Cutting Lead

[6mm250]

Stuff that's too big for the pot , how do you get it down to size ?

Chainsaw , sawzall , skil saw ?



Mike

[WILCO]

I've heard all of the above mentioned in previous posts on the subject. Heck, one fella even hung a large pig of lead above his pot and lowered it in as it melted. Did all this on a boat dock as I recall.

[abqcaster]

I've heard of using a brick chisel. Just don't use any kind of power tool. It'll gum up the blades and make a lot of lead dust and vapors if it gets too hot.

[lwknight]

I hung mine from a chain on my grader blade. I used the tractor to lift and lower the 150 pound weight as I melted it off with a weed burner. It took forever to get started but when the lead started flowing , it went pretty fast into the pot that was underneath.

[Sasquatch-1]

I have melted istope cores with a propane torch. It does take a while to heat up the core so it will melt. I am using a small pot and an eletric hotplate for smelting right now so I had to make the core smaller.

[floydboy]

I take an axe to sheet lead and anything thin enough to cut with it. A sharp axe will make short work of anything less than an inch in thickness.

[runfiverun]

if it's a big sheet of lead and is about 1/4" thick i just cut it with tin snips.

[0verkill]

I do mine similar to floydboy. I lay the blade of a hatchet where I want the cut and hit the back with a hammer.

[montana_charlie]

I do mine similar to floydboy. I lay the blade of a hatchet where I want the cut and hit the back with a hammer.
I have a pair of splitting wedges (from the days before pellet stoves) and I use them as 'chisels' to knock off pot-sized hunks.
CM

[6mm250]

I have a "cube" of lead , about 8x8x8"


Mike

[Miata Mike]

I've heard all of the above mentioned in previous posts on the subject. Heck, one fella even hung a large pig of lead above his pot and lowered it in as it melted. Did all this on a boat dock as I recall.

If I remember right, that is the way the Linotype machine handled pigs. Been about 35 years since I ran one in school. :razz:

[Miata Mike]

I have a "cube" of lead , about 8x8x8"


Mike

Sounds like it would fit nice in my pressure cooker pot. I would think it would split with a wedge fairly easy?

[bumpo628]

I have a "cube" of lead , about 8x8x8"


Mike

You need a bigger pot.
Something with an inside diameter of about 11.5" would work.

[mold maker]

If your afraid to use power tools, than don't.
I've used a small chain saw, circular saw, and nibbler to reduce anything from boat keels to sheet lead. Just contain the debris on a tarp.
It takes 1200 degrees to vaporize lead. Just wear a dust mask if your method creates extremely fine dust. Even tiny pieces of lead are heavy and don't float around in the air.
Of all the methods mentioned above the weed burner is the only one likely to produce hazardous fumes. Even that way can be done safely with a little common sense.

[montana_charlie]

Even that way can be done safely with a little common sense.
I would agree that it can be done safely, but I suspect that 'fire' causes a lot of tin to be lost ... if the chunk includes a tin content.

CM

[drcook]

I use boltcutters for cutting up the ingots I get

[H.Callahan]

Air hammer and chisel work if you have a compressor.

[nanuk]

I"ve got a 2000lb ingot that I was supposed to have cut a few weeks ago

been too busy, but am gonna use the sawzall and the tarp method...

[lwknight]

I would agree that it can be done safely, but I suspect that 'fire' causes a lot of tin to be lost ... if the chunk includes a tin content.

CM

Not likely because the metal never gets above melting temp more than a few degrees. As it melts , it drips off. I have melted linotype sticks with a propane torch into water to make teardrop shape linotype shot.
There was no oxidation at all that I could tell.

[ColColt]

I've got a large block of lead about two inches thick and about 8" long by 4" wide. It's still laying on the garage floor as I haven't been able to figure a way to section it small enough to get in my 20# Lee pot. Hammer and brick chisel doesn't work well not does a hacksaw. No turkey fryer so it may be there on the floor for awhile. That thing weighs 25 pounds.

[John Boy]

Stuff that's too big for the pot , how do you get it down to size ?... about 8x8x8"
Piece of cake ... a weed burner from Harbor Freight. They put out a temperature of 3,000 degrees. Melt into a cast iron post and pour melt into the casting pot

[ColColt]

I did a search and found this baby...puts out 3500 degrees!! That ought to melt my 4x8x2" thick block of lead.

http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-with-push-button-igniter-91037.html

[shadowcaster]

Stuff that's too big for the pot , how do you get it down to size ?

Chainsaw , sawzall , skil saw ?



Mike


nanuk I"ve got a 2000lb ingot that I was supposed to have cut a few weeks ago

been too busy, but am gonna use the sawzall and the tarp method...

For large pieces I say that a wood splitter is the only way to fly. There is no mess or filings or dust to worry about, and no gummed up blades. For lead pipe a set of large mouth long handled limb pruner works great... clean cuts & no mess. The other option us to get a larger pot. My bottom pour has 17 inch diameter and will handle large pieces.

