Maybe not lead...but if it is, wow!

[skrapyard628]

I was looking around on craigslist for a few random things and decided to see if anyone local to me had some lead for sale posted.

And then this monster popped up on my screen. HOLY COW! It doesnt look like the nice shiny ingots or anything I have ever seen. But the guy posting it says its lead, but from the looks of it Im not so sure about that. The estimated weight on it is somewhere around 2300lbs.

I figured I would post it up here because someone other than me might get a good chuckle over the size of this beast.

What would you do with a solid 2300lb lead block? How the heck would you even move the dang thing?

[rancher1913]

I got some stainless steel walk doors that the core is lead, moved them with a forklift, still figuring best way to get the lead out.

[dangitgriff]

Lead market is pricing it at 72 cents a pound, so he has $1,626 worth there.
I used a chain saw to cut an old lead boat keel into manageable chunks, once.
R/Griff

[ascast]

you know, I am very lazy. If that block was at my house, I think I wound use it as the base of a big bon fire. Whatever melted of would be in a puddle like lake. Much thinner and easier to cut up with axe, fig saw, circ saw. I like axe as there would be no "saw dust".

[Pressman]

Looks like a forklift counter weight. Quality is suspect. You should get it tested to make sure what you are really getting.

[RogerDat]

Trough made of channel or dug into the dirt. One of those propane torches on a wand for torching weeds. Stick the channel up against the bottom and start melting. Large block will get a melt gully since you can only get a small area up to melting temperature. Just melt so a gully forms that flows into the channel working your way up.

Channel fills pull out and dump. Better would be to have a couple or three channels so they can cool for dumping while you swap in an empty one and keep melting. I would think one would want to work along the end like slicing lead bread with a torch.

A lino pig weights 25 - 28 pounds so a 3" or 4" channel about the same length should be manageable crude bars. Probably fit in a 20# propane tank pot ok.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I acquired a huge block of lead some years ago, a ballasting weight for Challenger 600 series business jets. A big horseshoe shaped block weighing 2800lbs! It had an angle iron frame cast into it and 4 clevis points on top thankfully. I cut it into halves with a Sawzall and a big knarly wood blade till I discovered the internal steel. Used a metal cutting rescue blade for that and back to the wood after it. It did the trick but that was tough. Lead is gummy and likes to fetch up your blade. Use the widest kerf blade you can and cutting oil! My tractor could barely lift the halves.

I can tell you an axe is completely useless on lead.

[waksupi]

Trough made of channel or dug into the dirt. One of those propane torches on a wand for torching weeds. Stick the channel up against the bottom and start melting. Large block will get a melt gully since you can only get a small area up to melting temperature. Just melt so a gully forms that flows into the channel working your way up.

Channel fills pull out and dump. Better would be to have a couple or three channels so they can cool for dumping while you swap in an empty one and keep melting. I would think one would want to work along the end like slicing lead bread with a torch.

A lino pig weights 25 - 28 pounds so a 3" or 4" channel about the same length should be manageable crude bars. Probably fit in a 20# propane tank pot ok.

Just build a fire over it, a torch takes way too long for a piece that size.

[skrapyard628]

Just to be clear, I am not planning on buying this beast. Its quite a bit out of my price range and when looking at the price, it doesnt seem like much of a deal.

But if anyone around the Chicago area wants it go for it. Just make sure you post the adventure of melting this big boy down.

[NoZombies]

What's the seller asking for it?

Not that I'm gonna get it, just curious

[bangerjim]

That would be the world's LARGEST heatsink! Any kind of propane torch would never even start to melt that thing on the surface. A chain saw is the only way to go. If it is pure lead, a chainsaw will cut easily down thru it to give you manageable slabs and chunks. Put tarps down to catch all the "sawdust" to melt too! There will be a LOT of it!. But have a sliver tested B4 shelling out lots of $$ and time on the beast. It is probably a counter weight as said above.

Good luck.

banger

[skrapyard628]

What's the seller asking for it?

Not that I'm gonna get it, just curious

The seller is asking for $2000.

[retread]

The seller is asking for $2000.

Considering the effort needed to reduce that beast to manageable sizes, the asking price is way too high in my opinion.

[RogerDat]

That would be the world's LARGEST heatsink! Any kind of propane torch would never even start to melt that thing on the surface. A chain saw is the only way to go. If it is pure lead, a chainsaw will cut easily down thru it to give you manageable slabs and chunks. Put tarps down to catch all the "sawdust" to melt too! There will be a LOT of it!. But have a sliver tested B4 shelling out lots of $$ and time on the beast. It is probably a counter weight as said above.

