long term ingot storage...

[par0thead151]

im considering dipping my ingots in a wax before storing them, my reasoning is that the wax will serve to protect the lead from corrosion, and make it safer to handle, and when melted it will act as a flux as well.
am i adding a unnecessary step to my casting procedure, or does this make reasonable sense?

[Shiloh]

IMHO, Yes.

Mine are in 5 gal. buckets out of the way in the garage.

Yours will be pre-fluxed though. Hope you cast outside to deal with the smoke upon melting them!!

Shiloh

[par0thead151]

i plan on doing all casting outside just to keep lead out of the house, as im 25 and my fiance is 23. so we are at the point in our life where kids is a real possibility. in the next couple of years

[MT Gianni]

A wax may make them attractive to rodents and bugs. No other downside but I confess to not seeing the upside. Mine are in the shop, 5 gallon buckets.

[218bee]

Doesn't lead actually "protect itself" with a sort of coating ? I remember reading that somewhere but am not a metalurgist. Mine are simply stacked on a pallet in the machine shed and have not had a problem...I have some plumbers lead ingots that I've not touched in about twenty years and they seem fine

[Hickory]

Lead ingot are far removed from things like, Oh, let's say. . .
Milk! The ingots will not spoil.

[Tom Herman]

Sounds like more work than necessary. Mine live on the floor in a big pile. When i get nmore buckets, I'll probably store them there.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[Springfield]

As long as they don't get wet they don't seem to oxidize too much. I've got my 5600 lbs of ingots outside on a sheet of plywood under a plastic tarp. No room anywhere else until I get my new storage shed built.

[high standard 40]

I make boxes out of 1/2" plywood that hold between 50-65 lbs each depending on ingot shape. Size is roughly 5 1/2" wide, 3 1/2" tall, and 14 1/2" long nailed & glued together. Top is 1/4" plywood & not glued. This keeps dust & other trash from covering the ingots and the boxes are not so large & heavy that they can't be moved easily. They stack well, look good, don't take up much space, and keep the ingots clean. I do a lot of welding & grinding in my shop and didn't want the steel dust coating my lead. Stored this way, they are clean & ready to use when needed. Surplus ammo cans would work well but would be more expensive.

Charlie..........

[mooman76]

I have mine stacked in the corner of the garage, some in ammo cans, some in milk crates and some? They don't really corrode so it isn't a problem and even if they did when you melt them down the gunk floats to the top and you scrape it off and toss it.

[waksupi]

Waste of wax. If you want to keep oxidation down, just dip them in a can of soapy water, and let dry.

[zxcvbob]

I have a couple hundred pounds in a wooden crate in my basement, a hundred pounds stacked up on the back of my workbench near the bullet caster, and a little over 300 pounds in a small cardboard box in the back of my pickup (right against the tailgate) for extra traction. And 100 pounds of WW's in a bucket in the garage waiting to be rendered. Oh, and about 10 pounds of range scrap in a plastic bag in my gun bag.

Sounds like I've got a lot of catching up to do compared to most of ya. :)

[454PB]

I have ingots that are 30 years old, and you can't tell they weren't cast last year. Keep them out of moisture and dirt and they are fine.