Drying sand in the oven- anyone try it?

Seriously... Sand would be the most economical route, however make sure the sand is 100% dry. Many play type sands are bagged and shipped moist after being exposed to rain. I would prop each bag in an upright position, and cut a slit in each bags top. Opening and allowing it to dry out in a non-humidity area for a few days prior to filling your rustable steel stands.

A "Easy Bake" oven would make for a great sand dryer!

Lead shot, is not something you really want to play with. I'd rather eat Ants in the Sand, then knowing I had lead in the house with the kids.

Lead dust is even worse! I heard horror stories of fellows that used lead to fill their stands in their listening rooms. Missing the stand, & spilling it all over the carpet. Lead is also non-magnetic, & using a vacuum would agitate the lead dust. I can send you a 16 page EPA brochure on what lead dust can do to a childs still developing mind. So if you have children I would strongly rule out the lead.

Unless you ate Lead Paint chips as a child, since your parents wouldn't buy you Ruffels stay away from Lead.

So let's talk about the Numero Uno Rule of filling a stand.

1.) No matter what filler is used, if possible due to stand weight, fill stands Outside or in your Garage in case of SPILLS!

Good Luck!

Thanks for the inputs folks. Lead shot isn't an option, pretty much impossible to find in Canada. My original thinking was to avoid getting any moisture in the pillars of the speaker stands, they would rust out over time (maybe stink too). I broached the subject of using the oven along with some roasting pans to the keeper of the kitchen, that did not go over well. "Get your own pans, leave my stuff alone. You're insane, quit hanging out on AudioGon" (I'll still do it if it makes sense to me though). The silica sand sounds like a good idea, but the toxic nature of it makes me a bit leery.

Unfilled vs. filled is another topic unto itself. Only way to know is try 'em both ways. Intuitively the unfilled stands will ring, damped stands won't. I figure it's worth exporimenting, worse case you empty the stands out if they sound better unfilled. Thanks all, Jeff

The shot melted!

Using sand to fill the pillars definitely tightens up the sound - well worth pursuing. The oven would be great for drying, but you can also simply spread it out on a piece of cardboard and set it out in the sun for a few hours. Make sure when you fill the pillars you do it outside because it lets off a lot of dust.

Home Depot sells bags of sand already dried.