What Do I Have, and How Best to Use It?

[KLR]

I was given some lead from an old retired dentist. I have a few dental impressions and a couple of bars of ingots. Both bars weight one pound. The babbit bar is about twice the volume of the counter die ingot.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-kZ86Ldr/0/d0e733bd/XL/i-kZ86Ldr-XL.jpg (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ddVKkb/i-kZ86Ldr/A)

Another guy gave me this. It's about 3" across the flats and weighs 5 lbs. I have two of them and they came attached.
Does LP = Lyman Products? Did they make an ingot mold in this shape, or did they ship their casting lead like this?

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-2mb3BdP/0/85fd1fac/XL/i-2mb3BdP-XL.jpg (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ddVKkb/i-2mb3BdP/A)

Any clues would be appreciated.

[Minerat]

The interweb is majic

The bars were made by Samuel Stockton White Dental Manufacturing Company
Sswdm co

Company info.
https://invention.si.edu/ss-white-dental-manufacturing-company-records-1791-1970-bulk-1870-1965

Pretty neat.

[samari46]

The octagon shaped ingot is probably pure lead as used by plumbers. They came in a bunch of shapes and weights. I have some of the ones like you have shown and ingots as well. Weight you quote is probably very close. 5 lbs is about what mine weigh. Frank

[kevin c]

I agree that the five pounder is plumber's lead. Five pounds seems to be the standard weight of each, originally sold as five linked ingots. I have six sided, eight sided, square and round, and so far they're all five pounds each and the ones tested are 100% lead.

[lightman]

Those Babbit ingots would have a tin content that would be useful for adding to bullet alloy. I have a tendency to keep things like that rather than melting them down. Ya know, the "cool" factor.

I agree with the others that those 5# ingots look like plumbers lead which are nearly pure.

[KLR]

Thanks for the input, guys. I also have a couple of these:



https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-899RVvZ/0/31bc5414/XL/i-899RVvZ-XL.jpg (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ddVKkb/i-899RVvZ/A)



It sounds like they may be worth more to a collector than they are to me to make a few bullets. I'll hold off on melting them down. (except for the plumber's lead.)

[RogerDat]

Babbitt is a tin/antimony alloy. Of varying ratios. Used to make bearings and bushings. I would keep those for the cool factor. Tin goes so far that one doesn't need much so buying a few pounds of solder or pewter from the swapping and selling forum or even (gag) eBay is a better alternative than melting down pieces of history.