Need an idea for sifting dirt from spent boolits

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I have an opportunity to pick up quite a bit of recycle boolits from the range I now shoot at. Lots of pistol boolit lead out there, ripe for the pickings, but need some kinda sifter to separate it easily from the dirt it's ensconced in.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I betcha somebody out there's some up with some sorta simple, rugged sifter that'll work good for cheap or even better, free.

If you have one, pics would be great.

Thanks,

Dave

[dragonrider]

Some 2x3 or 2x4 and some 3/8 hardware cloth, make a frame any size you want with the wood, staple on the hardware cloth, sift.

[mooman76]

Set it up at an angle so the rubble rolls down and the dirt can fall through. By the way nothing will make it easy but you can make it easier to do.

[nighthunter]

Sounds sorta like fox trapping 101 and gathering dry dirt during the summer months when the dirt is dry. Dry dirt doesn't freeze when used to trap in the colder months. Dragonrider has the right idea but try 1/4" hardware cloth. I think you will find 3/8" too large.
Nighthunter

[357maximum]

Lead Archeology

I made mine out of 2X6 for frame and 1/4 inch hardware cloth 2ftX4ft and it is hung from an A_frame deal(think swing set) on cables at the four corners.....you still loose some 22's through the 1/4 cloth when things line up just so.

[azcoyhunter]

FWIT

I have one of those Christmas Popcorn tins.

I made a taget holder, filled it with dirt, and shoot it.

Filter the dirt from the lead and recast.

Works great.

my 45ACP does not go very far into the dirt and it saves lead

Have to replace the lid after a few sessions though.

Clint

[azcoyhunter]

Sounds sorta like fox trapping 101 and gathering dry dirt during the summer months when the dirt is dry. Dry dirt doesn't freeze when used to trap in the colder months. Dragonrider has the right idea but try 1/4" hardware cloth. I think you will find 3/8" too large.
Nighthunter

We used to do that for Coyotes, it worked, unless you left the dirt either out in the snow, or the house cats found it.

when I say you I actually mean the boy that my dad yelled at beceause it dirt was not dry anymore.

Clint

[grumpy one]

If you wanted to get into this serously you'd use a two-stage process: first mill the dirt to break up clumps, then an angled, agitated sieve to separate bullets from dirt. (The crude way to mill the dirt, of course, is to hit the piled up dirt on top of the sieve with the back of a shovel.) You'd use a front-loader to scoop dirt off the banks and into the mill, then to clear it away from under the sieve. You'd probably get all the lead from a fair-sized range in a couple of hours - and that would be tons, depending on how long since those banks were last processed. Last step would be using the front-loader to return the sieved dirt to the banks, reshaping them to make them look nice while you were at it. Officially you'd be landscaping and decontaminating the banks, and you'd probably charge money for the service.

[Joel Chavez]

I have all of you guys beat. I use a pooper scooper (large size) $1.29 at Wally World. All you do is scoop and sift just like you would cat poop in a litter box. Hope that helps some.:castmine:

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Wow, some interesting solutions so far. Does anyone have a picture of the contraptions? I'll check out the pooper scooper next time I'm at Wally World for sure.

Regards,

Dave

[RSOJim]

Howdy from Florida, what I do is back my pickup truck up to the berm, let the tail gate down and place a 5 gallon plastic bucket on it. I use a hand held sand scoop that I bought when I metal detected a lot at the beaches over at Melbourne and Cocoa. I also have a one gallon plastic container. Here is how it works, I set my big fat butt down right on the berm, I level a place in the sand to set my one gallon plastic bucket. I start scooping and shaking. I estimate about 50 bullets per scoop. When the one gallon container gets almost full I dump it in the 5 gallon bucket on the tail gate. I can get a 5 gallon bucket full in about 20 to 25 minutes. Thats two 5 gallons buckets an hour. Its hard work, but I only have to do this a couple times a year. I hope this gives you a cheap idea how to reclaim bullets. Jim Allen

[TaylorTN]

I 'm glad to see this thread.

