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Friend of mine gave 4 block of lead. They are 4x4 inchs and about 10 inchs long. My question how do you cut it up. In the past i try power saws. They just clog the blade. I try the nail test and i think its pure lead.The gift of free lead is a friend.
Hammer and a chisel, wood splitting maul, chainsaw(use a tarp to catch the chips), sawzall with a tree trimming blade, tree trimming bow saw...
I use my band saw.
Sawzall and wd40 for cutting fluid, spray liberally on the blade and any time it starts to stick give it another spritz. I've heard using a chop saw with wax on the blade works well to but haven't tried that method personally .
I sawzall 14Lb ingots purchased on swap and sell here (fast and quik)
why not put in the pot and melt some or all
depends on your melting source, my promelt has a 4" diameter and with a block 4"x4"x10" it would be difficult to squeeze it in. I usually remelt all lead I get on a turkey fryer to clean and make muffin tin size ingots.Quote:
Originally Posted by turtlezx
I use a axe and a 2 lb hammer, drive it through. Just keep swinging away..
Sounds like too much trouble - just send it to me and don't worry about it anymore ! lol
Me too with a fast cutting bladeQuote:
Originally Posted by bdicki
I buy bullet lead in 62 lb ingots.
I set the ingot on the ground sitting about 6" off the ground on some bricks or blocks.
I set my cast iron frying pan on the ground under one end of the ingot, then set my Mapp Gas torch on the ground on its side with the flame pointing up towards the ingot.
The Torch melts off part of the block and it drips into the frying pan.
After a while, I stop and set the frying pan on my burner and remelt it and cast into smaller ingots that are easier to use or store.
Doesnt take long to get a whole 62 lb ingot smelted down to size
I use my bow saw. Cut through foundry ingots with that. Need a spay bottle with water and a little bit of dish soap.
As small as those are I think you could get away with melting them with a torch. Those, if set on end and heated from the bottom, would melt in a reasonable amount of time. If you could suspend them over a muffin pan you could drip the lead right into ingots.
I often will set an ingot made from a standard loaf pan on my old Lyman pot and use a propane torch to assist melting.
Thats a nice score! It sounds like you have a good friend.
As you are seeing, there are several ways to do this. If you have a smelting set-up, remelt it in smaller size ingots. If you don't have a set-up yet, this might be an excuse to get something. You can cut these with a wedge and hammer. Many have used a log splitter. Most any type of saw with a corse blade will work. If you use a power saw, be very careful! I have cut a lot of lead with a carpenters hand saw. As many have posted, you can melt it with a torch and catch the drips. Good Luck with your new score!
They are not BLOCKS! They are ingots - put them one at a time in your pot - they will melt from the bottom - when melted, flux and start CASTING!Quote:
They are 4x4 inchs and about 10 inchs long
If you only have a5# pot - cut them in half otherwise no issues having to cut
I only consider them ingots if I know the source. could be racecar lead which is a mix of anything heavy, could be scuba weights, who knows. I'm still curious how you fit a 4x4x10 square size in a 4" round hole....Quote:
Originally Posted by John Boy
I like to use my bandsaw too. However, any coarse tooth wood saw, hand or electric will do it. A table saw is my last option but works. Cut half way and turn over and cut the rest. Once you do some, it is not hard.
This style blade in a sawzall and a little wax
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...2fc7f_1000.jpg
Per the OP ...
Quote:
I try the nail test and i think its pure lead.
Quote:
I'm still curious how you fit a 4x4x10 square size in a 4" round hole....
Round Hole? Don't understand - a casting pot is round and the diameter is more than 4". Right? So drop them in the pot one at a time and the bar will melt downQuote:
They are 4x4 inchs and about 10 inchs long.
Lead cuts or shears pretty easily. a band saw portband sawsall axe should cut it. It could be slightly reshaped with a big hammer to fit in a pot also, beat it thinner in a half circle to slide in the pot. Or set up a big pot and melt it down and pour ingots from it. A turkey fryer stand and pot made from an old propane tank works great for this and depending on where the tank is cut can hold several hundred pounds of alloy. If you out in the country pot can be set up on bricks and wood or coal used even. A heavy tourch will melt from end but lead sucks a lot of heat sitting unshielded to get to the melting point. A oxy accetelene tourch could maybe melt chunks off also. Its not so much what to do but what you have available to do it with.
Simple way as mentioned earlier is Mapps gas torch. Just a regular torch screwed onto a Mapps gas cartridge. It will eat away at the lead pretty quickly in my experience.
I had let the melted lead drip into a 5 gallon pail of water. It won't erupt or anything, just sizzle as it hits the water, sort of like water quenching boolits. It will look like a mess once you are done, but after it's thoroughly dried it can be remelted very easily in a pot, alloyed, fluxed and poured into ingots.
Remember, be sure it's completely dry before adding any of it to already molten lead or you will certainly get a visit from the tinsel fairy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Boy
The ProMelt is going to have the bottom plug and linkage inside that 4 inch space. I don't think its going to fit. If I had the finances available and the storage space I would use this as an excuse to acquire a smelting set-up.
I have the same lead
I cut mine up with a circular miter saw
just find a way to capture the chips and your good to go
Wow, trying to put a square block into a round hole? 4x4 square WONT fit into a 4" diameter pot! Geeee!
Sounds like you need to cut it up a bit. Sawzall if you got one. My bandsaw will work, but I don't like cleaning it up. I wouldn't use tablesaw. Asking for issues. Melt some off of the corners and make it drop into pot.