Scored some lead while traveling on vacation

[Mrbrent]

I was staying at a resort this last week and drove by an pick a part junk yard way out in the boonies in northern Minnesota so I decided to stop and see if he had any WW. He just had started going through a pile of about 2000 rims and had to clean them which meant getting the WW off and valve stems etc. I was about a week to early I guess so I told him I would stop back the next day and see what he had. He had 32lbs the next day which was a little disappointing but its lead. He also pulled out these bars that I have some pictures of. I left with 80lbs total and paid .50 cents a pound. I also scored 60lbs of lead foil from the backs of dental x-rays from a friend of mine that had been sitting in the chicken coupe for about 25 years. This was free. all in all I got 150lbs for $40 and my dad is going to bring it to me when he comes to visit at chirstmas so I didn't even have to ship it.

The bars are harder than the ww when I scratch so I need to figure out what they are made of. I had to break them to fit them in a box and I was able to break them with a few whacks with a splitting maul. I will melt them down separate until I figure out what is makeup is. I found out what these bars are by the patent number on them. They are Ingots for typesetting machines and the patent was files in 1936. See link if you want. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2083913.pdf


X-Ray foils


Bars of lead

[SWANEEDB]

I also had a bar of lino given to me a short time ago with the same pat #'s on it, it eas also stamped ingot not for sale. Now, the dental x-ray lead--WHAT a score, that is pure tin, goes for around 10 to 12 bucks a lb, what you have will go a long way.

[clodhopper]

I always thought dental foil was almost pure lead.
And the lino was the big score.

[Mrbrent]

I also had a bar of lino given to me a short time ago with the same pat #'s on it, it eas also stamped ingot not for sale. Now, the dental x-ray lead--WHAT a score, that is pure tin, goes for around 10 to 12 bucks a lb, what you have will go a long way.

About 25 years ago we messed around with these foils and pounded objects into the clay floor in the machine shed on the farm and melted them down and poured all kinds of stupid stuff in these clay molds. LOL I'm not sure what you meant by pure tin?? As far as I can tell it's most likely pure lead.

[Cherokee]

To me the Lino is the great score.

[selmerfan]

Dental lead is definitely NOT pure tin. It's either pure or close to it - the point of the foil is to protect the patient from X-ray radiation, tin doesn't do that...

[zomby woof]

The lead they use in dental x-rays are Lead >96%, Tin 1.5% +/- 0.1%, Antimony 1.5% +/- 0.1%.

[selmerfan]

That's what I found as well zomby_woof. I just melted 150 lbs. of dental x-ray foils (yes, I had a GREAT trip to the dentist!) and the ingots are about the same hardness as my WW ingots, definitely harder than my sticky weight ingots. What I'm trying to figure out is what the makers did with the rest of the 100% in that alloy...??? 96 + 1.5 + 1.5 does NOT equal 100%, even given the +/- .1%