Anyone have pics of their single heaviest piece of lead?

[letsmeltlead2693]

Anyone have pics of their heaviest single piece of lead or a giant block of lead?

[mpbarry1]

This is my biggest chunk. It says BUNKER HILL on the top of it. It probably weights 90-100 lbs. Any Idea what it is? I guessing dead soft lead.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_185834f559c9281575.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4279)

[a.squibload]

mpbarry1, you skunked me!
I was gonna show a 26 pounder, got a few of 'em at the scrapyard.
It's a good alloy, about 96% lead, can't remember the numbers.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24241&d=1280908624

[dieguy59]

Pardon the side note, but what are those in the pail? I have a quite a few that were mixed in with dental foils. I thought they might be some type of isotope containers.

[Fugowii]

Weighed between 90 & 100 Pounds - plumbers lead ingot. It was soft lead. Long gone since this pic was taken - RIP!

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i227/BP_2006/07_28_2010002a.jpg

[375RUGER]

65# pure lead. I had 3 of them. the other 2 are ingots and boolits now:Fire:

[runfiverun]

barry.
bunker hill is usually pure.

[Hal A Looyah]

No pics, but I have a a piece that was 110lbs. It is soft lead. It was in the form of 4 inch by 24 inch rods that had been fused or soldered together. I split them apart with an axe.

[mpbarry1]

Thanks runfive. Wish i had 10 more!

[letsmeltlead2693]

WHYYY??!??! Is any of those big blocks for sale? Sad to see pure lead being alloyed instead of being pure.

[blackhawk4545]

hey mpberry...I have a bunker hill lead block exactly like yours. Bunker Hill was a mine out in Idaho I believe.

[dnotarianni]

I had several lead rings that were shielding each one was 24" diameter od 12" id and 6" thick. 4 of them really sunk the back of the truck down. dragged each one off the truck with the tracter and used a chain saw on them to get them into the melting pot Way too much work
Dave

[Frank46]

Those widgits in the bucket remind me of freeze out plugs that go in engine blocks. Frank

[leadman]

Those are the caps for the small radioactive isotope containers. There are at least 3 different alloys that I had in the containers I got.
The somewhat shinier looking caps pop when put in a hot dutch oven. They also make a slush on the surface that does not want to return to the alloy easily.

I've used about 3,000 pounds of the containers and are great for boolits around 11 BHN.

[dieguy59]

Thanks for the info,leadman.

[Ugluk]

Too bad I didn't see this a few days ago before I cut up and started dealing with the biggest piece I've come across yet. It was some kind of counterweight, possibly from an industrial forklift.
700 pounds.
I cut it up in three parts at its narrowest using a really sharp chisel and a hand sledge.
I had to use my tractor loader to get a piece of it into the smelting pot. Still got 3 big pieces not yet ingotized and I could take a few pics if anyone's curious..

[375RUGER]

WHYYY??!??! Is any of those big blocks for sale? Sad to see pure lead being alloyed instead of being pure.

If you were pouring boolits, you'd understand. Nothing sad about it. :smile:

[MikeS]

WHYYY??!??! Is any of those big blocks for sale? Sad to see pure lead being alloyed instead of being pure.

Do you even have any interest in casting boolits? If you did, then you wouldn't say it's sad to see lead being alloyed, unless you're just shooting black powder weapons, in which case pure is good.

[leadbutt]

Yea it sounded like he casts pure.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I melt whatever lead I can get. I have pure but ain't gonna use it because it is cool and never going to give it away either. I love to melt lead regardless of the alloy. I do like to melt good alloys but lead is lead when it comes to melting.

[a.squibload]

Pardon the side note, but what are those in the pail? I have a quite a few that were mixed in with dental foils. I thought they might be some type of isotope containers.

Sorry dieguy, I've been "off the air" for a few.
I assumed they are as leadman says, caps for isotope containers.
I'll be sure to keep the lid on when I start melting them!
First I've heard of them popping, maybe there's an air space in the top.
The scrapyard used their x-ray gun to tell me the components, roughly
the same as the big ingot, pretty good alloy for casting.
They're already ingots as far as I'm concerned, nice & clean, will melt 'em
some day and make some "ballistic ingots".

