Dental Xray Lead

[454PB]

I've mentioned here before that my daughter works for an endodontist (he does nothing but root canals), and she started saving the lead shields that are inside those cardboard do-dads that we bite down on for Xrays of our teeth. There's been some discussion about what they are made of, and I even asked her to check the MSDS that should be packed with them. She found that they don't have an MSDS, so she called the supplier and asked what they are made of. She was told lead.....and that they didn't need an MSDS because they weren't a chemical. Hmmmm.....when I was still working and in charge of "right to know" OSHA regulations I had to keep them for things as mundane as distilled water!

Anyway, these things are about 1 1/4" square and only about .010" thick. It takes a lot of them to make a pound. Today I melted a bunch of them down and cast some Lee .452 255 gr. SWC from the alloy. They cast very well, and I did a hardness test on them right after casting. They test 8.7 BHN, weigh 258 grains, and measure .454" in diameter. I suspect that there is a small percentage of tin in them, since they cast so well and test harder than pure lead.

I plan to do another hardness test in a week or so to see if it changes.

[fecmech]

I got about 40 lbs of them a couple years ago. They have some tin or antimony cause the ingots ring like ww when dropped on concrete. I did not have a hardness tester at the time but thought they were pretty close to ww.

[randyrat]

I ended up with about 27 lbs of them they melted so fast i thought they were tin. Now i beleive they are lead + a little tin. I swear someone here said pure +1-2% tin. According to weight they are a little lighter than pure, my 370 gr maxi ball molded them at about 361 grs. With my almost pure lead i can mold them at 369 grs. Nice stuff

[Fish_N_Russ]

wouldnt those have absorbed x-rays, ie radiation...? Nuclear boolits...cool

[Crosshair]

wouldnt those have absorbed x-rays, ie radiation...? Nuclear boolits...cool

Things don't become radioactive just from absorbing radiation. Any type of rays, be it light X-rays or Gamma rays, don't make things radioactive. Certain elements being exposed to properly moderated neutrons can be converted into radioactive isotopes.

[mike in co]

before my dentist went digital , he use to save his foil for me. i currently put aprox 5 lbs of foil in aprox 120-140 lbs of ww. it does seem to cast a bit nicer, so i am going along with the tin content.
mike in co

[Shuz]

I scored on 10 lbs of this stuff back in Feb 08. I contacted the mfr, KODAK, and they told me that the composition is 98 % Lead, 1% tin and 1% antimony. My hardness testing shows it is harder than pure lead, and it "rings" when an ingot of the stuff hits the concrete floor of my casting shop. Great stuff. Become an "environmental disposal site" for your dentist as I have done. Saves him money in disposal costs.

[armoredman]

I have to ask my local dentist...

[Gussy]

I went golfing with a dentist last week. I was subing for a team member and it was the first time in 4 years. I asked a bout the foil. YES he said come and get it, "I won't have to PAY to have it hauled off". Well I won't take a dime to haul it off being a nice guy and all!!
Gus

[4thebrdz]

I go to my dentist and give the nurse a plastic bag that she fills for me. When I smelt them I toss the whole bag in the Dutch usually 10# of pretty pure lead. Everything else burns off

[azrednek]

I scored some dental foil lead apx a year or so ago for FREE!! Got nearly a half pound for the near two thousand dollar medical bill.