I have a similar project in mind. I may have access to a local range that LEO's shoot on. They're going to qualify soon so I'll try to hit it right after they do.

I'll report back if it works out.

[imashooter2]

Park a truck at the berm? Set up mining operations with an A frame? Where are you guys shooting? Around here, no vehicles allowed on the range and no digging in the berms, period.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

RSO Jim,

That's a good cheap idea.


Imashooter2

It's a lot less uptight in the Southeast. Folks are generally allowed to do as they please. (grin) Not sure about Pennsylvania though, but my buddy from Wilkes-Barre who lives in the next town over now is always complaining about his "damn yankee neighborhood nazis" and that he "left the North to escape this crowd and the *%^&(*& followed me." He just goes on and on about somedays. I, of course, get great free entertainment and egg him on as much as possible.

Anybody have an idea for a rotary type sifter?

Regards,

Dave

[GSM]

Chili pepper roaster. Might need a little finer mesh though.

[grumpy one]

You seem to need a way to shovel the dirt in while it's running, too. Could be done by finding one of larger diameter, and having one end open except for three radial spokes. The beauty of it is it's a mill and self-agitating sieve all in one.

[357maximum]

Park a truck at the berm? Set up mining operations with an A frame? Where are you guys shooting? Around here, no vehicles allowed on the range and no digging in the berms, period.

My back yard 440 yard range, or my ol mans 250 yard back yard ranges. "Going to the range"...either a short walk out back, or an open window away.

[Steve E]

I don't usually have a large amount at a time but I spray mine with the hose(water hose that is). I generally fill a 5 gallon bucket about half way at a time and spray the heck out of them. I let them dry for a week or so before melting them down in ingots or bullets.

Steve E...........

[azcoyhunter]

I don't usually have a large amount at a time but I spray mine with the hose(water hose that is). I generally fill a 5 gallon bucket about half way at a time and spray the heck out of them. I let them dry for a week or so before melting them down in ingots or bullets.

Steve E...........

Please pardon my ingorance

but why get them wet?

Clint

[Urny]

I built a 1x3 frame, 20 inches by 30, stapled 1/4" hardware cloth to it, then laid another identicle 1x3 frame on top and bolted them together. Works great, and is used to sift Nevada dirt to mix with compost and steer manure for useable dirt for LINDA's gardens. Mix in the same cement mixer I use as a case tumbler. I've been using this contraption for about 20 years now and it may be time to make a new one.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

Several folks have mentioned hardware cloth during this thread. Where might I acquire said hardware cloth in 1/4" size? I've not had opportunity to be involved with such during my life. I do however, have a tablesaw and a stapler, so such shouldn't be hard to build a sift with these materials mentioned.

Regards,

Dave

[shooter2]

How about an old cement/mortar mixer. Shovel in the dirt and bullets from the berm, then fill with water and let it run until everything is loosened, then tip and let the dirty water out. Finally, let the hose run in until they are sparkling clean. I saw this used to separate lead shot that was recycled from a large trap and skeet range. Worked great and they got tons of reuseable shot.

[Steve E]

az

The ones I usually pick up have dried mud(dirt) caked on them and it's an easy way to get the dirt off them. I need to scrounge where you do if the ones you find don't have any dirt or mud on them. LOL

Steve E...........

[Uncle Grinch]

Several folks have mentioned hardware cloth during this thread. Where might I acquire said hardware cloth in 1/4" size? I've not had opportunity to be involved with such during my life. I do however, have a tablesaw and a stapler, so such shouldn't be hard to build a sift with these materials mentioned.

Regards,

Dave
Dave,

You can pick up hardware cloth at most Ace Hardware stores or Tractor Supply. It's nothing more than a square mesh wire fencing. We used to use it in the bottom of our rabbit pens.

BTW... How close are you to Bethlehem, GA? (off GA 316) My daughter lives nearby.

