How to reduce large ingots?

[JoeH]

I have 100 pounds of pure lead I would like to blend for bullet metal. It is in the form of two 50 pound ingots. My dilemma is how to reduce those huge chunks to a size that will fit in my Lee pro-four 20 pound melting pot. I have cut up some smaller pieces of pure lead with my chop saw with a carbide toothed wood saw blade. It didn't seem to do any harm to the saw but these ingots are much thicker and would require more work. I also have an acetylene cutting torch but have never tried cutting lead. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[skeettx]

Don't cut it, melt it, hang it up with a c-clamp and chain, put a pot(ingot mold, container, etc) nearby under the chunk, start melting it with your cutting torch.
Watch out for any possible splashes. When you get enough, transfer the smaller ingot to the Lee.

[Yodogsandman]

Melting is less labor intensive. I've used a propane torch and melted directly into the pot in times past. Easy to direct it to where you want the stream to go. Now I have a cast iron pot that will handle that size and a huge burner.

[Retumbo]

Sawzall

[bangerjim]

Your O/A torch is the real easy way. Just have a good catch basin underneath!

If you use a sawzall.......make sure you medical insurance is paid up! That thing will kill you arm and shoulder joints! And loosen fillings in your molars. I use a dual rotary saw to cut all lead hunks. Walks thru lead like a hot knife thru butter. HF as one on sale right now for dirt cheap. Not one bit of kickback or bone-rattling vibrations.

banger

[JSnover]

Yeah, you don't want to cut thick lead with a sawzall. I had some ballast that was about an inch thick years ago. Didn't have any appropriate saws so I hacked it into smaller pieces with an air chisel. Not the most fun I ever had but it could have been worse.
+1 on the torch method.

[mozeppa]

put mine on a dewalt cross mitre saw ...like cutting bread slices.

[country gent]

The c-clamp method may work but lead heats fairly even through its mass, One of the qualities of lead. Heating and melting supported from clamp may soften under clamp allowing it to drop. Drill a hole thru it and bolt it to a chain or spport on stand with metal rail. But above all be carefull. I have had good result with a heavy wood chiesel sharpened and 3-4lb cross peen hammer. You can peel chunks of pretty quick and fast.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have on a number of occasions used a log splitter, but if the ingots are too large or weirdly shaped then it becomes difficult to manage. The problem with sawing is that there are a lot of chips flying around. LLs

[Retumbo]

guess my saw must be broken then 'cause i had no such issues.

Your O/A torch is the real easy way. Just have a good catch basin underneath!

If you use a sawzall.......make sure you medical insurance is paid up! That thing will kill you arm and shoulder joints! And loosen fillings in your molars. I use a dual rotary saw to cut all lead hunks. Walks thru lead like a hot knife thru butter. HF as one on sale right now for dirt cheap. Not one bit of kickback or bone-rattling vibrations.

banger

Yeah, you don't want to cut thick lead with a sawzall. I had some ballast that was about an inch thick years ago. Didn't have any appropriate saws so I hacked it into smaller pieces with an air chisel. Not the most fun I ever had but it could have been worse.
+1 on the torch method.

[bangerjim]

Do you run a pneumatic jack hammer for a living? HA.....ha!

[flyingmonkey35]

Get a bigger pot!

[Retumbo]

Do you run a pneumatic jack hammer for a living? HA.....ha!

Just splashed the blade with water once in a while so it would stick. i think if the lead warms up too much it gets sticky, cut becomes difficult

[RogerDat]

Don't use an oxy acetylene torch the temperatures from that are high enough to generate lead vapor. Propane torch temps are high enough to melt lead but not so high that it vaporizes it.

I'm not sure I get the problem. 50# should fit in a harbor freight dutch oven which can be had for around $25 place over propane burner or wood fire. Use ladle to pour into muffin tin cups once it melts. Ladle and muffin tins should be available at Salvation Army or any thrift store. I'm pretty sure I can get closer to 125# of WW's into that HF dutch oven. You will find this gear to be continually useful in the future.

[Steve Steven]

I use a dual rotary saw to cut all lead hunks. Walks thru lead like a hot knife thru butter. HF as one on sale right now for dirt cheap. Not one bit of kickback or bone-rattling vibrations.

banger

Banger,
I got and used one of the HF dual rotary saws after reading of them here. I had an ingot of pure lead 4" square by 8" long,
cut it into 2" long segments. VERY messy, got chips all over. Also, had to cut from opposite sides and still couldn't cut all the way through, had to twist it off to free each segment.

All in all, not the best way but it did work.

Steve

[Outpost75]

Get a bigger pot and rent it out to your friends. Get a chain hoist like you use to pull engines. I melt 50-100 pound blocks all the time. Do so outdoors in good ventilation under the carport.

1 pound of linotype to 4 pounds of backstop scrap, boat or aircraft ballast or nuclear medicine shielding makes a god general purpose mix.

[bangerjim]

Banger,
I got and used one of the HF dual rotary saws after reading of them here. I had an ingot of pure lead 4" square by 8" long,
cut it into 2" long segments. VERY messy, got chips all over. Also, had to cut from opposite sides and still couldn't cut all the way through, had to twist it off to free each segment.

All in all, not the best way but it did work.

Steve

You have to put a tarp down! Yes it will throw chips, as any rotary saw tool will.

The depth of cut is around 2". I have used one many times to cut slabs of lead. I just did a cut from each side. If you are trying to cut something thicker, it will not go all the way thru.

But it is the best and fastest way I have found to whack hunks of lead into manageable pieces. You just gotta keep the capacity of the tool in mind.

I had it to do cutting of aluminum plate and channel and wood and PVC pipe. It will cut most anything!

But all my fillings are still in place and all my joints and bones are not shattered, like when using one of those horrible recipro saws......which I rarely ever use anymore. Got 2 of them and they remain in thier steel boxes in storage.


banger

[Redwoode]

I bought one from HF after reading banger's recommendation in an earlier post. Don't forget the chip catching tarp and flip piece over and cut from other side too if over about 1 3/4" thick. Best thing I've used.

[LAGS]

I smelt down 62 lb ingots I get from Sea Fab metals on a monthly basis.I set them on two bricks, so the end is over a cast iron pot and set my MAPP or propane torch on the side of it kind of facing up.I set the flame about 2" back from the end and let it melt into the ingot.Then a 1" thick slug will eventually fall off.Then transfer the melted metal that has solidified or the Chunk to my casting pot and cast it into ingots for making Lino Blend or just leave it at the 92-6-2 blend for later reducing to a softer alloy with pure lead.

[freebullet]

I melt about 150lb at a time. Don't see the value in creating lead dust & such.