How to Mark

[RoGrrr]

I have several buckets of COWWs.
Many years ago I had WWs and for convenience smelted into 1# ingots and marked them with a magic marker. As time went on, the lead oxidized and the marker faded to the point that I couldn't differentiate the WW ingots from the other ingots so I ended up simply putting all my unknown lead into the pot and casting boolits til it was all gone.
Bcuz of my experience in the past I have hesitated to melt my WWs.
How do you guys mark your 'specialty' ingots in order to be able to ID them several years down the road ?
I've toyed with the idea of making a fairly large stamp of the letter W and heat it with a torch to 'brand' those ingots.
I don't have (haven't built it yet) a hardness tester.

[dilly]

I do wedges for range scrap, muffins for soft lead, and leave the linotype in type form. I also have corn cob if I ever come across something else I need to melt.

Those old cast iron implements aren't THAT expensive, and it's really kind of nice to have to stack like with like.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use the Harbor Freight letter stamps and a hammer.
http://www.harborfreight.com/36-piec...set-60671.html
Like I punched/labeled these Zinc contaminated ingots.




another option is the custom ingot mold and a center punch. See the punch mark by Lino.

[jeepyj]

I don't know if this helps but recently I melted several hundred pounds my pot holds 125+ pounds. While casting I took a hammer and a couple different shape punches to mark them such as a Phillips and flat bit screwdriver and a line up punch. I marked each ingot and also poured some samples and marked them so I could test the mix of each batch. I figure it will make it easier to figure out how much Babbitt and Lino to bring it to my preferred BHN
Jeepyj

[RoGrrr]

JonB
I wasn't aware that HF had stamps that big. I'll pick up a set.
Thanks for the image.

You're just rubbing our noses with your fancy-dan ingot molds. I think I had seen this pic before and even then lusted over them.
My home made molds are more utilitarian, being made from angle iron. The only problem with mine is that being triangular, the ingots must stack like a pyramid. My next set will be made with channel iron so the ingots are roughly rectangular/trapezoidal and should stack better.

[runfiverun]

triangle shapes do stack better and tighter together.
I haven't even tried out my cast boolits ingot molds yet, they have sat there gathering dust since forever now.

I just keep my alloys separate.
the soft lead goes over by the lube sizers.
the WW ingots go under the casting bench on the right side.
the linotype goes under the other side of the bench in a smaller cubby hole.
and the 4/6/90 mix goes on the other side of the master caster bench under the oil/grease storage shelf.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The ingots are pretty fancy, especially when Lino is cast in them
Yeah, this is one of my favorite photos.

JonB
I wasn't aware that HF had stamps that big. I'll pick up a set.
Thanks for the image.

You're just rubbing our noses with your fancy-dan ingot molds. I think I had seen this pic before and even then lusted over them.
My home made molds are more utilitarian, being made from angle iron. The only problem with mine is that being triangular, the ingots must stack like a pyramid. My next set will be made with channel iron so the ingots are roughly rectangular/trapezoidal and should stack better.

I bought some 94-3-3 alloy from another member, that were cast in angle iron (three sided bars). They stack nicely in my two ammo cans (20mm) that I use as wintertime pickup truck weights, about 225lbs in each one. Also, I've seen photos from other members here who stack that shape of ingots in milk crates on their side...and stack the milk crates 3 or 4 high...of course there is no picking them up once full of alloy ingots.
Jon

[RoGrrr]

runfiverun
This all happened 30-some years ago when I was loaned a mold and told to hit the tire stores for FREE lead. I was also given some other scrap. At that time I knew nothing about alloys and hardness. After all, it was "JUST lead".
As far as ingot shape goes, I agree that the triangles stack well but there's that geometric handicap - pyramid stacks.
My molds are free, except for the labor of cutting and welding. I'll decide which shape I like after making Gen 2 molds.
Is your avatar one of the 3 Amigos ?