[TAWILDCATT]

ANY ONE EVER SEE AN ASH SIFTER??it's a rotory unit with rabbit wire 1/2 mesh,fits on gavanized pail/20 gallon trash can.crank handle and trash falls thru mesh bullets come out end and into bucket.my friend had one and we did 1000s lb. of back stop lead.much like picture above.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I live off of HWY 316 in a little town called Statham, GA. Bethlehem is right down the road ten minutes or so, just outside of Winder.

Thanks for the information on the hardware cloth. Both the places you listed are in Winder. I can use that cloth to make a rotary type sifter.

Regards,

Dave

[richbug]

A rotary grain cleaner. Picture a 24" diameter drum covered in 1/4" stainless hardware cloth, 6 feet long, on a 15 degree or so angle, driven by a 1hp electric motor(could use a 3.5 hp gas), turning at 20 rpm or so.

Shovel in the high end, put a big tub under the low end, shovel cleaned dirt away from underneath.

[georgeld]

Dave:

Clarify this deal a little bit.

Are you going to "mine" just enough for your own use, or are you going to
"mine" the whole berm for the range??

Better forget the 1/4" mesh and get the 1/8" mesh to save yourself one hell of a problem with it getting clogged up with .22's and chips. BTDT myself and learned the hard way.

When building my shop, I hauled sand from the gully bottoms and needed to get the bigger rocks and clods out. Mostly the bigger rocks as I was careful about digging up mud with it.

I went to a concrete/gravel pit and talked them out of a 4'x6' sheet of "sand screen". Gave it to me n/c. Then I welded it to a couple legs and my engine frame just because that's what I had handy in the same place.

Made a plate and shaft with two pillow block bearings and a weight on the shaft. Fastened this plate to the screen with bolts and turned it with a small motor. That thing would sift sand fine enough I used it to stucco and lay bricks with as fast as I was able to shovel it off the trk. Don't believe it cost me $50 for quite a few ton of sand. Shops 13' h, 25' w, and 50' long, double wide bricks, plus stuccoed and that was the sand/gravel used for the footers too.

Like I said, it just depends on how much you intend to 'mine'. Have fun,

[Texasflyboy]

I don't have a photo, but the quick and dirty method we have used from time to time at our range is a 15" truck tire mounted on a rim. I got the tire and rim free on the side of the road. I welded the center part to a simple bearing assembly to allow it to spin like its on an axle. I let the air out, and took my reciprocating saw and cut two squares out of the center of the tread, 8" square, 180 degrees apart. Using a very long and sharp nail in a piece of hardwood, I punched holes around the cutout's of the tire and "sewed" (using copper wire) hardware cloth over the holes. I cut a "flap" that I could flip open between the two hardware cloths and this was the fill hole.

I mounted this fake spare on my utility trailer. I simply toss in one or two shovel fulls of berm dirt, spin the tire by hand 6 or 7 revolutions, and the dirt just falls out. Do this two or three times and you have basically bullets left. Open the flap and let them fall out into a bucket. Repeat as necessary.

The other ideas are excellent, but this one cost me nothing and I am a notorious cheapskate for everything other than casting and shooting.

Here is a very crude sketch:

http://hgmould.gunloads.com/a/tire.jpg

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

George,

I'm just going to mine enough for my own use. That berm has been shot at for over 20 years and I don't think I have the energy to mine the entire thing.

Texasflyboy,

Thank you for the diagram. That's a real neat idea.

Regards,

Dave

[Ohio Rusty]

For a couple of years I used an old wire mesh minnow trap with the mesh extension in the middle. It worked well until some guy offered me good money for it as he wanted it to catch minnows......
Ohio Rusty

[Curly James]

Hi Dave,

I've sent you a PM, i think we may know each other. CJ.

[Sam]

I actually run it through my drywasher(a piece of mining eqpt).
It seperates lead from dirt just about as easy as it does gold.

Sam

[Gussy]

Guy next door took the drum out of a commercial clothes dryer and mounted it at an angle for a sifter. Huge bearing support already on it and a pulley for motor drive. As simple a solution for heavy use as I've seen. If you mounted it on a plate that could be tilted to dump like a cement mixer you would have it all.
Gus