Sheet lead content ?

[yovinny]

I just happened into a few hundred pounds of sheet lead that was removed from an old x-ray room.
I always thought sheet was close to pure, but the scrap dealer 'shot' this stuff with his tester and it came up with 95% lead, 2.5% tin, the other 2.5% in copper, nickle, tungsten and beryllium.
Any issues with this i should be aware of ??

TIA
Cheers, YV

[runfiverun]

I think his tester is off.
if anything it usually has antimony in it.

[bangerjim]

All sheet I have ever bought or seen it 100% pure lead. Nothing else. Just pure Pb.

Mabe a touch of Sb to make it a bit stiffer

But if at a good price buy it......buy all of it. You can always use pure lead to alloy with the good stuff you can buy.

An x-ray gun can be off! Sounds like his is!

[yovinny]

I was thinking maybe his tester had some issues,,,But thank you, it makes me fell much better that it was also the first thought for you lead gurus ;-)

It sure seems soft, pliable and just like any other lead sheet I've had in the past. But most all of that sheet was from old roofing or bathroom pans and not from an x-ray room. At least I assume this stuff is from an x-ray room, judging from the single piece thats painted white with a yellow radiation warning sticker on it.
I'll check hardness when I cast some ingots, but I'm expecting it to be pretty close to pure, thanks again.

Cheers, YV

[mold maker]

The purity of the lead used as x ray shielding is what made it work. I doubt there were any off content lead used unless by an unscrupulous contractor.

[lightman]

I would have to cut out that piece that has the radiation sticker on it and hang it on the wall in my gun room! :-)

[John Boy]

Sheet lead comes in 3 grades:
TABLE I---Chemical composition

Grade B - Grade C - Grade D
[4] Element - percent - percent percent - maximum - maximum - maximum

Lead.............. [1] 99.50 [1] 99.90 [1] 99.85
Antimony, tin and arsenic (total).. 0.002 - 0.002
Iron.............. .002 - .002
Bismuth........... [2] - .025 - .025
Zinc.............. .001 - .001
Copper............[3]. 040 to .080[3] .040 to .080
Silver............ .02 .020
Tellurium.........[2] .085 to .060

[bangerjim]

Your nice column justification did not come thru, but appears like we should just treat sheet lead as LEAD. I do.

Thanks for the info....nice to know there are different grades.

[RogerDat]

If there is even the least little dust either on the gun or on the sheet lead it can be picked up. Our scrap yard always seems to have about .5% titanium but that is because the gun a bunch of barrels of turned metal shavings and the dust is always on the detection end glass. Iron from cutting off a chunk with a chisel has shown up as 1.5% Fe. ran the surface across the concrete floor and the iron "vanished".

[yovinny]

If there is even the least little dust either on the gun or on the sheet lead it can be picked up. Our scrap yard always seems to have about .5% titanium but that is because the gun a bunch of barrels of turned metal shavings and the dust is always on the detection end glass. Iron from cutting off a chunk with a chisel has shown up as 1.5% Fe. ran the surface across the concrete floor and the iron "vanished".

So, I guess it's safe to assume, his wiping the front of the tester across his sleeve and wiping the sheet off with his palm dosent really cut it ??? LOL 8-)

[RogerDat]

So, I guess it's safe to assume, his wiping the front of the tester across his sleeve and wiping the sheet off with his palm dosent really cut it ??? LOL 8-)

I think not. Thing can detect .00x percentages, don't know about his shirt and hands but mine are generally not that clean.