Is this pure or hard lead?

[letsmeltlead2693]

Is this block of lead pure or alloy lead? I got this from my neighbor today as he used to race cars. I have gotten several other blocks of lead my neighbor before. I can scratch the surface easily, but sometimes lead can be soft on the surface, but it turns out to be hard lead.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_223664f58001125ef3.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4317)

[Ole]

How much does it weigh?

All of the 99%+ pure lead that I've melted got a bluish tint on the surface when it was melted. If you're going to melt it to make ingots out of it, then that's what I'd do. Melt it and look at the color of the top.

[letsmeltlead2693]

It weighs 23 lbs. There are some holes drilled in it so it can be mounted on a car. This block used to be ballast for a race car.

[leadman]

I bought a couple of the ballast weights that were cast in Chevy small block valve covers. They were WW alloy.
Your could be most anything. Melt or cut off a chunk and cast in a mold you are familar with the weight for a known alloy. This will at least tell you if it is harder or softer than your known alloy.

[fecmech]

Pick it up and drop it on concrete, if it goes thud it's lead if it has a little ring to it it's an alloy. That's the scientific way that I test lead.:-P

[letsmeltlead2693]

I will test it. I will do a drop and acid test to the lead before I melt it.

[fredj338]

If yo ucan scratch it w/ a soft tool, it's soft. If you need a hard tool, it's hard. Short of actually casting a couple of slugs & BHN testing, that is about as far as you can go.

[letsmeltlead2693]

It scratches like butter, but I still want to be sure it is soft, not an alloy.

[yovinny]

Lots of those were made with COWW, but lots were made with battery plates too.
It was pretty common back in the 50-70's to break down old batterys for making stock car ballast blocks.
I got a few from a buddy that were cast from battery plates in the 60's.
I made them into decoy anchors ;)

[birdadly]

Looks like you got your FREE lead you wanted; good score!!!

[letsmeltlead2693]

That block there, is only a 20 minute supply. Once melted, I will want to melt more.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I cut this block by chiseling it with an axe and a sledgehammer. It is seems like it is not pure as it is not easy to scratch with my fingernails so it must be from WW. Although it is not pure or the soft lead I want, it is still lead to melt down.

[badbob454]

i too use the fingernail test if its near pure i can scratch it deeply with my fingernail , if i can just make a surface scratch its an alloy if i cant scratch it at all , thats some durn hard stuff linotype, zinc, tin, monotype ,pewter , etc next the acid test muriatic if it bubbles , to the scrap dealer it goes , if not melt it , and test the temp when it starts to set up , if @ 400 degrees it is a good tin source , then add with soft lead and see what happens, then bhn test for different loads

[hoosierlogger]

My boss gave me a 600 pound block of lead out of his old race car. It was poured in a steel box with angle iron to go across the frame rails. It was a perfect pot to put over a fire to melt it out, but he cut the steel off of it for me before I got it. I had to put a strap around it and move it to the band saw with the bobcat. I cut it into 10 manageable pieces (that took almost 3 hours). I still havent smelted it yet. They melted some of it and then poured WW in it and then melted more and poured it over top of the un-melted WW.

It is hard to say what is in it. Best way to tell is to melt it, pour it into ingots and test them after it is mixed well.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Melted it today. Made 22 ingots, 1 1/2 pond and 21 1 pound ingots with my Lee mold. Will soon post pics of the ingots made from the block. Had to flux a lot but was worth it. Seems like I got hard lead not pure, but it was free so that is still good.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Melted the lead today. Made 22 ingots. Here is the pic of the lead I melted today, about 22lbs of lead.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/imagehosting/thum_223664f5ad8a13109d.jpg (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=4359)

[badbob454]

now , to make boolits .....

[Lloyd Smale]

local racers here use wws. there into cars and know all the mechanics and its probably why they use them.

[hoosierlogger]

You cant beat free lead. You can always blend it to get to an alloy you want. Or sell it or trade it to some one on here for what you want.

[birdadly]

now , to make boolits .....

I think I read that he doesn't even make boolits, just likes to melt stuff :(

[letsmeltlead2693]

I make sinkers, but if I had a boolit mold, I would make boolits.

[ksriverrat]

I make sinkers, but if I had a boolit mold, I would make boolits.

Your a genuine rip in the pants. I mean that in a good way.

A lot of folks do harmfull stuff to themselves & others. If melting lead makes you happy, go for it.