How to cut pure lead cylinder using ordinary household implements?

[Naphtali]

I have a few inches of 10.xx centimeter pure lead cable/wire. I want to cut off a few pieces of cylinder for an experiment. But I have no saws or bolt cutters or chisels, etc. Using what any reasonably equipped home might have on hand, what would be a way to cut off those pieces? I don't want to farm this small job to any shop; I want to do it myself.

Oh yes, I also prefer not to create much lead dust to breath.

[fishhawk]

I just started cutting lead pipe "3/4" inch pipe with a limb lopper, cuts it good!

[CGT80]

What do you consider to be reasonably well equipped?

To me, it would include an old chisel or some sort of saw. I can't guess as to what you do have on hand.

Chisels and hammers are not expensive or hard to come by and would work if it is only 1 cm in diameter. A pruning saw might do or pruning shears or a long arm pruner may cut through it just as it would a 1" branch.

A propane torch would melt it into segments. Linesmans pliers or good side cutters would likely cut that, but of course it will smash the lead as well and it won't be circular. A steak knife might cut through that wire, but don't use it for food afterwards.

[Nueces]

I'd try rolling the cylinder under a strong knife blade, back and forth, to deepen the cut. Then twist off the piece.

[Naphtali]

I made an error that I corrected. I type 1.0xx cm but I meant to type 10.xx cm.
***
My "tool kit" has hammers, screw drivers and wrenches, small wire cutters, meat scissors. many pliers, tools for minor plasterboard repair, minor electrical repair tools and testers, a bazillion kitchen and hunting knives (from inexpensive to absurdly high quality), trowels, tools for minor concrete repair, the usual tools for cartridge gun and muzzleloader maintenance, a SOG high-end multitool, etc.

[popper]

Borrow a saws-all? 10cm = ~4" disk? You want thinner disks? Seems like melting it into a proper sized mould (4" steel pipe?) then flattening the top would be a whole lot easier.

[knfmn]

I'd go buy a hacksaw. If you don't want to drop the $15-20 for a cheap one, you can get one of those plastic frames that holds a hacksaw blade for $5 or so at Home Depot.

[country gent]

A simple hacksaw will do the job. cut only on the foreward stroke lifting slightly or rear stroke ( this helps to allow chips to clear the blade and the blade only cuts in one direction) occassionally fill blade with chalk board chaulk. This acts as a cutting lubricant and helps to keep blade from loading up. Cut slow and easy lead is soft and its easy to over load the teeth.

[garym1a2]

If you have a drill you could drill a bunch of holes in it. If you have no drill nor saw I think you are out of luck. You could try the hammer and a knife you don't like and bang away.

[NavyVet1959]

Obviously, the problem you are having is due to you being in Montana and you are measuring things in centimeters. :)

Stumbled across the border, eh? :)

A hydraulic log splitter supposedly works pretty well.

[GLL]

Try a pruning saw from your gardening tool stash.
I have used the ultra-coarse pruning blade with good success on 3" lead!
Every shop needs a reciprocating saw though. With a coarse blade they go though lead like cheese.

Jerry

[R.M.]

Axe/hatchet

[RogerDat]

Hacksaw with fairly course blade. The directions earlier regarding proper stroke and using chalk were excellent. I have watched and experienced millwright cut a chunk of beam while hanging out of a basket 30 ft. in the air with a hand hacksaw faster than most (including me) could do it with a sawzall. Always amazed me how many people did not know that most files and saws cut primarily in one direction of the stroke. 7th grade shop class if dad had not already imparted that wisdom to my little noggin.

Hacksaw is a handy tool in general so if you don't have one it is a useful inexpensive addition to the tool box. They do show up in garage sales but not sure I would fool around looking rather than just go buy one new. But I have seen some pretty high quality ones for a low price at garage sales.

[lup]

An ax does a fine job. How precise do the cuts have to be?

[jonp]

I made an error that I corrected. I type 1.0xx cm but I meant to type 10.xx cm.
***
My "tool kit" has hammers, screw drivers and wrenches, small wire cutters, meat scissors. many pliers, tools for minor plasterboard repair, minor electrical repair tools and testers, a bazillion kitchen and hunting knives (from inexpensive to absurdly high quality), trowels, tools for minor concrete repair, the usual tools for cartridge gun and muzzleloader maintenance, a SOG high-end multitool, etc.

Take a cheap knife that you have and bang on the cylinder with it and a hammer all of the way around it several times then use the pliers to flex it back and forth until it breaks. That is if you can't bang through it with the knife and hammer in the first place. Lead is pretty soft.

[kfarm]

How can any man not have tools

[dragonrider]

"How can any man not have tools "

I had that same thought:kidding: I love tools, can't do without them, I lust over tools at home depot, lowes, etc.

Ok enough of that, No striking tools are going to do the job he wants. Obviously he want to cut the disc without mashing it out of shape. He will need a saw. A cheap handsaw from any store will do the job. Also some chalk as mentioned above. BTW How long is the cylinder? how do you plan to hold it for cutting?

[Bonz]

old breadknife

[Echo]

Take a cheap knife that you have and bang on the cylinder with it and a hammer all of the way around it several times then use the pliers to flex it back and forth until it breaks. That is if you can't bang through it with the knife and hammer in the first place. Lead is pretty soft.
Plus 1- no expense, and I'm sure it will work, although haven't done it.

[bangerjim]

Key word here............TEETH. Use a saw (wood keyhole or tree cutting) with as few number of teeth per inch as you can find.

