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Whit Spurzon
05-01-2007, 04:05 PM
A family friend and Boolit caster passed away and I ended up with some lead ingots. On some of them there is a stamp "X" and others "L" (linotype?) Some no stamp at all.

Is there a standard abbrevation or shorthand for marking ingots or did this gentleman likely have his own?

Thanks

Edward429451
05-01-2007, 05:05 PM
L could be linotype or lead. X could be anything from his special alloy to stuff he didn't want to use at all. I use L for lead, W for WW's, H for anything I've added tin to.

Prolly the best thing to do is to cast some from each and hardness test them & check the weight. Shouldn't be hard to discern if the L stuff is lead or linotype.

grumpy one
05-01-2007, 05:28 PM
There is no standard marking that I've ever heard of. Because I'm pretty sure I'll snuff it before much of my alloy gets used, I have adopted a two-symbol coding that isn't very difficult to work out: WW for wheelweight alloy, LT for linotype, 3/5 for my old bullet alloy (3% tin, 5% antimony), and "SOFT" for pure lead. As I investigate new alloys I'll identify them in a similar way - Taracorp Magnum alloy will be marked 2/6, for example.

There is nothing remarkable about this or any other marking system unless you want to trade some, or you move house or die, or some relative kindly re-stacks all your metal so as to stash it more conveniently. Then the game changes suddenly.

HORNET
05-01-2007, 06:33 PM
You might also think about HOW you mark the ingots. Nothing like finding out that a "permanent" marker isn't....A cheap set of letter stamps might wear out on lead ingots ....eventually.

twotoescharlie
05-01-2007, 07:15 PM
I do a lot of charcoal burning, I stamp all of my pure lead ingots PL, WW for wheel weights, got an unlimited supply of the stuff that is used in stained glass windows and doors, stamp it GOK (God only knows). does not cast worth a hoot.


TTC

RayinNH
05-01-2007, 08:30 PM
I label mine. I use a P for pure, W for wheelweights and R for range scrap...Ray

garandsrus
05-01-2007, 09:29 PM
Twotoescharlie,

Are you saying that the lead from stained glass doesn't work well for casting? I would have thought it was pure lead.

John

Blammer
05-01-2007, 09:32 PM
no standard for labeling that I know of.

I just use the edge of a screwdriver and press in it the letters I want.

\/\/ = wheel wts
|_ = lead, pure

jhalcott
05-01-2007, 09:47 PM
No intelligent marking system here! I have several 10 gallon containers that I store the ingots in.After I smelt the WW's into ingots ,they go in the container marked WW .My linotype is in 3 pound ingots and stays that way till I make a batch of Bullet Alloy,which goes in the BA container. UNsmelted WW's are kept in 5 gallon buckets. Every thing else is Mystery Metal!

rmb721
05-01-2007, 10:26 PM
I cast one pound ingots of WW that I keep in a wooden box marked WW. Pure lead also in one pound ingots in another bow marked "soft". I cast linotype in one-half pound ingots and store in a box marked "lino".

When casting, for every four one-pound ingots of WW, I add a one half-pound ingot of lino.

buck1
05-01-2007, 10:51 PM
I paint mine. Black= WW etc. It works well

454PB
05-01-2007, 11:13 PM
I keep mine in 5 gallon plastic buckets, and the buckets are marked.

It has been noted here before that those buckets deteriorate over time, even when indoors. I'm very careful when moving them, which isn't often. Recently I emptied one and found that the entire bottom was spider web cracked. It didn't fail, but I'm glad I didn't try to lift it.

neerb
05-02-2007, 12:02 AM
I cast my ingots into different molds. Mine are lyman ingots for ww. A corn cob shape for lino, pure lead goes into a rcbs ingot mold and unknown into a lee. neerb

grumpy one
05-02-2007, 01:30 AM
You might also think about HOW you mark the ingots. Nothing like finding out that a "permanent" marker isn't....A cheap set of letter stamps might wear out on lead ingots ....eventually.

I use an electric arc pencil, but if you can stand the noise a vibrating pencil would probably just work as well and is a lot cheaper. Stamps are OK but a bit small and it takes time to use them neatly. With the arc pencil I just write and it's done.

Bigjohn
05-02-2007, 02:01 AM
About a month ago, I found myself in a situation having to move my entire stock of ingots.

I found that of the older ones, the permanent marker had faded. I bought a set of 3/8" letter number stamps and spent the best part of a day remarking over a tonne of ingots then stacking them in their new storage area.