Ugluk, I tried to talk a friend out of his tractor weight, told him I would replace it
with concrete or something. He's not a caster, wouldn't go for it.
I figure it would make thousands of boolits!

[Ugluk]

...
Ugluk, I tried to talk a friend out of his tractor weight, told him I would replace it
with concrete or something. He's not a caster, wouldn't go for it.
I figure it would make thousands of boolits!

Can't say I blame him. I'd love a big lead weight for the 3p. Concrete is so much bulkier. But I prefer to keep my lead in pieces that will fit the pot.

I took a few pics of the big lump before finishing it off.

A rather Lovecraftian monolith protrudes from the smelter..

[Ugluk]

So cool to the touch and it feels as unmovable as if anchored to the bowls of the earth..

Time to turn up the heat!
Going..

[Ugluk]

Going..

[Ugluk]

Gone!

[Ugluk]

Net result of this afternoons soft lead smelting: 270 ingots at #2 each.
Should last me a while when added to the 265 i made last week.
:grin:

[skeettx]

Leadmelt,

What is the purpose to your question?
General interest or other?

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/MVC-049S.JPG

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/MVC-055S1.JPG

Mike

[dRok]

Leadmelt,

What is the purpose to your question?
General interest or other?

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/MVC-049S.JPG

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/MVC-055S1.JPG

Mike

You probably know this, but you could fit a lot more in those containers if you stacked the ingots...

[skeettx]

Thanks
Have lots more containers full
Plus lots waiting patiently for melting
Old non zinc wheel weights

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/MVC-048S.JPG

[JohnFM]

Skeettx, looks like you better get busy with a resupply soon.
You're liable to run low any time! [smilie=l:

[Longwood]

You guys that have lots of scrap need to smelt it and tell your wife what it will be worth when you are dead.
Life insurance, instead of, that blinkidy blankity junk.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Is any of that for sale? If so please PM me as I REALLY want to buy some!

[birdadly]

Is any of that for sale? If so please PM me as I REALLY want to buy some!

Pardon my curiosity, but what is your goal for the lead that you've been trying to acquire from people on this forum? You've said you have over 200lbs already and that you cast sinkers. That much lead is plenty for sinkers, no?

I've also read you saying that you simply like to melt lead. Why don't you just remelt the stuff you've already melted? Why do you have to buy more already in ingot form?

Most of the 'hoarders' on this forum are so because we plan to be shooting cast boolits for the rest of our lives, thus wanting a lifetime supply.

I hope this doesn't come off as rude; I'm just curious as to your goals. Maybe then you can get some help with what you need.

[Springfield]

There's a decent size chuck sitting on the top right in my truck.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Just like to hoard lead and see how much I can acquire. Hopefully I can get my stockpile up to 500lbs or more in at least a year or two. Just want to get lead to have and see how much I can get. I have over 250lbs of lead and that took me almost 2 years to get. I don't have a source for 100lbs of lead at a time. I just like lead for the fact it is easy to melt and it is heavy.

[40Super]

sound like a fetish?????

[skeettx]

I had a fella giving me a bucket of wheel weights every month for years.
I would melt them down and cast them into ingots.
My pot will melt 100 pounds plus of wheel weights.
I have ten four cavity ingot moulds and lay them out by the pot.
Heat it up, cast 40 ingots, dump them out, cast 40 ingots
This leaves 20 pounds in the pot to distribute the heat to the
next bunch of wheel weights, add more wheel weights CAREFULLY
to the pot to top it off and repeat procedure.

They sure do all up :)
Mike

[nanuk]

I have a chunk that must be around 200# or more... it was all I could do to lift it into a truck...

came out of an Xray Lab rotating table
there is another one on someones tractor, I'm gonna try to trade him out of

I also got the sheets off of 3 walls before they kicked me out.