A 24 or 34 TPI hacksaw will wear you out! And will do a very poor job of cutting soft lead. You do NOT need a metal cutting blade to cut lead. I cut it all the time with a 8TPI wood band saw blade! Go slow or the heat will build up and gaul your blade in the middle of the cut. A total mess.

Any wood handsaw will give you a good clean ACCURATE cut. Chisels/hatchets/axes/hammers will only make a total mess of your lead project. And it sounds like you want some accurate thin lead cylinders, right?

And lead does NOT make airborne dust. It is just too heavy. It does make fine cuttings you can save and re-melt.

A wood cutting blade is your "little friend".

bangerjim

[tunnug]

I had to cut down a stock weight of soft lead and it couldn't deform as it fit into my AR's cavity pretty snug, I used a machete and just tapped it thru with a 2lb hammer, worked like a charm without a mess.

[runfiverun]

make a wooden mold the size you want and melt some of the lead and pour it in the hole.
you have no dust and a flat square piece of lead to work with.
I have made wooden molds from 2x4's and all kinds of other stuff.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Q: cut 10 cm Lead wire
Answer: Hydraulic wood splitter

[rr2241tx]

Sidewalk chalk and a rip saw. Make a fence jig to keep the cut straight and a good old fashioned rip saw will go right through. A bow saw will work too but is harder to keep on a straight line.

[gnostic]

I use an axe for range scrap cut to fit a 4-20 lee...

[bangerjim]

The OP is asking how to cut accurate thin slices of his lead cylinder, not blindly whack off pieces of lead to fit in a melting pot with an axe or other brute force cutting tool.

A low-teeth count wood saw blade is the really the only way, considering his total lack of the normal shop tools we all have.

Since it is soft lead, I personally would use my dual rotary blade cut saw. Slices thru just about anything. And thru Pb like a hit knife thru butter.

banger

[jonp]

The OP is asking how to cut accurate thin slices of his lead cylinder, not blindly whack off pieces of lead to fit in a melting pot with an axe or other brute force cutting tool.

A low-teeth count wood saw blade is the really the only way, considering his total lack of the normal shop tools we all have.

Since it is soft lead, I personally would use my dual rotary blade cut saw. Slices thru just about anything. And thru Pb like a hit knife thru butter.

banger

I just read a few pieces not accurate thin slices. If that is the case then a chop saw with a diamond blade. I bought a cheap saw for $40 and the blades were not that expensive at harbor freight. If you are only going to do a few then don't spend a ton of money on expensive blades

[GLL]

I do not see the "accurate thin slices" reference !?

Jerry

[jsizemore]

I do not see the "accurate thin slices" reference !?

Jerry

That's because your not an x-spurt and have vastly superior abilities.

[bangerjim]

Wood blades are not "EXPENSIVE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get a tree limb blade for a saw for a few bucks. And if he does not have a SawzAll type recipro saw, you can find handles that hold them.

And he said "I want to cut off a few pieces of cylinder for an experiment." Sounds to me like he wants some dimensionally accurate pieces. Anytime I "experiment" in my shop, I want accuracy and repeatability.

But he needs to check in here and let us know what he REALLY is doing. We are all just stabbing in the dark.....(with axes, chisels, log splitters, knives, and saw blades!)

banger

[Fishman]

This is a perfect opportunity to justify a tool purchase. Then the next time you have an issue, you have one more tool to add to your list. Eventually, you will get to the point that you have to build extra sheds to hold all your tools, then a barn or two. At some point you will have acquired enough tools to fix almost anything, but you won't have any idea where they are.

[Blammer]

melt lead, pour into appropriate cylinder.

[bangerjim]

Reason to buy a new tool: the sun came up!

banger

[CGT80]

This is a perfect opportunity to justify a tool purchase. Then the next time you have an issue, you have one more tool to add to your list. Eventually, you will get to the point that you have to build extra sheds to hold all your tools, then a barn or two. At some point you will have acquired enough tools to fix almost anything, but you won't have any idea where they are.

Eventually, he will find himself over on the Garage Journal forum where you gut a nice big "YOU SUCK" for finding a great deal and people love to share pics and encourage each other to buy more tools......................................or so I have heard. [smilie=1:

[Wayne Smith]

LOML has frequently come up with 'projects' for me to do. Years ago I told her to expect that each project would require at least one new tool. She accepted that. The last three projects I have done did not need new tools!

Yeah, sounds like you need to add to your tool collection to do this. That is not a bad thing, in my book.

[bangerjim]

I just tell the wifey (of 41 years) that tools "keep me out of the bars and whorehouses"!

Guess she buys that one hook line & sinker!

[lightman]

This is a perfect opportunity to justify a tool purchase. Then the next time you have an issue, you have one more tool to add to your list. Eventually, you will get to the point that you have to build extra sheds to hold all your tools, then a barn or two. At some point you will have acquired enough tools to fix almost anything, but you won't have any idea where they are.

I'm not going to beat ya up for not having tools. Many of us built our tool collection just this way. A hacksaw with a course blade would not be very expensive or you could step up to a sawszall. I'm thinking that you want to cut this lead smooth and clean for some project and not just reduce the size to fit a melting pot. If you just want it smaller, you can beat it flat with a hammer or cut it with am ax, chisel, saw, ect.

You should not see much lead dust but the phone cable that I have had was coated with a pretty good layer of white powder. This was probably lead oxide and you should respect that stuff. If you use a saw, save the chips to remelt.