X-ray lead, with all sorts of stuff

[MinnBrad]

First off I'd like to thank you guys. I've been a lurker for some time now and I've learned quite a few tricks/tips. I do have a question though. A friend of mine dropped off some lead for me from a x-ray room, problem is that it has drywall glued to the lead. Is this something I should try to remove first or just skim it off while smelting?
59974
From what we figured its about 1500 lbs give or take

[HATCH]

I would try to remove the larger pieces if possible.

[GRUMPA]

+1 on what HATCH had to say, yeah it's going to take some time but I think you'll be better off in the long run.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I can tell you from experience about getting as much of the paper, adhesive and drywall off the lead as is possible. The stink is kinda bad when smelting with the above on the lead in a smelting pot, indoors is a bad choice anytime. Outdoors, I`d be UPWIND of the pot!Robert

[btroj]

At times I have wondered about the viability of having a pit of sand and a fire. Place the lead with drywall, etc on it in the pit. Build a big fire around it and light her off. Burns off the junk and melt the lead into a big chunk.
Cut up that chunk and remelt for final clean up.

[alha]

Any thoughts about using water to clean it up? Just noticed you're from up here in the arctic wasteland too, if you were down south maybe spread it out on the (clean) driveway and hit it with the hose, let it soak, then hit it again a little while later, sweeping it around with a broom? That may work if you can wait till spring, otherwise you could do the same thing by hand indoors in a washtub in the basement or heated garage, but if it were me, I'd pass on that and wait till I could do it outdoors where it had a chance to dry in the sun as well. Justa thought.

[Hardcast416taylor]

A friend of mine used a propane weed burning torch on some x-ray lead like yours to burn off as much paper as possible before staring smelting.Robert

[cloakndagger]

Got a little bit of lead drywall (about 10 lb) when the local hospital put in a new machine and had scraps. Tossed it my cast iron fire pit thingamabob i found in the dumpster, piled on some dry poplar and kerosene and set it alight. Ended up with a decent size puck of dirty lead when everything burned out, smelted that down in my wheel weight pot and it cleaned up nice. Made DEAD SOFT ingots (im gonna get a micro cupcake tin and make 1/2 pound wafers to use when alloying) looks like you got a great haul, congrats!

[MinnBrad]

Thanks for the advice. I peeled as much off as I could and did about 40lbs last night (would've done more but it was -10 last night and my garage isn't heated.) It smoked pretty good but wasn't unbearable. I think next time I'll do it in my friends heated shop and use an exhaust fan. I do like the idea of tossing it into a metal pit and using diesel or kerosene though.

[sljacob]

I have smelted about 6 or 8 hundred lbs in the last year... what i found to work the best for me is to take it outdoors to smelt and add some motor oil to the pot. Once it gets hot I toss in a match and let it burn adding more oil if needed untill melted. The flame helps burn off the paper quicker and also shortens the melt time. The oil seems to seperate the small drops of lead from the ashes and drywall so you loose very little when you skim off the dross.
I will also add a little oil to the melt just before skimming off WW clips, very little of the melt ever sticks to them. Needless to say this is best done out side with a small breeze.

[evan price]

Plus One for using motor oil.
I have great big rolls of that stuff I got when the hospital renovated. I had 3000 pounds of it, with glue and drywall all over it. I would stand a roll of it up in my pot, dump some used motor oil all over it, and then stand back and let 'er burn. Nothing left but lead and ashes that skimmed off nicely.
Sure it smokes but if you do it outside with some wind it's no big deal. Lighting a charcoal BBQ smokes as bad.

[jonk]

Short of soaking the whole thing in acetone and using a power washer on the residue, I don't see a way to get it off. That said, do peel any larger bits off, then just melt outside. I got about 50 lbs recently and it wasn't any harder than anything else. Though I second adding something to the mix to set it on fire; otherwise you do get a lot of charred paper that is hard to skim off without wasting lead.

[MinnBrad]

60402
60403
Tried the motor oil trick. Worked out real well, it kept the smoke down and help warm up the lead.

[HATCH]

So where can i send payment for a box of soft lead?? ;-)