Free lead. I think ???

[speedjunkies]

Hey guys.
Got 6, 18 pound bars of lead. Supposedly??
It makes a tinny sound when dropped. It seems pretty brittle. I took some side cutters andtried to make a mark in the bars. The cutters sink in a bit then a piece of the bar flys off.
Trying to figure out the pencil test now??
Thanks for any help
SJR

http://i52.tinypic.com/2s7yu05.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/21blqq9.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/6r6ofq.jpg

[littlejack]

SJR:
Welcome to the CastBoolits.
I must say, "That don't look like any lead I got."
The first photo shows a big chip out of the top of the top ingot. Then there's the spot where
you got a chip in one of the other ingots. It looks to be too hard for lead. It may be another
type of alloy, but not lead. Maybe even zink?
If I were you, I would NOT mix it with any of my good "known" lead or lead alloy.
Jack

[bumpo628]

You might want to try testing it with some swimming pool acid. If it bubbles, it's zinc.

[zxcvbob]

Any idea where it came from? Maybe it's babbit, or pewter, or organ pipe metal... or silver ;)

[Russel Nash]

Hey, man, I don't mean to get all safety nazi on you, but I would highly recommend ditching those mechanix gloves and instead get something that is comPletely leather. When a melted nylon fabric sticks to skin it is not a pretty sight.

[man.electric]

SJR:

The first photo shows a big chip out of the top of the top ingot.


Some of the "type" metal pigs will break if dropped on the eye hook portion. High lead alloys that are hard enough to be brittle can be a good thing sometimes. Is there a scrap yard in your area that scan the ingots and ID the content? That would be a great place to start.

[badbob454]

melt it and check its melting point . zinc melts at a very high temp check online or this forum for temps i think it is in the 700 degree @ area

[speedjunkies]

Hey Guys
Thanks again for all the help.

Going to try the swimming pool acid today. Then take the lead to a local scrap yard, see what
they say. Will try to melt some down this weekend in a small pot. Have to find a Temp prob.

I got the lead free from work, the company that does all our garbage trucking sent this as a sample.
Will hit them up for more info.

Will keep you up to date.
SJR

[GaryN]

It might just have a high antimony content. I bought some 25 pound pigs of linotype from a printer int the eighties. I used a sledgehammer to break them up. They were kinda brittle for lead.

[GaryN]

I've decided to save all my zinc and make slingshot ammo with it. If this turns out to be unusable for bullets maybe you could make cannon balls or something else out of it.

[badbob454]

or swap it for usable lead, at a recyclers

[JIMinPHX]

Could be zinc, could be Lino, could be water dropped WW. could be something else. I'd watch the melt temperature & then make a judgment call. Also watch to see how slushy it gets when it just melts.