How to cut this lead

[dsmjon]

I use a cordless circular saw with carbide blade. 1/2" thick will be easy.

[captaint]

I've used a hacksaw many times to cut lead pipe & various pieces of Pb. Works good. Mike

[Centaur 1]

Circular saw with a coarse carbide blade.

[Mal Paso]

This would be an excellent excuse to get a bigger pot.

[jonk]

I'd crowbar up a corner, slide a muffin tin on a cookie sheet under the end (while leaving it supported so as not to crush the tin), and blast it with my weed burner. A lot will go into the tin, making nice ingots, the remaining will run off on to the cookie sheet and shoot be thin enough to fold over and put in the pot, or else re-melt later.

I don't like sawing lead. I don't have lead poisoning and would prefer to keep it that way, and lots of lead dust in the air would worry me. With a proper respirator it would be fine.

[AlaskanGuy]

I just grab my saws-all and get-er-done.. Takes just a min or 2 that way... I would just put a small block of wood under it and leave it right in the back of the truck. When your done, just sweep out the back of the truck into a bucket, and presto, manageable.

[remy3424]

If it is soft, just use an ax and be done with it.

[Pilgrim]

Saws-all or propane torch of one kind or another. Method is dependant upon the configuration of the lead and your truck. If you can get the sheet sticking out of the truck, put a tarp underneath it and use a saws-all or similar saw with a coarse blade. If you can melt it without "melting" your truck, put some sort of metal container under the lead and melt off chunks the size you want. Saws-all will be faster and less of a mess.

[owejia]

Finished melting a 1673 lb. sail boat ingot last week. Used my oxy-act torch with a large rosebud to melt a notch on each side of the ingot and used a chain fall to hang from the ceiling joist in my barn made a 15" dia smelting pot x 7" deep from a piece of pipe from the scrapyard. Welded four angle iron legs on it and used my Harbor freight weed burner to melt into my pipe smelting pot. That pot would hold about 500 lbs but I only melted a couple hundred lbs at a time. Takes a long time to melt that much lead. Poured into 2" channel iron ingots about 6" lg. They average weighing 7 to 7.5 lbs. Wore me out just picking them up and stacking as they cooled down.They check about 13bnh using the pencil test. Lifetime supply. That weed burner will do the job.

[CastingFool]

I would use a corded reciprocating saw, and try using blades with different teeth. Also, vary the cutting speed. Save the shavings, if you can. I think it would be too strenuous to use an ax to chop a chunk of lead that thick.

[fastfire]

I'm going to try a reciprocating saw, sawsall, axe and when I get pieces small enough to handle a wood splitter. Hack saw and hammer, and chisel is to much work.
Chainsaw and reciprocating saw wondering how fast it will dull?
I'll report back with the results.
Thanks for all the ideas.

[John Allen]

Considering it is only a 1/2 inch thick just whack it with an axe you will make short work of it.

[gwpercle]

Where in the world did you find a piece of lead 1/2" X 12" X 15 FEET long, what was it used for and how did you get it home?????? Almost a case of " too much of a good thing".

[fastfire]

I got it at a scrap yard. This place is the higest priced around but the guy misquoted me the price at .75 a lb, I couldn't get the money out of my wallet fast enough. I was in a roll and loaded it with a fork lift and I used a tractor wit a loader to lift it out.
I do not know what it was use for but I KNOW what it WILL be used for.

[Echo]

Id use a torch & melt it in half. Then use a sledge hammer to fold up & compress those 2 big chunks so I could melt each half separately in my pot.

Goodness - my dutch oven wouldn't handle a 220-lb chunk of Pb...

My recommendation is a Sawzall, with a coarse blade, and paper underneath to catch the chips.

[fastfire]

Just starting out here and using a HF cast iron pot.
I'm thinking about a larger pot, maybe out of a lg dia pipe or a propane cylinder so I can melt more at a time.Maybe even making a bottom pour pot?

[Dale in Louisiana]

I have a piece of soft lead 1/2 thick 12"wide and about 15ft long.
How do I cut small enough pieces to put in my cast iron pot to make into ingots?

You need to buy my Tactical Grade Lead Strip Cutter. Only $349.95 plus shipping.

dale in Louisiana
(well, I don't actually make one, but if there's a market...)

[cbrick]

I don't like sawing lead. I don't have lead poisoning and would prefer to keep it that way, and lots of lead dust in the air would worry me. With a proper respirator it would be fine.

Dust? There would be no dust, nothing but chips of varying sizes but dust, no. It would be wise to not eat the chips.

Rick

[Hanzy4200]

Sawz All. Be glad it's only 1/2" thick. I picked up about 20 "bars" that were over 2" thick, they took some serious elbow grease.

[fastfire]

OK IT'S DONE.
First I tried the sawsall it took 1m 40sec to cut 1 pass using a coarse blade.
Next the circular saw with a coarse blade 1 pass took 4-5 sec, didn't try anything anther way.
The circular saw IS defiantly the way to go.
Thanks for all the sugestions.