Spilled lead shot

[gunauthor]

I got clumsy the other day and managed to spill a quantity of number 9 lead shot on my workbench and on the floor. I am having trouble picking them with a shop vac and sweeping them is REALLY aggravating. Any suggestions ? (and I will be more careful in the future) Thanks for your help.. Gunauthor

[MUSTANG]

Try a 10" to 14" drywall taping knife; use it to sweep the shot into an area then push it with the taping knife into a dust pan.

[Conditor22]

I can laugh because you are not alone

Time to do a thorough cleaning of your bench.

Vacuuming you will need the small/narrow corner/crevice tool
sweeping you will need a stiff - short bristle brush/broom
or srape them up like mustang said


or tell CB you have free lead and someone will come over and remove it for free

[Dusty Bannister]

If you use the shop vac, do not try to just suck them up off the floor. Use the crevice tool at an angle so they can roll up the incline a bit more easily. Be sure to empty the shop vac first so you do not have to sift so much to recover the shot. 1/8 inch hail screen (hardware cloth) makes a nice sifting screen for most shot.

[bikerbeans]

Your not alone, I just dropped a pound of 9-shot on the floor of my reloading room. I am working to get a decent load for a hunt Sept 4th, so the shot will stay put for awhile.

BB

[Minerat]

Get your self a roll of wide (2"+) masking tape and wind it sticky side out around your hand and start patting the floor. Best tell your wife first or she may have you committed for being crazy if she sees you crawling around patting the floor. If you want to salvage the shot it will roll off the tape, burning the tape off leaves the shot sticky or just melt it next time you are doing scrap lead or ww's.

[tankgunner59]

Get yourself a couple of those sticky lint rollers and roll them up. The sticky tape on those tears off in layers.

[CLAYPOOL]

YOU WILL be sweeping / finding them at least a year or to from now....

[bakerjw]

Tape some paper to the floor and sweep them onto that rather than a dustpan. I do that for metal shavings sometimes in the shop.

[dverna]

Were you using a MEC?

BTW, put one of those large cookie sheets between the loader and bench. Drill a hole in one corner of the sheet though the bench. Plug hole. Easy to clean up your next spill.

[Drm50]

Wow, I can’t believe not even one person recommended using a magnet!

[slim1836]

Wow, I can’t believe not even one person recommended using a magnet!

Very few Democrats on this site.

Slim

[FLINTNFIRE]

Claypool is right , you will be finding stray ones forever , I had some that found its way out of a box with shotshell loader in it , still finding them , straight in lead pot they go . I swept used shop vac with narrow attachment and those little things like airsoft bbs go everywhere .

[turtlezx]

thats why i dont shot shell reload in the house
i can deal with spilled powder or boolits in the house but not shot

[mrbigsteel]

This is the nightmare I have about handling shot. You should see me at the reloading bench. I hold a bag of shot like it is a live rattlesnake! Not gonna let it get away from me!

[Alan in Vermont]

Were you using a MEC?

BTW, put one of those large cookie sheets between the loader and bench. Drill a hole in one corner of the sheet though the bench. Plug hole. Easy to clean up your next spill.

+1 on the cookie sheet!

[JCM45]

Same story here. Spilled a couple pounds of 8's a few years ago. I still find a few when I sweep out the garage.

[fcvan]

Been there, done that, made a fix for the press. Back in the late 1980s, a friend wanted some steel for duck. I ordered a Lee load-all and he bought some Crossman BBs. The Load-all uses a center post that can pull out of the base, Load-all becomes top heavy, lap becomes a dumping site. A sheet metal screw fixed that up, sweeping the garage floor was straight forward, separating the BBs with a magnet worked fine, floor was swept before loading (after too) and the powder was also reclaimed. Friend went duck hunting, Sunday dinner at my friend's was excellent.

As far as the cookie sheet, I have one under my casting pot for obvious reasons. I haven't loaded bird shot in decades but will likely use the cookie sheet by mounting through the cookie sheet.

[brass410]

6 bags of #6 on bottom of load bench for ballast, every one had the ends chewed out by a rodent, as I pulled them out from the wall guess what? Spill was only equal to Exxon Valdez in swmbo's opinion. Still cleaning them up 3yrs ago

[Martin Luber]

Sweep onto a piece of aluminum flashing, or even onto an indoor rifle/pistol target.