demo Balls? I've heard it all now. My balls are bigger? I says Pardon.
 
Demo Balls? I've heard it all now. My balls are bigger? I says Pardon.
 
As far as induced currents go with downrigger balls. Dissimiliar metals are the biggest contributor to a current field (as far as the ball goes...your boat is a different story). If you have pure downrigger balls, you will have less of an induced current. If you take a lead ball and hit it with a hammer you will either hear a ping or a thud. If it pings, this means that there are some dissimilar metals in the pour. If it thuds, it means that you have mostly lead in the downrigger ball.

You always have to ask the question though....does it really matter? I don't know, but I still pick through the downrigger balls to find the most pure ones. :D

As for the black box discussion...if you catch fish, don't get one. If you have an older boat with some shady wiring and you don't catch that many fish...get one. Also, an aluminum boat will leave a better "electrical footprint" in the water than glass. I still catch fish in my fiberglass 25' though.
 
As far as induced currents go with downrigger balls. Dissimiliar metals are the biggest contributor to a current field (as far as the ball goes...your boat is a different story). If you have pure downrigger balls, you will have less of an induced current. If you take a lead ball and hit it with a hammer you will either hear a ping or a thud. If it pings, this means that there are some dissimilar metals in the pour. If it thuds, it means that you have mostly lead in the downrigger ball.

You always have to ask the question though....does it really matter? I don't know, but I still pick through the downrigger balls to find the most pure ones. :D

As for the black box discussion...if you catch fish, don't get one. If you have an older boat with some shady wiring and you don't catch that many fish...get one. Also, an aluminum boat will leave a better "electrical footprint" in the water than glass. I still catch fish in my fiberglass 25' though.
 
Well, my experience is that the cast iron balls bounce alot better
than lead when hitting bottom. We used them for gang-trolling lingcod, to stop hangups and gear loss.
They rust big time (even coated)making a mess w/stains and are larger to achieve same weight, so hang back further while trolling deep. I disagree w/dissimilar metals presenting our 'Field '. As I've previously posted the purer the lead the closer you achieve the proper voltage. It all comes down to the 'Noble List of Metals' which prescribes a voltage for each metal immersed in a saline solution. Gold is the highest and Zinc the lowest in their true pure form. Haven't seen anyone try out a 12 lb Gold cannonball yet? But that is why we protect our underwater metals by providing zinc to be sacrificed first. I bond all my underwater metals and my zincs to control my hull reference voltage. I also do not connect my SSwire right to the ball and can compensate for the purity of the lead by the length of the gangion in between. Remember every boat has a hull reference and the line has its own if it isolated properly.[8D] We look for a positive voltage of .120 to .240 difference between the two (depending on the species).:D
Ps. Al I will never give up on my lead balls no matter what the 'enviro geeks' are doing,cause they wont be allowed on board, they can go sit on a tree.[}:)]
 
Well, my experience is that the cast iron balls bounce alot better
than lead when hitting bottom. We used them for gang-trolling lingcod, to stop hangups and gear loss.
They rust big time (even coated)making a mess w/stains and are larger to achieve same weight, so hang back further while trolling deep. I disagree w/dissimilar metals presenting our 'Field '. As I've previously posted the purer the lead the closer you achieve the proper voltage. It all comes down to the 'Noble List of Metals' which prescribes a voltage for each metal immersed in a saline solution. Gold is the highest and Zinc the lowest in their true pure form. Haven't seen anyone try out a 12 lb Gold cannonball yet? But that is why we protect our underwater metals by providing zinc to be sacrificed first. I bond all my underwater metals and my zincs to control my hull reference voltage. I also do not connect my SSwire right to the ball and can compensate for the purity of the lead by the length of the gangion in between. Remember every boat has a hull reference and the line has its own if it isolated properly.[8D] We look for a positive voltage of .120 to .240 difference between the two (depending on the species).:D
Ps. Al I will never give up on my lead balls no matter what the 'enviro geeks' are doing,cause they wont be allowed on board, they can go sit on a tree.[}:)]
 
Good post HALLILAMA , I hear you on the geeks , my only concern is they will lobby to dry up the manufacture of lead weights ,but that maybe for a different thread eh ?
I found a guy who is knowledgeable on the current readings and we are going out tomorrow to take readings and play around with the items on board and drop the prawns traps while we are doing our due diligence with the set ups , thanks all for your comments ; I will post on how I make out with the readings and the fishing as the season progresses.

