Why are Fly Weights, the weights they are?

Is there a reason fly weights are they weights they are? Where they meant to 1:1 specific gear back in the day? Rather then a round increments of 10/20/50lb's? Is it actually that steel just weighs what it weighs were square inch, and the dimensions of the cut pieces of steal are more important of spec?

I suspect you're correct about the dimensions being the determining factor rather than the specific weights. The width and length are determined by the fly arbor, and the thickness by readily available steel plate stock. (Of course, with sandbags, it was rather a moot point since the weight adjustment can be varied quite precisely to anything at all by adding or removing a bit of sand.)

For 6" weights, they do closely approximate nice increments in the metric system (a 1/2" thick weight is 5 kg), but I'm pretty certain that's just blind luck since none of the other dimensions seem to be especially based on metric units, and the design predates the widespread use of metric measurements in the US even for most technical purposes.

Weights can be steel, cast iron (true pig weight), or lead (not any more).

Ignoring the high school shop teacher who decided the iron weights were too heavy for the smaller freshperson(s) and therefore cast his own weights of aluminum.

derekleffew said:

Weights can be steel, cast iron (true pig weight), or lead (not any more).

Ignoring the high school shop teacher who decided the iron weights were too heavy for the smaller freshperson(s) and therefore cast his own weights of aluminum.

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I since hired this guy to make me some lightweight sand bags.

kicknargel said:

I since hired this guy to make me some lightweight sand bags.

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Does he fill them with photons?

kicknargel said:

I since hired this guy to make me some lightweight sand bags.

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This reminds me of an exercise program I've done. Briefly, you start by taking a one pound potato bag in each hand, and holding them out with your arms horizontally, working up the time you can hold them there. Once you reach two minutes, you change to a two pound potato bag, then a five pound one, and so on up until you can hold fifty pound bags out for two minutes. This, incidentally, is where I am at currently.

Next, you put a potato in each bag....

DrewE said:

Next, you put a potato in each bag....

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I do something similar, but with an air fryer.