[lead4me]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?pictureid=1961&albumid=287&dl=1266492804&thumb=1

Here is a chunk of pure lead around 500lbs =/- that I picked up. Also got another about half this size same stuff.

[PanaDP]

I melt whatever lead I can get. I have pure but ain't gonna use it because it is cool and never going to give it away either. I love to melt lead regardless of the alloy. I do like to melt good alloys but lead is lead when it comes to melting.

Do you use lead and alloys for anything? You're sounding a bit like a magpie collecting shiny stuff for no reason.

[letsmeltlead2693]

If that block of lead is 500lbs, how did you "pick" it up?

[Longwood]

Me believes we may have a Troll here.

Someone who has never heard of forklifts, cranes, backhoes, front end loaders, cherry pickers, powered tailgates, etc,etc, etc,,,,:veryconfu

[waksupi]

I think I have him corralled now.

[lead4me]

Hey let's melt lead I cut it up with a saw first. Do you have a pic of yourself melting lead? If so I'd like to see it. I've got one in my mind but .......I like to put names with faces. And this one I gotta see.

[odinohi]

Not mine, but it's a little chunk of lead. Too bad the dude that owns it thinks it's worth .84 per pound.The pic doesn't do it justice. Some has sawed some of it off since I saw it last. It's about 8 foot long, 20x12" around. Came off a huge sailboat that was 100 years old and has since rotted and been discarted. Wish the dude would come to his senses and pay me to haul the toxic mess off for him. :)

[Longwood]

That is a hunka, hunka, hunka lead.
I have seen photos here of bigger though.
Last year, a guy posted some photos of some biiiiig hunks in a shipyard that were for sale.

[PanaDP]

Not mine, but it's a little chunk of lead. Too bad the dude that owns it thinks it's worth .84 per pound.The pic doesn't do it justice. Some has sawed some of it off since I saw it last. It's about 8 foot long, 20x12" around. Came off a huge sailboat that was 100 years old and has since rotted and been discarted. Wish the dude would come to his senses and pay me to haul the toxic mess off for him. :)

Perhaps you can sneak in the night and cut off chunks as needed and he won't notice.

[AndyC]

If that block of lead is 500lbs, how did you "pick" it up?
I imagine he meant "picked it up" as in collected it ie. he went to pick it up.

[odinohi]

Perhaps you can sneak in the night and cut off chunks as needed and he won't notice.

Gotta pass on that. I try to score lead, nothin but steel bars in jail:)

[Tom W.]

Well, I DID have three 60 to 75 lb. ingots of recycled battery lead from Sanders Lead company in Troy, Alabama. They were as soft as butter and mixed well with grade 4 nickle Babbitt , range lead and assorted wheel weights...

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

No photographs, but a friend and I scavanged over 5 ton of lead for a contractor at Washing State University when they replaced the many years old sky lights on the field house.

Scrap was worth about zero at that point, and the contractor just gave us the very soft but dirty lead for hauling it away.

Bullet maker from Montana came over with a dump truck and hauled a bunch of it back to his operation.

Nephew in now teasing me with some fork lift counter balance weights, but haven't seen them yet.

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Fredx10sen]

Wow some of you have some mighty big chunks of lead there. I'm little embarrassed with only having three large bars of Lino left as the biggest pieces. The rest is in ingots or waiting to be processed. WW's, sheet X-ray lead, bell solder, solder from the radiator shop, Mono single letter blocks, etc. Maybe 3000 Lbs total of everything. I'm still looking for more though. LOL
Oh ya forgot about the 1-1/2 five gallon bucket of range scrap sitting in the corner. :)

[mo_bio]

Biggest one I have scored to date. 96.6 lbs. Should be fun.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Hey there Fredx10sen,

WOW, be'in in Califunnyia, you are liv'in on the edge with that amount of L-----

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh don't let the word out or the greenies will be on you like white on rice.

OH and mo bio, I knew the dollar was getting small, but clearly yours have really tak'in a beating! [smilie=l:

CDOC :cbpour: :redneck:

[WILCO]

I imagine he meant "picked it up" as in collected it ie. he went to pick it up.

