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Frankcnb
03-12-2009, 10:15 AM
I have been lurking around Cast Boolits for a while. I really enjoy the forums.

This is my first post here.
I have found some lead at a near by metal scrap yard. The owner told me he had some lead and took me into one of the buildings and waht he has I have no clue as to the purpose of these molded hunks of lead. below is some pictures.

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss128/Frankcnb/led002.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss128/Frankcnb/led001.jpg

This chunck of lead weighs 31.5 lbs. and is 6 1/2 inches long. As you can see on the hollow end there are two metal clips that are actualled attached with socket head screws. They look to me to be some kind of electrical contacts sort of like what you see in the bottom of a flashlight except much bigger.

The owner of the scrap yard says he believes it to be pure lead, but it is harder than pure lead. I can barely scratch it with my thumb nail. Seems to be not quite as hard as wheel weights.

He also had some hollow taper shaped cup-like castings that werte about 2" tall and 1 1/2 inches wide at the top. I wish I had taked some pictures but I melted those down into ingots marked with a question mark. These "cups" had a rim casted in them as if another piece fitted into them. There were labels on these cups, but I could only read one word on one of the labels; the word iodine. Maybe this was some kind of medical containers. Hope I will not start glowing!!

I have decided to melt this lead down and cast a few bullets to see haow they cast and check hardness. I hope there is no zink.

If I get good castings I will go back and buy more . The scrap yard has a barrel full of the big castings. I bought fifty pounds at .47 cents, one big chunk pictured and a few of the cups.

j20owner
03-12-2009, 10:22 AM
I think another poster on here got a whole bunch of those from either his work, or his buddy's work. Some kind of container for something or other. I'm sure someone will chime in with more info for you.

Charlie Sometimes
03-12-2009, 10:28 AM
See this thread link- I think this is the one that answers your question.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=46223

Frankcnb
03-12-2009, 10:51 AM
Thanks for the link Charlie Sometimes:
It looks like I have made a good find. I will go back to the scrap yard and buy some more of those "Generator Shields" at 47 cents a pond. I sure hope I don't start glowing in the dark.
According to the thread you reffered me back to, those make good 45 ACP bullets as it is. It was stated that those chunks are pure lead, but I melted some with a torch onto the floor and beat it about the thickeness of a dime. I could bend it to a point and it would break. I know that you can bend pure sheet lead completly back on itself.

Thaks for the info!

sqlbullet
03-12-2009, 11:00 AM
Cast at 700° and air cooled, you will have a BHN of about 11 from those.

Water drop and you will get a 28-29 from them.

Heat them in the over for 1 hour at 350 and let them cool in the oven and you will see a BHN of 9-10.

Heat them in the oven for 1 hour at 450 and quench them, and your BHN will be 20-21.

They will age harden another point or two.

They melt at 550°-575°.

This is the source of all my casting lead, usually 1500 pounds at a time. I have also tested them casting at 650° and 750°, but 700 seems plenty hot enough for good mold fill out, so I don't push it and risk more rapid oxidation.

Hardcast416taylor
03-12-2009, 04:50 PM
You have the top part of the shielding shipping container for tracer material used by hospitals nuclear medicine depts. I have used this lead for the last 25 or more yrs. The nuclear half-life (radiation) is about 6 months then it is for all purposes safe from radiation. The hospital I get mine from keeps it stored for 1 year or longer in a lead shielded vault and check it periodically before disposing of it. I shoot it in all my pistols as well as adding either some lino or ww to stiffen the alloy when melting. It can be checked by using a geiger counter for rads being emited. In all likelihood it is now inert from radiation. All that lead to shield a vial smaller than the little finger of a small childs hand.:coffeecomRobert

2TN Mules
03-12-2009, 05:54 PM
Your find is the lead shielding from a "Mo99 Generator" core. All the above info is correct as given by the members. I made the, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=46223 post. The radioactive core has been removed from these and is kept for decay by the hospital or radiopharmacy before it is sent for recycling. These lead shields have zero radiation hazzard. Since my first post I have melted a total of 1,200# of these into ingots and have another 400# coming next week. They are not pure lead because when tested on a Lee hardness tester the samples tested out at 13.0 to 14.3 BHN. Not sure what they would test if water quenched or otherwise hardened. You'll love them as a source of boolits because they melt real clean with less than a tablespoon of dross from each one. Just be sure to get the 2 little brass nuts out of the melt when fluxing and skimming. Get all you can lay your hands on.

Frankcnb
03-12-2009, 06:48 PM
Again a big thanks for the info. I figured if any one knew what I had it would be found on Cast Boolits. As I said, I have been lurking around here for a while. This is one of my favorite forums to read. Lots of good info.

After casting years ago, I started casting "boolits" again for about 2 years now, .

Thanks from Frank