Good luck.. :)

Shad

[canyon-ghost]

I've used an industrial band saw at work to cut it, horizontal bandsaw for steel. I've used a sledge hammer and 1" chisel too. Even used a combination of both.

[6mm250]

For large pieces I say that a wood splitter is the only way to fly. There is no mess or filings or dust to worry about, and no gummed up blades. For lead pipe a set of large mouth long handled limb pruner works great... clean cuts & no mess. The other option us to get a larger pot. My bottom pour has 17 inch diameter and will handle large pieces.

Good luck.. :)

Shad

Tarnation ! the answer was parked in my yard the whole time.
27 tons of hydraulic advantage


Mike

[smokeywolf]

I used to cut lead on the band saw. Also used to drill lead regularly. You'll get minimal, if any dust. However, you need a cutting fluid. I used a thin (low viscosity) pink liquid hand soap mixed with 2 parts water. That prevents blade clogging and will pretty much eliminate any threat of dust.
You really have to watch for lead slivers.

smokeywolf

[Gliden07]

I saw a guy on You Tube use a log splitter!!

[6mm250]

I tried out the wood splitter this AM , it did the job but it didn't like it.



http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/6mm250/e0625889.jpg


Had to go round 'n round

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/6mm250/f4f04741.jpg

Finally pinched it in two

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/6mm250/bb3e229f.jpg

Then it got some easier.

Down to this

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/6mm250/ff1580fd.jpg

Mike

[gbrown]

You can make a pot out of an old propane bottle or as mine is, an old refrigerent recovery tank--it has a base like the propane bottles. I cut mine with a reciprocating battery powered saw. I have melted pieces up to 14 inches wide in mine. Just saw your pic's. Good job. Where there is a will, there is a way.

[Alan in Vermont]

I tried out the wood splitter this AM , it did the job but it didn't like it.
Mike

Try oiling or greasing the wedge if you try that again. It can't hurt and I'd bet it would make things cut quite a bit easier.

[evan price]

I have a bunch of 4' x 8' sheets of lead from a hospital remodel that was glued to drywall. I unroll the sheets in my yard and then whack them with an axe into long strips that I roll up into logs that will stand up in my pot. Pour some used motor oil over the lead as it heats up and it melts pretty quick once the oil catches fire.

That works a lot better than the old way, which was to try to mahandle the carpet-rolls of lead onto the back of my tractor 3-point and hang them over the pot. That made a mess.

[WilliamDahl]

I did a search and found this baby...puts out 3500 degrees!! That ought to melt my 4x8x2" thick block of lead.

http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-with-push-button-igniter-91037.html

It's not just temperature, it's BTUs...

For a piece of lead that small (4x8x2), I just just put it in my smelting pot (cast iron dutch oven). They're pretty cheap and I have a banjo burner that I'm running off of natural gas. Maybe it's not as fast as some of the high pressure propane burners, but it's fast enough for what I need it for. If it was *too* fast, it would cut into my beer drinking time.

[BCB]

Is there a blade available for a reciprocating saw that will cut lead?...

I have some 60-pound ingots and need to cut them into pieces small enough to go in a Lee 20 pounder…

I presently have a course tooth wood blade for it and I just won’t cut the lead…

Don't have access to a log splitter...

I have used a chisel and hammer, but that is WORK...

Any thoughts on a blade for the reciprocating saw?...

Thanks…BCB

[Crosbyman]

If you are close to Houston, bring it to me. My largest smelting pot is 20" diameter, 24" deep, and with precision temperature control.

[Revolver]

So far I have tried chainsaw and log splitter. Chain saw is a lot of work for the operator. Log splitter is a lot of work for the machine, mine is old and complained a lot but worked.

Next year I am going to try to build a solar smelter.

Chainsaw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5oz9IJ_5O0

Log Splitter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1UPjFgISJc

[sqlbullet]

I picked up a metric sheet ton of lead last Thursday, so this topic is apropos:

http://fellingfamily.net/images/sheetTon.jpg

Those are 3/8" - 1/2" sheets that are about 4' by 4', but folded up.

On Saturday I melted about 600 lbs of it, using an axe to chop it into strips about 8" wide, which I lowered into the dutch oven. It was hot, hard, sweaty work, and left me not wanting to chop the rest.

Yesterday after work I got out my Ryobi 18V tool kit which included a reciprocating saw and a small chain saw. The chain saw was ideal, except for the rate at which it eats batteries. I am not anxious to get my Husqvarna or vintage Homelites in that mix. Too much power in an off purpose use for me to feel like it is a great idea.

So, I am going to buy or build a power converter so I can plug in that saw. I imagine once I take care of the power supply I will have the whole batch cut up in less than an hour.

[WilliamDahl]

Oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane torch? Maybe by moving it fast, you could just melt the lead instead of burning it like you do when cutting steel?

[Revolver]

Oxy-acetylene or oxy-propane torch? Maybe by moving it fast, you could just melt the lead instead of burning it like you do when cutting steel?

I think the problem is that the large lead mass acts like a heatsink and sucks the heat in. Until the whole block heats dramatically not a lot will happen. Dumping all that heat into it will take awhile, but once hot it will probably be smooth sailing.