I used a combination of upto 3 letter/numbers to tell me what each ingot is.

And no, there is no standard of marking ingots, each might have their own system.

The need is there to make a written record of what each marking stands for and not rely on memory.

John.

MT Gianni
05-02-2007, 04:49 AM
I scratch a W or L or #2 in mine with a screwdriver edge. I no longer make 2/6/92 but have that on a few. It holds up ok for 10 years or more. I had some bought from a co-worker that the stamps were so deep and so small they were indistinguishable. Gianni

STP
05-02-2007, 05:22 AM
I`ve used a magic marker mostly, and for the most part it has done the job. Having enough Lyman and RCBS trays to seperate a WW batch from any other alloy would help. I keep my eyes open for a suitable "custom" tray at yard sales and small shows. Nothing yet...

georgeld
05-02-2007, 05:45 AM
I only have one mark and was stacking them all together in those big plastic milk crates. 4 rows of 14 per layer, hard telling how many layers but, level full there's 728 lbs/ingots per crate. At one time I had three crate's level full and a few extra's. Am down to about two crates now.

My only mark is an L for lead, meaning soft to me. All the rest are harder and ready to use. I don't get particular with it long as it's hard enough I can't scratch it with a thumb nail, it's good enough for pistol boolits.

Oh yeah, that stamp was easy and cheap. Cut a piece of 6" long angle about 1/2x 1".

Since Ron was here helping sort/melt. I've started stacking the L's by themselve's but, there's no way I'm gonna dig 'em all out of the other two crates just to sort them out.

mooman76
05-02-2007, 10:33 AM
I usually just use a majic marker. WW for wheel weights amd SL for soft lead. On my bigger ingots when I got tired of poring the little 1# ers I stamped with a chissle WW.

pdawg_shooter
05-02-2007, 12:59 PM
I stamp mine with the BHN and % mix I used on that batch. Saves a lot of time later.

1hole
05-07-2007, 10:04 PM
Wish I had a real hardness tester can't justify it because of the small amount of casting I do. I do have a rough way to test tho, using an "automatic" center punch. I just punch an ingot of pure lead, a hard bullet and then an ingot of the unknown and compare the three holes with a simple magnifier. It's pretty easy to get a relitive measure of the hardness of the unknown alloy that way.

Kraschenbirn
05-07-2007, 10:20 PM
Komelon Permanent Marker here. PB for pure lead, WW for wheelweights, #2 for Lyman #2 (or my equivalent, LT for linotype, and 20/1 or 25/1 for ingot BP alloy. Ingots are stacked, by alloy/mix, in a row of divided bins on the concrete floor under my workbench. To date, haven't had any problem with marker wearing off

Bill

357tex
05-07-2007, 10:43 PM
Me I'm simple I use a ball peen hammer.Hit the WW once with peen 3 times for soft lead twice for My boolit mix.It never fades I never have to wonder.Plus it's cheap.8-)

Uncle Grinch
05-07-2007, 11:45 PM
I use different ingot type for my different alloys. For example, WW are muffins, corn sticks are lino, Lyman ingots are hard alloy and Lee ingots are soft alloys.

This way I can identify my lead alloys with a quick glance.

axxman928
05-08-2007, 03:11 PM
Uncle Grinch,
Agree with you 100%. Been doing it that way for the last year myself. So much
easier.Like you said,can tell at a glance how much you have left of a particular type.
Safe shooting pard. axxman928

Bigjohn
05-08-2007, 09:40 PM
I use different ingot type for my different alloys. For example, WW are muffins, corn sticks are lino, Lyman ingots are hard alloy and Lee ingots are soft alloys.

This way I can identify my lead alloys with a quick glance.

This is a good idea if you have the molds, my melting pot has a capacity greater than that of my ingot molds. It then slows you down as the melt takes longer to set off when the molds become hot.

Living here in Aus., they don't import a lot of cast boolit equipment and obtaining enough molds to take the pot capacity is a long drawn out affair.

A friend of mine did find a sheet of croisant molds, cresent shape, 6" long 3/8" deep.

Uncle Grinch, it is still a damn good idea if you have a series of molds but make a written record.

John.

nelsonted1
05-09-2007, 01:22 PM
I got some feet for something or other from a friend. They are 1/2" by 3" with sloping sides- little trays. I scrawlled the word "Lead" in the bottom with a wire feed welder. They say LEAD big and bold