Best way to cut down large ingots?

[jimb16]

MAP gas torch. Cheap and reliable.

[brad925]

I got some old plumbers lead from my grandfather that is in huge circle ingots that are about 50lbs each and maybe 16in in diameter. Obviously these are a bit too large to fit in a 5qt dutch oven. Any methods you guys use to cut this down if you are limited on tools to do so?

I have used a press with a homemade cutter. It was, however, electric which made it faster than the hand operated but no dust either.

[quack1]

I just broke up a solid 120lb. piece of wheel weight lead with a sledge hammer. It was cast into a rectangle and I just beat on the corners until they broke off. Once the corners were gone, I then worked on any parts of the remaining piece that looked like they might break off easily. Got it broken down into pieces that would fit into my smelting pot. It didn't take as much effort as I thought it would.

[castormd]

Not that this is the only way but for over a hundred years, the professional plumbers of this country used to cut the ingots with a good heavy mash hammer and a sharp cold chisel. The lead was always placed on something like a piece of steel "I"-beam, or even against an old piece of scrap steel pipe.

If the ingot is too thick, the oxy-acetalyne torch is a very quick melt.

[4719dave]

take it to scrap yard and ask them to cut it on the big cutters looks like the jaws of life the fire guys use ,12 pack works wounders

[sheepdog]

I got some old plumbers lead from my grandfather that is in huge circle ingots that are about 50lbs each and maybe 16in in diameter. Obviously these are a bit too large to fit in a 5qt dutch oven. Any methods you guys use to cut this down if you are limited on tools to do so?

Ok Jesse heres something that works easy without fail every time

Take your ingots, make sure you got a good hold on them, don't want to drop one on your foot. What you do pick each up and you place them in large flat rate boxes. Then you ship them to me. What I'll do it break them down into tiny pieces and leave them at the backstop of the gun range, perfect size to pour into a dutch oven.

[geargnasher]

I just broke up a solid 120lb. piece of wheel weight lead with a sledge hammer. It was cast into a rectangle and I just beat on the corners until they broke off. Once the corners were gone, I then worked on any parts of the remaining piece that looked like they might break off easily. Got it broken down into pieces that would fit into my smelting pot. It didn't take as much effort as I thought it would.

Pure lead won't break when hit like WW metal will. IIRC the OP was asking about old sewer pipe joint lead.

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