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swifty
06-03-2008, 08:49 PM
A friend of mine has a large supply of railroad car seals. They look and feel like lead.
Do any of you know what the alloy mix is of these items?
Alchemist
06-03-2008, 09:28 PM
I'm assuming (always dangerous) that you mean the seals used to detect whether or not a railcar has been opened?

My best guess would be pure lead, as the seal is usually crimped with a handtool and needs to be soft. If your buddy will let you cast some into boolits you would be able to tell a little better, especially if you have a hardness tester.

My two cents...
beagle
06-03-2008, 09:36 PM
Sounds like the same seals the Army uses to seal cases of ammo with.

They're pure lead and make good bullets if you can accumulate enough./beagle
billyb
06-04-2008, 12:41 AM
A friend of mine has a large supply of railroad car seals. They look and feel like lead.
Do any of you know what the alloy mix is of these items?

I just retired with 33 years of working on the railroad in Tulsa okla.As a switchman and conductor i had handson experience with door seals, they are made of steel or cable never saw a door seal made of lead .I did see a seal that was used on the old speed recorders. A thin wire was run through a hasp and crimped with a hand tool.They were about 1/2 inch in dia.,and about 1/8 inch thick.Mostley found them on the floor, the engineers learned how to control the speed recorder so that it would not show them speeding! They were pure lead. Bill
waksupi
06-04-2008, 07:57 AM
Sounds like the same seals the Army uses to seal cases of ammo with.

They're pure lead and make good bullets if you can accumulate enough./beagle

The Army don't use seals. The NAVY uses SEALS! I bet the Army guys couldn't make the seals seal ammo seals for them.
WILCO
06-04-2008, 08:01 AM
The Army don't use seals. The NAVY uses SEALS! I bet the Army guys couldn't make the seals seal ammo seals for them.

Say that 5 times fast......:???:
miestro_jerry
06-04-2008, 09:20 AM
The Army don't use seals. The NAVY uses SEALS! I bet the Army guys couldn't make the seals seal ammo seals for them

Say that 3 times fast, 5 times is too many, just as hard as Sally by the seashore selling sea shells.

Jerry