One large piece of lead!

[Sven]

My partner at work just asked me what lead is selling for. Turns out his dad has a chunck of lead that's maybe 18"x24"x12". I'm trying to figure out how I'd melt that down into ingots. Can you cut up lead with a Sawsall? Any ideas?

[oneokie]

3 cu. ft. of lead is ~2100lbs ~
Sawzall with a coarse tooth blade would work.

[TCLouis]

Turn a plywood blade around backwards in a circular saw and it will wear away at that chunk of lead pretty well.

I would cut in stages, though with lead chunk that size, moving it to cut from the other sizemay be a major project.

[1845greyhounds]

Could you cut chunks off with a torch? Or maybe melt a puddle in the middle of one face and ladle it into ingots?

[BulletFactory]

vapor would be toxic at those temps, use a sawzall

[SlippShodd]

I say just shoot chunks off of it.
Or invite Chuck Norris over to chop, kick and chew chunks off of it.
Or just mail it to me and it can be my problem.
[smilie=1:

mike

[bumpo628]

I think it's time to break out the chainsaw.

[x101airborne]

Go to harbor freight and buy a metal bandsaw. The hand-held type. I think they are about 50.00 if I remember correctly. You need the slow band to cut without melting the lead and gumming up. Also, you will have a lot less waste. Have someone with a squirt bottle of heavy soap water standing by to lube the band. I tried a ship ballast with a chainsaw. Hell No. Never again. Partly because I didn't have the appropriate safety gear, but mainly it was just a dang mess. I used the metal saw on a bouy weight and it worked GREAT!!

[ku4hx]

My partner at work just asked me what lead is selling for. Turns out his dad has a chunck of lead that's maybe 18"x24"x12". I'm trying to figure out how I'd melt that down into ingots. Can you cut up lead with a Sawsall? Any ideas?

When I was young and dumb I used an ax, but I was Paul Bunyan back then. Tried a torch but other things got burned. Finally went with a hack saw. Then I had a son.

[41mag]

I tried the saws all on some bigger ingots, and while it worked, the blade galled up with the heated lead and made it darned near an arm wrecking experience. The bandsaw worked MUCH better.

Also X2 on the soapy water and blade thing, just use a small disposable paint brush with enough on it to lubricate the blade on the incoming side and not enough to actually pull through and sling up onto the motor. Easy to have someone shove it into the pan or bottle then simply shove the bristles over the blade so it coats both sides at once.

[quack1]

I was given a large chunk of lead a few years ago that measured about 18" square. For lack of a better idea, I dragged it into the driveway and started beating on the corners with a sledge hammer. I was able to break off all the corners in a short amount of time. That reduced its mass by about half. I continued to pound on the remaining piece and managed to break it into pieces small enough to fit in the big stainless pan that I smelt in. I'm pretty sure it was all wheel weight metal as the hardness was right and bullets cast from it weigh the same as bullets cast from known WW alloy. Might work for your chunk of lead

[Greg5278]

A chainsaw with the Low Kickback Chain and all Protective Equipment for the User is what I'd go with. The Lead chips will be sharp and coming out fast so Gloves, and a Face Shield are needed. The Metal will imbed itself in you Skin easily if you do not protect it. Go easy when starting, and let the saws weight cut through. Do not bear down.
Greg

[161]

I had a friend that used a cutting torch to melt the lead into an angle iron that ran into a ingot mold.
Worked very well.

[Mal Paso]

I use a homeowners type 20 ton logsplitter to cut chunks of pure lead. No chips or lead fumes.

[Chicken Thief]

I would go for the gasbeaver too.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I use a homeowners type 20 ton logsplitter to cut chunks of pure lead. No chips or lead fumes.

That sounds like good idea , who could possibly live in Minnesota and not know someone with a log splitter, that would be like a darn sin against living in the north

i had been thinking a sheer , the log splitter is certainly more available

[excess650]

The log splitter sounds like its worth trying.

If you go the bandsaw route, I would suggest a mixture of mineral spirits and oil to keep the blade cool and chips from sticking.

[popper]

Mall (wood splitter) and sledge hammer. 2 man job. Cutting torch would work too, but make a mess on the ground underneath, unless you could play superman and lift it to but a bucket underneath. It's outside so you won't get any vapors, just hot lead projectiles, if you use the oxy.

[Chicken Thief]

That sounds like good idea , who could possibly live in Minnesota and not know someone with a log splitter, that would be like a darn sin against living in the north

i had been thinking a sheer , the log splitter is certainly more available

And how do you manhandle a 1 ton block of lead on a woodsplitter?

[Echo]

A friend had the same problem years ago. He said that he put the big chunk out on the ground, took a hoe & dug a trench leading away from the chunk, and engaged with a propane weedburner. As the lead melted, it ran off into the trench where it solidified. When the trench filled, he shut down, pulled up the big ingot that he cold easily handle, stacked it over there, and re-enaged with the propane.

[jsizemore]

And how do you manhandle a 1 ton block of lead on a woodsplitter?

My thought too.

If you use a sledgehammer to knock off chunks on the corners and miss and hit the concrete driveway, what happens if it breaks?

[Mal Paso]

And how do you manhandle a 1 ton block of lead on a woodsplitter?

What? No Tractor to go with the Logsplitter?

Actually mine is horizontal/vertical so you'd just have to maneuver it onto the backstop (with the splitter vertical). A com-along and a prybar would work.

Think How Many Boolits. You could find the energy!

