Shot bag question for metal masters

I've got about a half dozen shot bags of differnt shapes and sizes. Mine are all filled with no. 9 lead shot. I've used bags filled with steel shot and to my experience steel shot seems to let the metal form a bit faster (could be my imagination).
For a source of leather if your going to make your own bags check out Goodwill, yard sales and the like for old leather jackets and coats. You can make 2-4 bags from one large leather coat. Make at least one real small one and pack it tight with shot or sand and use it like a hand held dolly. Like someone already mentioned an old leather purse can make a really handy shot bag.

Frank

 

Well there's lots of good information here, just what I was hoping for when I posted. I think the overall consensus is to use #8 lead shot in a leather bag. That's what I will be trying first. I can also see that I should make several bag sizes and fill them differently. As far as the lead dust, something else will kill me first. If you are relatively young then you might have second thoughts.

Retro-no offense taken.

Thanks to all you guys for posting.

 

When I visited the Airventure fly-in at Oshkosh a few years ago, I spent some time watching a metal shaping demo from a well-known metal guy. His demo was forming some aluminum wheel pants for a vintage airplane. Even though he had an English wheel and planishing hammer present, he only used home-made tools during the demo. As mentioned before, he had a couple of slap hammers made with pieces of leaf springs and a piece of 1/2" pipe welded to it for the handle. He had a bowling ball setting on a dished out piece of wood. He also had a couple of wood mallets made from an old baseball bat. He used the fat end for one hammer and the handle end for the other. On the "handle" hammer he shaped the cut end into a point. He still used a couple of body hammers, but did most of his work with the home-made tools during the demo. It was very impressive. The key to any thing you make is that the part that contacts the metal you're working must be very smooth. Any imperfection will transfer to the metal.