Cheers

AL
 
Good post HALLILAMA , I hear you on the geeks , my only concern is they will lobby to dry up the manufacture of lead weights ,but that maybe for a different thread eh ?
I found a guy who is knowledgeable on the current readings and we are going out tomorrow to take readings and play around with the items on board and drop the prawns traps while we are doing our due diligence with the set ups , thanks all for your comments ; I will post on how I make out with the readings and the fishing as the season progresses.

Cheers

AL
 
I agree with you that the purer the lead, the better off you are. However, each metal has its own potential. When you combine two metals that have a different potential and introduce them to a conducting liquid (saltwater), you will induce a current based on the difference in potential voltage. If the difference in potential voltage is less than 0.1 volts than you really don't have anything to worry about because there is not enough potential difference to create current. If you have a mixed metal rigger ball, and you apply input voltage from the black box, you really don't know what ouput you are getting. Therefore, it is better to have a pure ball.

I don't have a black box so like HALILLAMA, I too run a snubber btwn the SS wire and rigger ball to account for any impurities in the ball.

That also makes me wonder...are black boxes designed for the SS wire only, SS wire directly connected to lead ball, or SS wire directly connected to iron ball? Each one of these setups has a different potential voltage. Any ideas HALILLAMA?

For more information on this go to...http://www.assda.asn.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=18533
 
I agree with you that the purer the lead, the better off you are. However, each metal has its own potential. When you combine two metals that have a different potential and introduce them to a conducting liquid (saltwater), you will induce a current based on the difference in potential voltage. If the difference in potential voltage is less than 0.1 volts than you really don't have anything to worry about because there is not enough potential difference to create current. If you have a mixed metal rigger ball, and you apply input voltage from the black box, you really don't know what ouput you are getting. Therefore, it is better to have a pure ball.

I don't have a black box so like HALILLAMA, I too run a snubber btwn the SS wire and rigger ball to account for any impurities in the ball.

That also makes me wonder...are black boxes designed for the SS wire only, SS wire directly connected to lead ball, or SS wire directly connected to iron ball? Each one of these setups has a different potential voltage. Any ideas HALILLAMA?

For more information on this go to...http://www.assda.asn.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=18533
 
Hey Corn fed ..great site...funny no gold on that list? only graphite
being highest noble.They do mention it but dont want to watch it corrode I guess. Yes, impurities affect the voltage, that's why we bond underwater materials together so we can measure and control galvanic corrosion. .5 volts(prop) + .7(trimtabs) = .6 volts common . Different manufacturers,same product, different voltages due to dissimilar metals used.
Yes,Black boxes only add or subtract from SS wire only if operated properly. If connected, DR ball directly to SSwire, It will fall off (suddenly)due to galvanic corrosion from current. More to come;)
 
Hey Corn fed ..great site...funny no gold on that list? only graphite
being highest noble.They do mention it but dont want to watch it corrode I guess. Yes, impurities affect the voltage, that's why we bond underwater materials together so we can measure and control galvanic corrosion. .5 volts(prop) + .7(trimtabs) = .6 volts common . Different manufacturers,same product, different voltages due to dissimilar metals used.
Yes,Black boxes only add or subtract from SS wire only if operated properly. If connected, DR ball directly to SSwire, It will fall off (suddenly)due to galvanic corrosion from current. More to come;)
 
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