[colt 357]

got any C4

[Sven]

Man, thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to try the Chuck Norris route first. After that, might try the weed burner. Never occured to me to use the chain saw. Well, lots of ideas! This is left over lead from boat ballast, so hard to say what is all in it. Never occured to me it might weigh over 1000#. I have a good trailer and a winch on the Jeep, so should be able to get it home.

Sven

[dnotarianni]

Chainsaw is easy. Put old canvas on ground to catch chips and have at it. Thats what I do with the 3-400 lb chunks I get
Dave

[quack1]

My thought too.

If you use a sledgehammer to knock off chunks on the corners and miss and hit the concrete driveway, what happens if it breaks?

Limestone gravel driveway, I did miss and riccochet off a few times. A few passes with a rake fixed everything. I had help loading it into the truck, but had to slide it out on my own, so it was staying in the driveway until I got it into manageable pieces. I was kind of surprised it broke like that.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I say sell it to the Airforce. They could use it for ballist in the C-130, and you know they pay a $1000. for toilet seats. You could clean up on a deal like that, then you could buy some manageable lead. By the way I saw a block of lead in a C-130 that was at least 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet. I have no idea how much it weighed. Can someone figure that out. It was chained down just like they did the tanks. I was a C-130 mechanic back in the 1960's.

[oneokie]

By the way I saw a block of lead in a C-130 that was at least 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet. I have no idea how much it weighed. Can someone figure that out. It was chained down just like they did the tanks. I was a C-130 mechanic back in the 1960's.

At 3'x3'x6' that would be 54 cubic feet @ 700+ lbs per cubic foot.

[Tracy]

I say sell it to the Airforce. They could use it for ballist in the C-130, and you know they pay a $1000. for toilet seats. You could clean up on a deal like that, then you could buy some manageable lead. By the way I saw a block of lead in a C-130 that was at least 3 feet by 3 feet by 6 feet. I have no idea how much it weighed. Can someone figure that out. It was chained down just like they did the tanks. I was a C-130 mechanic back in the 1960's.

3' x 3' x 6' of pure lead would be 38,228 lb.

[rainierrifleco]

log splitter is great idea . how to handle 2100 lb of lead is another thing. be interested to see how you do it.

[44man]

Sounds like one of those things you start when you are 20 and finish at 50! [smilie=s:

[Ia.redneck]

I've had pretty good luck with an air chisel (muffler gun) peels it right off and no chips or dust.

[zxcvbob]

A carpenter's hand saw. Take long slow cuts to clear the chips. Works better than a power saw (as long as there's no steel embedded in it.)

You might want to hire a kid to do it.

[edler7]

Get a Lee 1 ton drip-o-matic.

[sffar]

I have a boat ballast in my yard I haven't got to cutting yet (probably 750#), and was told by Duke in Maine (a member) the chainsaw was the best way he's found to cut lead. I'm going to try the carpenters course rip saw first, and see if I can reduce it piece by piece without the noise and mess.
Careful, as sometimes there are bolts embedded in the keel cast.
Sam

[11B-101ABN]

About ten years ago I got a chunk roughly 3 foot cubed, it was part of the ballast for a high-rise crane that was being scrapped out. After trying most of the above suggestions, I finally dragged it with the tractor over to a circle of flat concrete where a corn dryer used to be, and built a bonfire over it. I think it took almost two days, but the lead ran out along the ground about an inch thick and maybe 5 - 6 inches wide in several places - where I chopped it off with an ax, and scooped it into a pile of 40 - 50 pound pieces that would fit into my 100 pound melting pot. The original chunk was probably close to 6000 pounds cuz my old notes mention getting 5400 LEE 1 pound ingots. The notes also mention it was a lot of work and not to do it again, but I probably would due to the cost of lead today. I (back then) payed less than $200.00 for something that would approach $6000.00 today.

[mdi]

And how do you manhandle a 1 ton block of lead on a woodsplitter?

I was gonna ask this same question! I think I would use a single jack and large cold chisel to knock chunks off. Set aside a couple days for the cut-up...8-)

[Huntducks]

I was a plumber for years and it's darn simple I used a burn out torch and still do on anything heavy or to big for my lead pot, like someone said just melt it and let it run on the ground the weed burner will work fine.

[rbertalotto]

http://www.alchemycastings.com/images/keels/Project1.gif

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

And how do you manhandle a 1 ton block of lead on a woodsplitter?

use a vertical log splitter

my uncles when they have really big logs put the forks on the skid steer and place them in the vertical log splitter then then split what they can and keep moving it with the skid steer till they can lift the pieces by hand

if you have never used a vertical log splitter your missing out , most now have a pin that you pull and they can work vertical or horizontal

i don't usually cut wood that large that i need a tractor to move it , if i keep the logs more reasonable i can get my wife to do the first half of the years splitting

my family has a log splitter but it costs me as much in gas now to drive and get it and return it as it does to rent the one form the farm store a mile down the road a mile it is a 25 or 30 ton vertical/horizontal

if i put it vertical , the wife sits in front of it on a chair and i keep a stack of logs on on one side of her and watch the pile of split fire wood grow on the other side
she rolls the log in tips it up and splits it up , when she is about 1.5 to 2 cords in she gets tired and i finish the rest of the years wood 3-5 cord depending on the year


my first thought was the torch but , someone said that was bad as it caused vapors , i would have just done it outside with the propane torch i use when i have big joints to sweat

[PanaDP]

If you could get it up on a heavy bench or tree stump or something you could take a torch to it and let it drip into a trashcan full of water. Then you'd have nice, easy to handle, ribbons, strings and drops of lead.

[Sven]

Sounds like one of those things you start when you are 20 and finish at 50! [smilie=s:

I hope not -- I'm already 58!!!