I’m planning on making some ingot molds out of angle iron. I only have one inch angle and some flat stock. Being one inch angle, about how long should the mold cavities be to make 1 lb, or 2lb? Anyone got any advice?
I’m planning on making some ingot molds out of angle iron. I only have one inch angle and some flat stock. Being one inch angle, about how long should the mold cavities be to make 1 lb, or 2lb? Anyone got any advice?
Just knowing enough to do it, is not enough to do it right! -Taz
If it were me, I would probably make them about 3" longer than the height of my pot. Not sure what the weight would be, but it would be about a perfect length to work with.
Lead is .409 lbs per cubic inch.
One inch angle will give you ingots approximately .2 lbs per inch.
Five inches will be about a pound.
Thanks guys!
Just knowing enough to do it, is not enough to do it right! -Taz
According to the attached link if you fill it 95% full, then 6 inch would give you 1.1 lbs 2.2 lbs would be 12 inches.
https://ultraray.com/calculator
Steve,
Life Member NRA
Colorado Rifle Club member
Rocky Mtn Gun Owners member
NAGR member
Mine are 7 inches so they don't stick above the rim of the pot too far. I angled the ends 7 degrees so the ingots would fall out. I used 2 inch angle and 2 inch flat strap both 1/8 thick and get 5 pound ingots. 1 inch angle if it's 1/8 thick is going to be 7/8 inside dimension and only 5/8 deep on a 45 degree angle. They may be difficult to pour and I'm guessing under a pound.
Here is what I did. They are welded from the bottom side. They don't need to be water tight but close. Say hello to lightman for me. Best of luck with your project.
Mal
Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.
I made mine from 2" channel iron about 4" long. Ingots weigh just under 2#. Welded 4 pieces side by side with 2" angle on each end at a 5 or 6 degree anle they make really nice ingots. I made 4 of them and as soon as I'm done pouring the forth one. The first one gets dropped upside down to empty, then start over.
1" angle just seems to be too small to me. YMMV.
another option is the cast boolit molds in the vendor sponsor section, they are made to fit in a flat rate box should you ever want to sell ingots.
if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead
A lot of guys make them the length that will fit a small flat rate box from the post office. Just in case they ever want to sell some.
When I made my first set of ingot molds, I used angle iron from an old bed frame. I do not recommend that, it was a PITA to weld. My next set was 1½" or 2" angle iron.
BruceB (RIP) recommended 10½" for storage in .50 cal ammo cans. I don't store ingots in ammo cans, but the length works great for resting across the top of the pot to preheat.
My driveway is not level so my ingots frequently go from full depth to less than half, I personally think one inch angle iron will make a spaghetti like ingot, more work than it is worth to produce.
Good luck
Robert
Storage of ~3# lead bars in ammo cans, or any equivalent, quickly adds weight before a can is too heavy, but not full. Nineteen to twenty bars, or ~60#'s per can, does not seem like "much" but is a LOT on the handle, the hand, the arm, and the legs.
I have moved ~600#'s of alloy ingots (see picture: ~45 bars wide by ~4.5 tall) in a dozen cans more times than I want to remember with another 350#'s of pure lead distributed over another 7 cans at 50#'s per can.
I have acquired double that much lead, WW's, lead shot, and #2(?) ingots since (and shot less than 1 can of ingots in various calibers). I was younger then and more aggressive too...so today more cans and less weight per can is in order.
Last edited by Land Owner; 02-14-2020 at 09:28 PM.
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
I bet your ingots stay nice and shiney in those air tight cans, Land Owner. Unless high in tin, mine get dull and sometimes film coated with oxide, being stored in open stacks in my unheated basement that sometimes is a bit damp.
ETA: You must have a surer and stronger grip than mine. Butter fingers here once dropped a one pounder on my unshod foot. Now I wear shoes when stacking ingots.
A 2 wheel dolly is your friend when it comes to moving buckets or ammo cans full of lead! I store mine in milk crates and they do get dull looking over time. Not a big deal to me but they also get a little dust on them. Being in a sealed container would be nice. A full milk crate weighs about 700# and is too heavy to move.
Oh yeah, I wish I could keep my shop clean enough to walk around in bare footed!
That's the garage floor (doubles as a shop) with a good coat of epoxy green paint on it and the truck rolled out into the driveway! Doesn't look like that today though. Carp all over the place!
AND this is Florida. We hardly own shoes. Most just wear flip flops and we call "Go Forwards" - cause you can't go backwards in 'em.
Nice and shiny ingots, hmmmmmm. I guess you are correct in "no air" in the cans because I have not had the white oxide form on the ingots to date and there is no tin in those ingots except what may have come from the 50% by weight of WW's and 50% by weight of 100% pure lead (fissionable material shielding). Maybe the 50% that was irradiated prevents the oxide from forming, but I know that isn't how it works.
700#'s in one milk crate! TOO MUCH. My back and legs feel your PAIN.
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
You might want to consider one of these ingot molds
https://www.amazon.com/Melting-Casti...R6VZANXGQFRG5Y
I sorted about 1200 lbs of different muffin tin ingots and spent a few days making ingots with this mold. 100oz = 6.25 lbs and 2 ingots fit in a 20lb pot
Regards
John
Instead of using 50 caliber cans you could use 30 caliber cans. Not sure how muchyou can get in the 30 cal; can but would take up less space than a half full 50 cal can.
Leo
I made a couple molds out of a bed frame. 1” angle, 8.5” long. Ends cut at angle for draft. I made them to fit in SFRB. It will maximize the amount of lead able to go in said box. They have weighed out an a average of 1.75 lbs. I thought storing it in the boxes could allow for easy identification.
Just knowing enough to do it, is not enough to do it right! -Taz
Good for you! That's a heavier ingot than I would have thought.
Mal
Mal Paso means Bad Pass, just so you know.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
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