Thought I might have found a lead source....

[Harry O]

My son is working the summer at the City traffic shop. One of the things he brought home was a plug that they use to seal the bolt that holds the meter to the pole. It is supposed to be lead and it is hammered into the hole to seal it.

The plug is about 1-3/8" dia, 3/8" thick, and weighs about 1-1/2oz. When they have to change a head, they have a device to pull the plug. It ruins the plug when they pull it and they throw it out. He brought one home for me to look at. I tested it with my Bhn tester and it is off the scale hard (the tester goes up to about 38Bhn -- I am guessing the plug is about 50Bhn from the small indentation).

I am going to ask him to bring a few more home until I get enough to melt. Anybody ever run across this before? I am guessing a lot of antimony, but no facts yet. It doesn't look like tin or lead with high tin.

[njmj]

Maybe zinc? njmj

[454PB]

It might be interesting to experiment with, but be careful you don't contaminate a batch of good alloy with this stuff. Linotype is only BHN 22, 50 BHN has to have some other metal or a lot of antimony.

[357maximum]

Msds ?

[Johnch]

If it is what we use at work .
It will prove to be Zink .

Hopfuly it will be lead instead

Johnch

[redneckdan]

could be extremely work harded to. they do beat the snot out of them with a hammer.

[sundog]

Harry, my first guess is zinc due its application outdoors. Be careful what you do your initial melt in. You don't want to contaminate a good casting pot. sundog.

[Harry O]

Thanks for the info everyone. I agree now that it is zinc. I tried melting the one I have down in a pan over the stove. It did not melt, just got a little soft. I have gotten lead to melt easily with the same pan and same stove.

[HTRN]

could be extremely work harded to. they do beat the snot out of them with a hammer.

Lead doesn't work harden, it work softens. That's why when sheet lead is melted down and recast, it gets harder.



HTRN