Alloy storage suggestions

[dondiego]

Speaking of storage, I have question. I was gifted a small wooden keg of ingots. There was straw mixed in with the ingots. Anyone know why someone would have done this? Would it keep down oxidation perhaps???

I keep buckets of ingots in my barn. A lot of hay and straw have fallen into my buckets over the years and mice are nesting in there too.

[762sultan]

I keep my stash in milk cases...the old metal ones. They nest well on top of each other, don't break or collapse. Will hold more than you can pick up. Down side is they cost about $10 each and are hard to find. It took me about 4 years to find enough to hold my stash...about 1000 pounds.

[bangerjim]

5 gallon buckets will work, and last a few years.

Only fill them about 1/3 full, they aren't too heavy, and they stack fairly well.
I do that 2-3 deep, and have them at the back under the work bench.

Just do not store them in the sun! Sunlight rots most of those plastics used in buckets and when you go to pick them up (even thought they look OK) they fall apart. Don't ask me why I know that little fact!

[fredj338]

Home Depot sells half milk crates, like $5. Really sturdy, handles built into the sides. You could put 200# + in one but not sure how the bottom would hold up. I put 120# of ingots in one, seems fine, easy to move around, stacks well.

[jim147]

This thread reminded me i have a bunch of the old heavy wooden ammo crates in storage.

[Soundguy]

Wooden ammo crates are awesome!

[John Boy]

Six lb ingots, each marked with Bhn, stacked against a basement wall in stacks by alloy. The 2 pure lead stacks are about 3 ft high

[GregLaROCHE]

I cast my ingots in angle iron moulds. They stack very nicely. I make sure they are all marked with a Sharpie and stored from the floor up, arranged so I don’t have to displace any to get to others. I just take one off the top as needed. Others may not have the same amount of space as I do or need containers to store them in. Remember to keep the size of the container small to keep the weight down. Lead gets heavier the older you get.

[Soundguy]

I just made a 2 cavity angle iron mold..live that thing. Free bed frame angle iron, scrap 1" dowel rod and a 1/4" x 3" lag bolt out of the mixed screw bucket. Welded screw to iron' cut and drilled dowel for handle. Cheap n works great.

[John Wayne]

Five gallon metal buckets are relative cheap online. Then I had the local Fabrication Shop make me one of these
(They ended up hiring me after I showed them what I wanted 8 years ago). Make sure the hook is adjustable for different height buckets and no plate on the bottom of the truck. You don't want to have to lift and slide a full bucket onto that plate.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm wondering, could one get a 1"x2" or 2x2 piece of lumber, attach a weight to the top & a metal stamp, then use that to quick mark your ingots? Just an idle thought...

When I move I will probably make wooden alloy boxes out of pallet stock, cheap wood and plentiful in most places.

[John Wayne]

Then use an engine hoist and this mechanism to lift and pour the wheel weights. I purchased this from L.K. Goodwin Material Handling Co. They are a class act.



It has a brake to control the pouring of wheel weights onto your bench for sorting.

[farmbif]

I keep stuff in plastic buckets about 1/2 full till I'm ready to make ingots, sort out wheel weights and put clip ons in one the big metal coffee cans and stick on in another and everything that's junk in another plastic bucket. if I don't get to melting that day just put lid on coffee cans to keep stuff dry till ingot making melting day.
you will end up with splitting problems if plastic buckets are too full for too long and the plastic get dried out.
wood crates could be a great option as you can make them whatever size works for you.

[John Wayne]

Then for ingots have the Fab Shop weld you up a serious cart with 6" steel casters and angle iron uprights that you can reach into and grab an ingot. Take a bunch of your ingots with you so they can lay out the cart size correctly for your size ingots and leave room for your fingers to get around the ingot and grab it.

[Soundguy]

I'm wondering, could one get a 1"x2" or 2x2 piece of lumber, attach a weight to the top & a metal stamp, then use that to quick mark your ingots? Just an idle thought...

When I move I will probably make wooden alloy boxes out of pallet stock, cheap wood and plentiful in most places.

Take some ? 10" pieces of 2x2 and drill a hole into one side, about 1" from the end. Choose a drill size that will let you slip in your stamps, don't go thru..just 3/4 thru. Slip some paper around the stamp as you slip it in the hole to hold it in. Make up one for each alloy you have. I stamp mine as follows. 2 for Lyman #2, H for hardball, L for linotype, M for monotype. R for range scrap. Straight lead I don't stamp, but if you wanted to stamp it I'd go either S or V for soft or virgin. If you use other alloys like 10:1 or 20:1 I'd made up a 1 and 0 stamp ( to go along with your 2 ) and hit those as 10 or 20. I use W for wheel weight ingots. If you further had sorted ww ingots like clip on and stick on..id go Sw or Cw. If you have others..follow suit. That's the way I mark mine.

[Conditor22]

HF often has their small ammo cans on sale for a few bucks,
I built this heavy-duty shelf unit 2 ingot deep to store ingot behind my casting table. It's a pain to get into the back of the bottom shelves.

[Hossfly]

Lead weighs about 700# per cubic foot.

[Soundguy]

You sir have a very well endowed lead stash...

[MOA]

I use medium flat rate boxes with the regional A box inside it where I stack my lead.

[NObamain2012]

If you work for a company with a shipping department, keep your eyes out for scrap wood shipping crates.