I'm just guessing.

[WilliamDahl]

I think the problem is that the large lead mass acts like a heatsink and sucks the heat in. Until the whole block heats dramatically not a lot will happen. Dumping all that heat into it will take awhile, but once hot it will probably be smooth sailing.

I'm just guessing.

Unfortunately, I don't have a large enough chunk of lead to try it on, so I'm just guessing also... I'm thinking that the torch would be hot enough to melt the surface of the lead without having to heat up the entire block and the force of the gas would blow the lead to the side or down stream if you had the block tilted. Odds are that a plasma cutter mechanism might work, but you would not want to be heating up the lead to the point of it vaporizing.

[Gtek]

I have put in press with hatchet as blade. Press pushed it right down and it cracked in half at bottom. No dust, no chips, no fumes. OK, the fumes came later. Gtek

[WilliamDahl]

I have put in press with hatchet as blade. Press pushed it right down and it cracked in half at bottom. No dust, no chips, no fumes. OK, the fumes came later. Gtek

I tried using a maul with a wood splitting wedge on a large piece of lead that I had left at the bottom of my smelting pot instead of casting it into smaller ingots... Ended up breaking the handle on my maul, even though I didn't hit the handle on the splitting wedge...

I was able to break off pieces for the casting pot, but it took a lot of work... Eventually, I just put it back in the smelting pot, heated it up, and cast it into the ingots for later use in the casting pot...

[garrisonjoe]

Thrift store deep cast iron dutch oven. 14 inch diameter. Fire it up over a Coleman camp stove or even faster a turkey fryer burner. EVERYONE who is going to deal with reducing scrap lead to ingots needs one!

[WilliamDahl]

I had a bit of an "oops" the other day when I was casting with my Lee 20 lb bottom pour pot. I put a new large ingot in the casting pot and then went inside to get a beer and do a couple other things while it bringing it up to temperature. Well, when I got back outside, I had a mountain of lead that had dripped from the bottom pour spout onto the Lee ingot mold that I use as a drip pan, overflowed onto the stand for the casting pot, and then overflowed from the stand onto the cookie sheet that I put the casting pot on. It soldered the stand to the cookie sheet. I tried hitting it with a hammer quite a few times, but it would not come loose.

This evening, I tried heating it up with a normal size propane torch. It slowly dripped, but that was about it. I was able to heat it up enough that I could use a screwdriver to twist off some of the softened pieces and I used an axe to wedge it under the cookie sheet to get it to break off from there, destroying the cookie sheet in the process. I tried heating the cookie sheet from the bottom, but I just was not able to get enough BTUs into the mass to get it to loosen. So, my experience says that a normal propane torch will not work for cutting any large size piece of lead in any time that is even remotely reasonable. I really didn't want to try the oxy-propane cutting rig since I did not want to chance basically destroying the stand for my casting pot.

I wonder if you could just put the large block of lead on a train track while a train is parked and then get the engineer to move up slightly. You wouldn't want to put it on the tracks when a train was going at normal speed, just in case it might cause the train to derail. I suspect that it is unlikely to cause a train to derail since I've seen trains got through cars and stay on the tracks, but it would be better to have it as a controlled experiment.

[Revolver]

I wonder if you could just put the large block of lead on a train track while a train is parked and then get the engineer to move up slightly. You wouldn't want to put it on the tracks when a train was going at normal speed, just in case it might cause the train to derail. I suspect that it is unlikely to cause a train to derail since I've seen trains got through cars and stay on the tracks, but it would be better to have it as a controlled experiment.

I take that as a challenge. I've done chainsaw and logsplitter videos. Now I have to find someone with a train! Probably unreasonable.

[Sasquatch-1]

This evening, I tried heating it up with a normal size propane torch. It slowly dripped, but that was about it. I was able to heat it up enough that I could use a screwdriver to twist off some of the softened pieces and I used an axe to wedge it under the cookie sheet to get it to break off from there, destroying the cookie sheet in the process. I tried heating the cookie sheet from the bottom, but I just was not able to get enough BTUs into the mass to get it to loosen. So, my experience says that a normal propane torch will not work for cutting any large size piece of lead in any time that is even remotely reasonable. I really didn't want to try the oxy-propane cutting rig since I did not want to chance basically destroying the stand for my casting pot.


I think it all depends on what type tip you end up with on your propane torch. I have two. One has a short flame that is widely dispersed and the other has a flame that looks more like a candle flame on steroids. The second will melt lead fairly quickly while the first is useless.

[garrisonjoe]

Nothing at all wrong with a recip saw. Get a "thick metal" blade, then run a file brush across the teeth of the blade when it "gums" up. Unless you are cutting so as to get the lead and blade up to about 1500-2000 F (red hot), you will NOT have any lead vapor.

[Fluxed]

Use a splitting maul. Lay the lead on a surface that won't damage the maul when you chop through.

[Lloyd Smale]

I keep an old chain saw just for cutting lead and also sometimes use a propane weed burner to melt big chunks.