[Hardcast416taylor]

I use the shank of a Phillips screwdriver to stamp an alloy and a broken straight screwdriver shank to make various other alloy stamp marks.Robert

[country gent]

I use a set of 1/2" number letter and stamps. Make what you want to ID up tape together with heavy duct tape and a piece of key stock accross the top ( can be held on with tape also) then rest on ingot squarely and with a 2-3 pound ball peen give it a good solid hit. 20-1, 50-50 ww p, lino, whatever you want will magically apear. The shorter the ID the easier to mark. Big Stamps driven deep make seeing it much easier. In the alloies ised the stamps last forever.

[Tenbender]

What about a paint mark ?

[badgerblaster]

I've got a cheap set of stamps like this.
WW = Wheel Weights
PBP = Lead Pipe
RS = Range Scrap
Etc.
However you stamp it, it only needs to mean something to you.

[JSnover]

Paint marks, sharpies, etc will all work but I learned the same lesson as the OP: none of them are permanent. Metal stamps are the best and lead is so soft, the cheapest set in the world will last forever if you're only marking ingots.

[RoGrrr]

I'm leaning towards those HF stamps, as they are available in 3/8" size which makes them legible for aging eyes. AND, they are on sale this week for $23.
Paint is messy unless you use a marker like auto junk yards use, available in many colors, which I hadn't given any thought to. Bright colors are tempting - like YELLOW.
That settles it. I'm going to mark.
Either paint stick , or punch stamps.

Gotta decide which one....

At least I have my mind made up - shoot cast boolits !

[Yodogsandman]

Both are better! Mark with a punch AND spray paint both ends while you have them stacked up after smelting. I use a regular chisel and hammer. no mark=pure, 1 chisel mark=COWW's, 2 chisel marks=range scrap. No paint-pure, red paint=COWW's, green paint=range lead. Started this after I mis-took pure for COWW's once. The paint is a great visual indicator.

[SciFiJim]

runfiverun
This all happened 30-some years ago when I was loaned a mold and told to hit the tire stores for FREE lead. I was also given some other scrap. At that time I knew nothing about alloys and hardness. After all, it was "JUST lead".
As far as ingot shape goes, I agree that the triangles stack well but there's that geometric handicap - pyramid stacks.
My molds are free, except for the labor of cutting and welding. I'll decide which shape I like after making Gen 2 molds.
Is your avatar one of the 3 Amigos ?

I stack my angle iron ingots in a milk crate turned on its side. This overcomes the limitation of a pyramid shape. The ingots approach the shape of a cube. One of my milk crates is full. I cannot drag it across the floor when leaning my full (considerable) weight into it.

[lightman]

I store mine in milk crates with a tag on the crate showing the alloy. I used 5 gallon plastic buckets at one time but discovered that they deteriorate over time and fall apart, especially under weight. If I could start over, I would stamp them. Just way too many now! Maybe a retirement project? And yeah, a milk crate is heavy, about 700# or so when filled.

[RoGrrr]

SciFiJim SAID:
cannot drag it across the floor

AND

lightman CONCURRED:
about 700# or so

So at this point, I really doan know what I'm gonna do when I start moving and re-stacking my stash.

[Bullwolf]

I really like the letter punches, I might have to pick some of those up.

I'm cheap, so I use a small chisel to make flat line stamps on my ingots.

l_ = The letter L

_
l = The letter T

_
l_l = The letter P
l


l-l = Makes the letter H, and so on...


I'm sure you all get the idea.



L = Linotype.
P = Pure
T = Tin
H = Hardball
S = Soft (looks more like a 5)
X = Custom
W = Wheel Weight lead.

Have a few other codes as well, that likely only mean anything to me. I feel sorry for whoever goes through my estate when I'm gone - They are going to at least need a hardness tester, or possibly an X-ray gun to figure out my alloys.


- Bullwolf

[DonMerlin]

JonB
Where did you get that ingot mold?