I looked for mic boom weights at the local musician stores, but no joy. Ordering on line showed some very expensive options for what is really engineered lead weight. Some say just buy a more expensive stand and others put bar bell weights over the center mic stand pole to lower the center of gravity. The less expensive mic stands just seem to bow and bend doing that and the mic sways a bit.

My answer was PVC tubing from the Home Depot and some old lead weights from the SCUBA store.

Step 1: Components

Its pretty simple: one 1/2" pvc pipe section, one 2" pvc pipe section, and two pvc test caps. You could use standard pvc end caps but my first thought was how that looked more like a pipe bomb than a stylish mic boom weight.

The first thing is to determine the weight you need. The math is easy as you just subtract the outside diameter of the inside pipe area from the inside diameter of the outer pipe. Using an online calculator you can figure out that with the pipes I selected and the density of lead, that you get about 2.5 square inches of area for every inch of length between the pipes. With leads density about 4 cubic inches per pound, my application called for a 4-1/2" long outer body and a 5-3/4" smaller pipe.

Step 2: Boom Attachment

My application really didn't need adaptability. A pem, sometimes called a well nut or a concrete anchor can be placed inside the boom tube and epoxied in place. This one was for a 3/8ths x 16 threaded bolt.

Step 3: Knock Out Caps

The knock out caps need the pull tabs removed. I used a small pair of wire cutters and them sanded the remaining down some with a rasp. Drill the needed holes in the center of the plugs. I used a 3/8ths in the end where my bolt would go and on the other knock out the outside diameter of the inside tube as a guide for when it is installed. During the glue up the smaller tube is held up perpendicular to the end by the knock out.

Step 4: Glue Up

Glue the inner tube and base knock out cap with the bolt sized hole and slide the larger tube on with the top knock out cap not glued to hold it vertical as the epoxy dries on the other parts.

Step 5: Final Assembly

When the bottom knock out and the inner and outer tubes glue has dried, its time to fill the void with the required amount of lead ballast. Then seal the whole thing up with the upper cap.

Step 6: Paint

I painted the PVC with some three dollar can of semi flat black paint. The cardboard box and a rod made painting it a breeze. Spin a little, spay a little...