is there a way

[white eagle]

to tell if lead is pure (100%)without a hardness tester ?
Or are there certain products that are made of pure lead ????

[montana_charlie]

[is there a way] to tell if lead is pure (100%)without a hardness tester ?

For many years, poeple have depended on the 'fingernail test'. The idea is that if you can make a bright line with your nail, it's 'lead'.
But, you can get that shiny line in some pretty hard alloys, so it isn't a good test for 'pure lead'.

If there is a clean corner at one edge of the piece, and if you can use your fingernail to peel a piece loose and tear if free of the main body...that is lead I would accept as 'pure' when buying at a scrapyard.

Or are there certain products that are made of pure lead ????

I wonder how seriously you mean 'pure'.
Do you mean absolutely pure in a laboratory sense?
Or, are you talking about a lead object which does not require much hardness, therefore only lead is used in making it?

An example of the latter would be roof flashing. While there may be a tiny component of antimony present, it is more a product of using recycled lead than actually including it in a specific alloy.

Therefore, most of us would call roof flashing 'pure lead'.

Some other common products are battery cable ends, cable sheathing (usually), old plumbing pipe, and window weights (if not made of iron).
There are probably many more, but I would always revert to that fingernail test I described earlier if I felt unsure.

If, however, you are talking about truly pure lead...like certified pure...I don't know of any product other than ingots from a lead supplier (and stamped with his marks) that I would trust...but those ingots would be dependable even if you found them at a scrap dealer.

CM

[white eagle]

that is as close to pure as I was wanting
like making round balls ...
soft lead
This board has a enormous amount of knowledge and I have to tap into it every now and again
Thanks

[462]

Stick-on wheel weights.

[Cap'n Morgan]

to tell if lead is pure (100%)without a hardness tester ?
Or are there certain products that are made of pure lead ????

If the stuff is pure lead its density will be 11.34 gram/cm3. If you have a small sample and an accurate scale, the volume and density can be calculated quite easily:

Weigh the sample and write down the result.

Place a small container with water on the scale and zero the scale.

By using a string, lower the sample into the water (the sample must not touch the container)

Take note of the read-out of the scale and write it down. This is the sample's volume/weight in water which has a density of exactly 1.

Divide the sample's true weight with it's "water weight" The resulting number will show the density of the sample. If the number is smaller than 11.34 your lead is alloyed with tin or antimony. If the number is larger, your lead is probably alloyed with silver - or you stumpled over a piece of uranium

[geargnasher]

Very good, Cap'n!

And if we know it's hardness and heat-treatability, with some tedium we can determine the tertiary content if any, and the proportions.

Gear

[white eagle]

couldn't it be as simple as having a dark gray color ?

[lwknight]

Drop it on the floor. If it goes THUD its pure lead. It will ring if its anything other than pure.

[buck1]

lead melts at aprox 660 F

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Cap'n Morgan's method is foolproof. It is based om density and specific gravity of(in this case) pure lead) (or any metal.) It was discovered by Archimedes way back in time when his king had a crown of supposedly pure gold made, but the king suspected that the crown maker had fudged on the gold content. So the job of finding out was given to Archimedes. The Big A discovered it (the formula) while taking a bath and observing that his bod displaced a certain amount of water relative to his weight. When he realized what was going on he flipped and ran naked down the street shouting "Eureka. I've found it". He went on to prove in fact that the crown maker had cheated the king. The system is right on, but it takes a bit of time to set up. It was written up in The Art of Bullet Casting...still in print by Wolfe Publishing out of Arizona. IIRC the author was ken Mollohan. LLS

[runfiverun]

there is also the poking it with drafting pencil lead which comes in different softnesses method.
it'll either scratch the lead or the pencil lead will break.
drafting pencil lead comes in about 7-8 [airc] hardnesses.
and is pretty good at determining bhn through digging or breaking.

[jr81452]

there is also the poking it with drafting pencil lead which comes in different softnesses method.
it'll either scratch the lead or the pencil lead will break.
drafting pencil lead comes in about 7-8 [airc] hardnesses.
and is pretty good at determining bhn through digging or breaking.

Don't suppose you have a chart showing the corresponding hardness?

[Tom Myers]

lead melts at aprox 660 F

Buck1,

According to Periodic Table listings, pure lead melts at 621.5 °F


Basic Information


Name: Lead
Symbol: Pb
Atomic Number: 82
Atomic Mass: 207.2 amu
Melting Point: 327.5 °C (600.65 K, 621.5 °F)
Boiling Point: 1740.0 °C (2013.15 K, 3164.0 °F)
Number of Protons/Electrons: 82
Number of Neutrons: 125
Classification: Other Metals
Crystal Structure: Cubic
Density @ 293 K: 11.34 g/cm3
Color: bluish

[fecmech]

Don't suppose you have a chart showing the corresponding hardness?

There was a thread a while back, I think by Molly that gave some guidance. I have some pure lead wire that a friend gave me(he used to swage jacketed bullets) and the softest pencil I have is 4B. It will cut that lead but not a mix of 50/50 acww/lead.
Here are some of my observations with the pencils and some of my alloys.

ACWW--HB cuts and B does not
50-50 ww/lino--2H cuts and H does not
lino--2H cuts and H does not

It's not a super precise system but it does give some guidance. If you went to an art or craft store and bought 5B-9B pencils that would give you the ability to discriminate the softer side of cast alloys. As a previous poster said if it rings when you drop it it's not pure lead, that's a pretty quick and dirty test that I use all the time.

PS-Just went to the craft store with the wife and took my lead wire with me.
Pure lead--- 5B cuts and6B does not

[a.squibload]

Cap'n, technical question: would distilled water be required for accuracy, or would the ratio be unaffected?


Had another thought from Tom's chart, lead has a cubic crystal structure, but we are always making round boolits!

[Cap'n Morgan]

Cap'n, technical question: would distilled water be required for accuracy, or would the ratio be unaffected?

Ordinary tap water will work fine.