Storing ingots

[bobk]

I was smelting yesterday, and admiring all the nice, shiny ingots. Then I thought, eventually they will tarnish, and I will have to clean the metal again. What do you all use to keep this from happening? I thought of waxing them, which might prevent or at least slow oxidation, and maybe act as a built-in flux when I eventually use them. Ideas?
Bob K

[WHITETAIL]

Bobk, just put them in clean 5 gal. pails with lids.:Fire:

[Calamity Jake]

Dunk em in soapy water but don't rince.

I don't worry about, the tarnish will not hurt anything. The only one that will tarnish badly is the pure or near pure lead.

[DLCTEX]

I've got WW ingots that have been in a wooden box for 7 or 8 years and are still bright. Pure does tend to oxidize, but in our dry climate it would take many years to be more than slight surface discoloring. This may be worse in more humid conditions, so the sealed 5 gal. pail may be the solution. DALE

[EDG]

The standard Lyman, Saeco and Lee ingots are a good fit in a .30 caliber can.
Each can will hold about 50 lbs.

[clintsfolly]

cast an shoot before that!!!!! i have some WW that are 25yrs old they go start to the casting pot have fun clint

[Typecaster]

I use both .30 and .50 ammo cans. My cast iron smelting pot (full to within an inch of the top) holds enough to make ingots that will just fill a .50 ammo can. It makes for a uniform batch of alloy, and easy to store each batch separately.

Richard

[44man]

Even if they do, so what? You will flux the casting pot anyway.

[The Dust Collector]

I used to do a lot of round ball blackpowder shooting. The balls were cast of "pure lead". I went into high gear one summer and filled at least a dozen 1 gallon new paint cans with 40 cal .390" balls. I thought that they would get funny from oxidation even in a closed can, so I covered them with light hydralic oil . That was over 25 years ago now and they're still bright and shiny as the day they were cast. I have 3/4 of one can left.

[dmftoy1]

I've got a ventless propane heater in my garage and the condensation on my ingots makes them "tarnish" or oxidize or whatever alot faster than I'd like. (also sucks if you don't pay attention and put one in the pot! :O )

I made a cart out of 2"x10"'s and some 6 inch caster's I've got laying around. Each 40MM can sitting on it will hold 500lbs of ingots and only be a little under 2/3 full. I throw in a couple of dessicants and I figure that my strategic reserve will be good for awhile. :) (It has the added advantage of being able to easily move it around.

Have a good one,
Dave

[Huntducks]

Even if they do, so what? You will flux the casting pot anyway.

Boy ain't that the truth:drinks:

[S.B.]

I think most here are going to un needed expense. I store mine on the garage floor?

[mtgrs737]

This is the way I store them. I am thinking about putting a piece of plastic on top to keep dust off them. The pallet jack makes them easy to move around.

[Woodsroad]

http://hadidiegypt.com/images/Image_066_.jpg

I just leave mine outside. You flux when you cast, so what's the problem with a tiny bit of oxidation?

[686]

seeing mtgrs737 pallet jack makes me wish i dad a problum like that moving around my little bit of lead. BUT after seeing woodsrood picture i am rethinking my take over of ft nox , fofinding out where this lead stash is. do you know how many powder and primers it would take to use up all that lead. woodsrood how much lead is that? i know it is not yours because you would have not shown it. is it for sale? that picture will make a lots of grown men drooooool.

[madcaster]

Woodsroad,
Some of us are a conspiring,I meant needing your adress,meanwhile we are making fake EPA badges so as we can "confinscate" this dangerous material!:kidding:[smilie=1:
Just a fuunin' ya know,
Jeff

[Woodsroad]

Yeah, well, it's all wishful thinking. That ain't mine, just a pic I found on the web.
I DID score 5 pails of WW today, though!

[Ohio Rusty]

Everytime I empty a plastic coffee container, I store lead in those and put them on a floor-level shelf in the garage held up by bricks. The tops snap on and hold about 25 pounds of wheelweights each, or about the same weight in ingots. These plastic coffee cans kep the lead cleaner and makes your lead stash easy to move around or store. Just label what is in each can.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[cohutt]

stack the big (6lb) ones on the palet, put the small ones in anything i can- buckets, boxes, cat litter bins

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/pb/misc115.jpg

[Rooster]

Geez, I hope the Missus don't see that! It makes mine look so, so,, nevermind.....

[Maximilian225]

http://hadidiegypt.com/images/Image_066_.jpg

I just leave mine outside. You flux when you cast, so what's the problem with a tiny bit of oxidation?


:shock: Thats got to be a serious burden to someone.:violin: We should all do our part and remove this thorn from this persons side. Say 100 Lbs at a time. Until this mess is "tolerable"

[Woodsroad]

You should see my collection of old toilets, it's even better than this....