OS OK
03-01-2016, 02:16 PM
I got 105 lbs. of 'roof flashing' the other day and wanted to make good Pistol 'boolit metal' from it…I'm guessing it to be pretty much pure lead, can't say for sure.
I have an excess of Linotype and thought it might do a pretty good job.
First…I went to this 'Lead Calculator' that I downloaded here on Cast Boolits...I think this is the link.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?105952-Lead-alloy-calculators
162345
You can see that I have plugged in different weights of lead and linotype until I came up with the mix in the bottom line that I wanted. Look at all the information this will give you…It takes most of the guesswork out of casting ingots and final blends in the lead pot. Many, many thanks to the Fella who did this work for us and made it aviallable to download for free! See what 'kinda guys' hang out here?
Next…I set my pot up on some sturdy horses that will take the weight and be high enough so that I don't have to bend over the pot and take any chances of getting splattered or inhaling the smoke. This is outside my garage and in the wind. Wear a face shield, protective clothing and shoes…not thong sandals!
162347You see that 'muffin tin' over there has been filled with my lead in this picture…If you look under the horse you can see the wedges I used to level that horse…If you want muffins that stack level and even you need to pour them level…my first stacks look like the 'leaning tower of Pisa'.
Next…From the calculator I know that I want to blend 20# of Pb (lead) with 10# of Linotype. I use a digital 25# kitchen scale to measure the right amount of materials and place them together in batches. This pot will hold more than 50# but I prefer to mix in 40# batches or less. The batch looks like this to start.
162349
That is a 30# batch. The lead flashing comes in wide folded pieces too wide for the pot, so, I unfold them and cut them into about 24" strips so that I can roll them up like a newspaper. I want the paint and gunk that I couldn't peel off easily on the inside of the roll…if there is a 'steam explosion' it will be inside that roll and forced straight up through the roll and buffering it. I make sure that the lead is dry too but I sometimes worry bout that paint doing something weird…so far so good, no problems with paint as you will see later.
Here I have cut those lead rolls into manageable size pieces…they are ready to roll like a newspaper.
162350A sharp pocket knife is all that you need.
Next…I placed the entire batch of lead and linotype in the pot and turned the burner up about 3/4's to high. It will take about 15 minutes to get it to melt down. One of the reasons I like the 30# batch is that it fits snugly into the pot and stays pretty much standing as it slowly sinks down into the pot…that doesn't mean you don't have to watch it as it goes…Ole' Murphy will tip one out of the pot if you are careless. Another tip is to use plenty of sawdust at this point so that the melting lead will stay covered all the time…I use a full cup full, it is already in there.
***"See the follow-up Posts…I ran out of picture room here...\/
I have an excess of Linotype and thought it might do a pretty good job.
First…I went to this 'Lead Calculator' that I downloaded here on Cast Boolits...I think this is the link.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?105952-Lead-alloy-calculators
162345
You can see that I have plugged in different weights of lead and linotype until I came up with the mix in the bottom line that I wanted. Look at all the information this will give you…It takes most of the guesswork out of casting ingots and final blends in the lead pot. Many, many thanks to the Fella who did this work for us and made it aviallable to download for free! See what 'kinda guys' hang out here?
Next…I set my pot up on some sturdy horses that will take the weight and be high enough so that I don't have to bend over the pot and take any chances of getting splattered or inhaling the smoke. This is outside my garage and in the wind. Wear a face shield, protective clothing and shoes…not thong sandals!
162347You see that 'muffin tin' over there has been filled with my lead in this picture…If you look under the horse you can see the wedges I used to level that horse…If you want muffins that stack level and even you need to pour them level…my first stacks look like the 'leaning tower of Pisa'.
Next…From the calculator I know that I want to blend 20# of Pb (lead) with 10# of Linotype. I use a digital 25# kitchen scale to measure the right amount of materials and place them together in batches. This pot will hold more than 50# but I prefer to mix in 40# batches or less. The batch looks like this to start.
162349
That is a 30# batch. The lead flashing comes in wide folded pieces too wide for the pot, so, I unfold them and cut them into about 24" strips so that I can roll them up like a newspaper. I want the paint and gunk that I couldn't peel off easily on the inside of the roll…if there is a 'steam explosion' it will be inside that roll and forced straight up through the roll and buffering it. I make sure that the lead is dry too but I sometimes worry bout that paint doing something weird…so far so good, no problems with paint as you will see later.
Here I have cut those lead rolls into manageable size pieces…they are ready to roll like a newspaper.
162350A sharp pocket knife is all that you need.
Next…I placed the entire batch of lead and linotype in the pot and turned the burner up about 3/4's to high. It will take about 15 minutes to get it to melt down. One of the reasons I like the 30# batch is that it fits snugly into the pot and stays pretty much standing as it slowly sinks down into the pot…that doesn't mean you don't have to watch it as it goes…Ole' Murphy will tip one out of the pot if you are careless. Another tip is to use plenty of sawdust at this point so that the melting lead will stay covered all the time…I use a full cup full, it is already in there.
***"See the follow-up Posts…I ran out of picture room here...\/