Good luck.

banger

I tend to agree with the build a fire group but while a torch will only be able to melt a small area at a time the weed burner torches have a turbo lever and can deliver a lot of btu's to one spot. Hence the gully that will form. Torch can only melt in one small area. Heat rises. Should work about the same as using a regular propane torch on a large block in a casting pot.

I have used a Sawzall to cut roll of sheet lead. Course blade, oil helps. Never tried a chainsaw but no reason it shouldn't work but cutting a block up into manageable size pieces would be a lot of work, wouldn't even leave a hand free for a cold beverage. The approach for savages I say savages. That said several people have used chainsaws to good effect.

It takes a pretty good fire to melt lead. I think torch to side with the suggested fire on top would work, just have to do it when the weather is cool enough that torch and fire tending are not too tough.

I had some lead from a counter weight and it was nice lead. Like 4% Sb as I recall. Even some tin. That was a crossing guard arm however. One of these days I hope to score a nice big lead tractor weight. Something some farmer made from grade A wheel weights.

[jonp]

The seller is asking for $2000.

Way too high unless the seller was willing to cut it down to size and even then I'd test it. A concrete cutting saw might work on something that big.

If I had a chunk that big out back I think I would use my Dremel Saw with the metal blade, score a piece then take it out 10lbs at a time. If you don't have a Dremel saw I highly reccomend them. Very handy

[owejia]

Bought a boat keel weighted 1640 lb, a few years ago. Used a chain fall hanging from my overhead joist in the barn to hang it and used a Harbor freight weed burner to melt it into a large section of pipe with a plate welded on it for a bottom , the weed burner and a couple of small tanks of propane and the keel turned into nice 7-8 lb lead bricks. Made the ingot mold from channel iron. Tested Pb 98.29% Sb 1.29%. Still casting boolits from it today. Paid twenty five cents a lb for it. I have a tractor with a loader to unload from the truck and get it inside the barn. With the chain fall as the lead melted just kept lowering the chunk until it was melted. Where there is a will you will always find a way to get the job done.

[bangerjim]

I tend to agree with the build a fire group but while a torch will only be able to melt a small area at a time the weed burner torches have a turbo lever and can deliver a lot of btu's to one spot. Hence the gully that will form. Torch can only melt in one small area. Heat rises. Should work about the same as using a regular propane torch on a large block in a casting pot.

I have used a Sawzall to cut roll of sheet lead. Course blade, oil helps. Never tried a chainsaw but no reason it shouldn't work but cutting a block up into manageable size pieces would be a lot of work, wouldn't even leave a hand free for a cold beverage. The approach for savages I say savages. That said several people have used chainsaws to good effect.

It takes a pretty good fire to melt lead. I think torch to side with the suggested fire on top would work, just have to do it when the weather is cool enough that torch and fire tending are not too tough.

I had some lead from a counter weight and it was nice lead. Like 4% Sb as I recall. Even some tin. That was a crossing guard arm however. One of these days I hope to score a nice big lead tractor weight. Something some farmer made from grade A wheel weights.

The campfire idea would only raise the overall temp of that HUGE piece of Pb perhaps a couple hundred degrees over 6-8 hours? Just a guess. But not NEARLY enough to get it to melt at ~730F. The torch does have a hot spot and melting a bit at a time would definitely take a LOT of propane ($$) and a LOT of time (wasted).

At $2,000 I recommend to the poster to pass in this huge beast! TOO much time, labor involved when you can buy good clean ingotized Pb on here for 75¢ to $1 per pound shipped to your door!

[bangerjim]

Way too high unless the seller was willing to cut it down to size and even then I'd test it. A concrete cutting saw might work on something that big.

If I had a chunk that big out back I think I would use my Dremel Saw with the metal blade, score a piece then take it out 10lbs at a time. If you don't have a Dremel saw I highly reccomend them. Very handy

Dremel???????????? you had better buy 3 or 4 of them! That little toy is not made to do massive extended cutting like that. It is a hobby saw. You will burn it out. I have 2 of them and use them for light work and hobby work in wood, plastic, and sometimes thin-ish metal.

I DO use (with great success!) a commercial grade dual blade rotating metal rotary saw with carbide teeth to cut large hunks of Pb. Cuts like butter to about 4" deep. Add another couple hundred dollars to the price of the Pb if you do not own one.

[lightman]

The estimated weight on it is somewhere around 2300lbs.
What would you do with a solid 2300lb lead block? How the heck would you even move the dang thing?

I've often said that big scores = big work! If I had it I would suspend it over my smelting pot with either my tractor or a buddies forklift. Then I would play my weed burner over it, catching the runoff in my smelting pot until it was full. Then I would flux it and ladle it out until it was empty and start over.

Not everyone has the means to deal with a chunk of lead that heavy. You are probably wise to pass on it.

But scores that big will get your lead supply built up quickly!