Noob needing help identifying lead

[Bodean98]

I aquired these from a co-worker for FREE! They are reported to have been used in the oilfield wireline business. They have a ring to them when dropped on a concrete floor and they seem fairly hard for lead. Does anyone have any experience with these and have an idea of their alloy? I am fairly new at this and do not yet posses the tools to check hardness and I don't have access to one of the analizer guns mentioned. Any info or other ideas how to identify this alloy would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any answers.

[Dusty Bannister]

Look here.

http://fellingfamily.net/isolead/

[RogerDat]

See sticky on Pencil Testing hardness. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?75455-Testing-hardness-with-pencils

Set of art pencils is cheap, art pencils have specific hardness ranging from very soft to very hard. The hardness for a given named pencil (H,HB etc.) conforms to a hardness standard for art pencils. Allows you to determine hardness by which pencil is hard enough to gouge the material. Sticky lists which pencil is what lead hardness and testing process.

Also might want some drain cleaner to test for zinc. The chemical fizzes in reaction to zinc. I forget what brand but hopefully someone will post what that is. There is a sticky on ways to remove zinc if you find you have a little. But if it pencil tests really hard and has zinc it may be more hassle than you want to deal with depending on how much weight you will get out of it.

One on the left really does look like an iso container.

[30Carbine]

Muriatic acid will react to zinc. you can get it any where that has a paint section I got a gallon from walmart for 6 bucks then use an eye dropper and see if they react. always have a bottle handy. and liquid plumber has muriatic acid in also.

[Dusty Bannister]

Well, if the OP checked the pictures in the link, he would know they are ALL iso containers. And a likely alloy content. Takes a lot of guess work out of things if you take the time to research... Dusty

[MrWolf]

I would cut the OP some slack. He was told they were from an oil field, not iso containers. Not everyone can find an item when they don't know where to start. Just sayin, we all start somewhere and a little patience goes a long way.

[Bodean98]

Thank you all for the replies.
Finally able to check the link this eve. Some good info there. Looks like it is similar in composition to COWW. Time to melt it and cast some boolits.
I'll have to give the pencils a try for hardness testing.
I got only about 40# of these. Wish there would have been more!

[runfiverun]

iso containers are used in the oil field, but not for wire-line purposes.
they are used to put slightly radioactive tracers down hole when the well is being fracked so that the flow-back that removes all the fracking fluid can be,,, well, traced.

anyway the usual bhn is about 12 and the composition on the bigger ones is about 1/3/96.
I'd just met them down and toss the ingots in with the ww alloy and look for more lead.

[Bodean98]

Thanks for more good info. I did finally get some of the pencils and tested several of these. If I performed the test correctly they came out 3B didn't scratch and the 2B did. from the chart that puts them in the COWW hardness range.
I worked in the Kansas Oil Fields during the 70's boom but was too young to pay attention to anything like this. I do not recall ever seeing or hearing about them. Like my Grandfather always said "The trouble with youth is it's wasted on kids"
What part of the oil industry would one search to find more of these? A well service/fracking co.?

[MaryB]

They are supposed to go to someone registered in the handling of radioactive waste to sit until safe

[lightman]

The iso containers that I have came in plastic pails and the half life was something in the range of 8 minutes to around 8 days, if I remember correctly! Not very long, at all.