That's how I took it. [smilie=s:

[Lead Fred]

Dang, and Ive been melting it all down and making a bizillion one pound ingots.

[tenx]

Now I don't feel so bad looking at my lead stash. 2.5 tons of reclaimed shot and 4 tons of ingots. Lucked into both, was just in the right place at the right time. And no I don't want to sell or donate any, sorry.

[hickfu]

Now I don't feel so bad looking at my lead stash. 2.5 tons of reclaimed shot and 4 tons of ingots. Lucked into both, was just in the right place at the right time. And no I don't want to sell or donate any, sorry.

:shock: You have 13,000 pounds of lead??????
[smilie=s: Can I be your friend? ;)


Doc

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Just stop and figure out how much powder, primers and brass you will need to use that much boolit metal.

WOW!!!!!!

CDOC

[hickfu]

Just stop and figure out how much powder, primers and brass you will need to use that much boolit metal.

WOW!!!!!!

CDOC

I was thinking the same thing Crusty so I figured it out for my use (I dont know what gr bullets he would cast but I cast 350gr, 425gr and 540gr for the Marlin 45-70)

So just casting the 425gr
13,000 #'s of lead = 214,117 425gr boolits
Starline brass would cost $77,147.00
191 8# tubs of H-322 (thats 50gr per)= $30,396.00
Winchester primers = $3,104.00
Propane to smelt to ingots and then into bullets ??????
So far it would cost $110,620.00

That would give you 10,705 boxes of 20
Sell those for $22.00 a box (pretty stout bear load) for a total of $235,528.70

Sure wish I had 13,000 #s of lead!!!!


Doc

[40Super]

But if your going to sell the rounds there is more math for legal issues so:

' $235,528.70
- $225,000.00ish (gov. tax,licence,insurance,ect......)
----------------
not worth it



give or take a few dollars :idea:

[hickfu]

But if your going to sell the rounds there is more math for legal issues so:

' $235,528.70
- $225,000.00ish (gov. tax,licence,insurance,ect......)
----------------
not worth it



give or take a few dollars :idea:


YES, I did forget the federal "take all your money tax"
I still wish I had 13,000 #s of lead!!!


Doc

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Love it DOC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

Thanks!

CDOC

[Revolver]

http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j407/mainejunker/a5b9044b.jpg

Me cutting keel with a chainsaw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5oz9IJ_5O0

Me moving & Loading keel chunks (600-800 lbs each)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF2zE6uLgCk

[Katya Mullethov]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=723&pictureid=5443

Not exactly a manhole cover , but that was 75lbs from a confiscated ammo burn , with steel shot sprinkles . Drossed out to 65lbs .

[Revolver]

Not exactly a manhole cover , but that was 75lbs from a confiscated ammo burn , with steel shot sprinkles . Drossed out to 65lbs .


Mmmm.. lead with steel sprinkles... my fav! How do you plan to deal with that chunk?

[Katya Mullethov]

I used , as they say in Mizz-sippuh , a saw saw . Still got quite a bit left , but right after I cleaned it , we cast just over a thousand rounds of 38's and had half of that loaded before the next Monday . I had one of them in my pocket when the law dog that gave me that lead cow pie showed up at work . He is a match shooting Dillon fiend and was absolutely tickled to hear that my missues was running her own mold .

[MC One Shot]

http://i1084.photobucket.com/albums/j407/mainejunker/a5b9044b.jpg

Is that solid lead? What is the weight of it? I think I will have to keep a closer eye out on derilick and abandoned sailboats.

[Revolver]

Is that solid lead? What is the weight of it? I think I will have to keep a closer eye out on derilick and abandoned sailboats.

From calculations, and from already cutting some of it up, I believe it to be in excess of 1.5 tons.

[MC One Shot]

From calculations, and from already cutting some of it up, I believe it to be in excess of 1.5 tons.

Holy sh!t!!!! Now I am really going to look at them sailboats.

But I think you got the heaviest piece of lead so far..........