Storing Lead for long term

[Omega47]

OK, now that I've been able to find some tire dealers willing to sell me wheel weights on an ongoing basis, I'm turning the lead into 1lb ingots. What is the best way to store these for long term? My goal is to hoard a few hundred pounds over the next year which should last me a long time casting .30-30 and .38 for plate shooting.

If I can get more, I'd like to put it into long term storage. What is the best way to pack and store the ingots so they don't oxidize and get all contaminated over time?

[chaos]

I sling them into uncovered 5 gal buckets, stack them in the corner of the shop. Any contaminants will come back to the top when I get ready to make bullets.

[imashooter2]

Like chaos, I pile them into the same 5 gallon buckets the scrap comes out of, but I add a cover. No sense in getting dirt or junk in my buckets after all the work cleaning it.

[Omega47]

OK, that makes sense. Got a ton of empty kitty litter buckets around here. Might as well put them to use 8-)

[454PB]

I don't know what your definition of "long term" is, but I have ingots stored in uncovered 5 gallon buckets that are 25 years old, and they are still shiney.

[cohutt]

I don't care about shining, i just care about having: :mrgreen:

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/pb/misc115.jpg

[Omega47]

I don't know what your definition of "long term" is, but I have ingots stored in uncovered 5 gallon buckets that are 25 years old, and they are still shiney.

OK, I won't worry so much. The reason I asked is I bought a crate of unused lead round balls and musket bullets that were about 45 years old and they were all heavily oxidized. Didn't want my ingots to wind up like that.

[Omega47]

cohutt - wow - that's quite a pile. I think all my ingots together might make one of yours. [smilie=b: I hope I can do as well. At my age, I'm not so much worried about collecting it for my use (although I'll still use a bunch), but I'm hoping to pass all my gunsmithing tools and reloading stuff to one of my boys, or even better to one of their kids sometime, and I figure quality lead will be awful hard to find a few years down the road.

[Frank46]

cohutt, Now here's a man that likes his lead. I cast my wheel weights and store them in 5 gallon buckets. I label each bucket as to its contents. Managed to luck into some printers letters some years ago and only use them sparingly (they were melted down first) to sweeten a pot of wheel weights. I have a couple 100 lb plastic buckets that the powdered chlorine comes in. These get well washed, rinsed and dried before anything gets put into them. Usually try and get them before the wife throws them out when empty. Frank

[Omega47]

OK - now a nit-pik question. I have a 4lb Lee bottom pour pot and a Lyman ingot mold (4 1lb ingots). If I crank my lead pot to max, and keep the mold hot on a 1000 watt hot plate, I still have problems with the lead solidifying before each ingot is poured. Seriously, how much heat do you need to keep everything from turning solid on you when filling ingot molds. I'm seriously contemplating getting a plumber's pot and just pouring into the mold one big swoosh of lead.

I have found if I stop pouring about 1/8" below the top of the mold chamber, I get nice even bottoms, but then my ingots are less than the advertised 1lb.

Since I'm just learning here, I'd appreciate any tips. Am I being too picky for ingots? :-?

[imashooter2]

OK - now a nit-pik question. I have a 4lb Lee bottom pour pot and a Lyman ingot mold (4 1lb ingots). If I crank my lead pot to max, and keep the mold hot on a 1000 watt hot plate, I still have problems with the lead solidifying before each ingot is poured. Seriously, how much heat do you need to keep everything from turning solid on you when filling ingot molds. I'm seriously contemplating getting a plumber's pot and just pouring into the mold one big swoosh of lead.

I have found if I stop pouring about 1/8" below the top of the mold chamber, I get nice even bottoms, but then my ingots are less than the advertised 1lb.

Since I'm just learning here, I'd appreciate any tips. Am I being too picky for ingots? :-?

Well you don't smelt in the bottom pour pot. You smelt in a large steel or iron pot over a heat source, usually a Coleman stove or a turkey fryer. Then you pour your ingots with a large ladle that handles well over a pound at a time.

[Omega47]

What constitutes a good heat source? I originally tried that on my 1000 watt hot plate but it doesn't get hot enough to melt lead, just softens it into mush. So you're saying I should try one of the Coleman propane camping stoves? Any other suggestions?

[missionary5155]

Heat source... I still use my $5 Coleman stove 2 burner bought at a yard sale.. unless I use my 1 burner Coleman "backpack" model again bought at a yard sale. Here in Peru I use a propane table model 2 burner with a strengthened rack... but I seldom smelt more than 20 ponds as I recycle my own lead and anything I can find.
If you want to go the old way.. two rows of parrallel bricks the width of your smelting pot with a half distance brick on the down wind side also under the pot. built you a fire. works best with a slight breeze but another brick on the up wind side can be used for air flow control. You got to run it hot but wood may be found all over the place. Cast iron works best.

[Tom W.]

A cast Iron dutch oven and a turkey fryer seems to work the best for me. In my misspent youth I had a dedicated cast iron deep skillet and I melted w/w on the kitchen stove. Bad Idea, and I broke several stove eyes out, too...

[hiram]

Got a bunch in an old styrofoam cooler I don't use, got a 50 cal ammo can full. I think the ammo can weighs about 80#. Don't remember. And a bunch in an old zipper-up diaper bag. I'm not short changing my kids on diapers--they're grown. All are shiny. If you don;t have to move the container with the lead in it, try a rubbermaid/sterlite storage container. You can get them 3-4X bigger than coolers.

[richbug]

I'm currently "storing" 125# of ingots in the tool box(under seat) of my old Cub Cadet to help give me a little more traction cultivating and plowing snow.

[cohutt]

I use a turkey fryer and a big cast iron dutch oven

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Smelt%20101/smelt002.jpg

[cohutt]

cohutt - wow - that's quite a pile. I think all my ingots together might make one of yours. [smilie=b: I hope I can do as well. At my age, I'm not so much worried about collecting it for my use (although I'll still use a bunch), but I'm hoping to pass all my gunsmithing tools and reloading stuff to one of my boys, or even better to one of their kids sometime, and I figure quality lead will be awful hard to find a few years down the road.

You and i think exactly the same. I plan of shooting a lot of what i have acumulated but primarily am accumulating so my two college aged children will have something to shoot way on down the road, period.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Smelt%20101/smelt024.jpg

[Lee]

I'm doing the same, for my kids. Shame we have to think like that........

[FN in MT]

Cohut......Interesting ingot moulds...care to elaborate??

wish I had a welder as I'd like to make something similar.

FN in MT

[Just Duke]

Here you go.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=36200

[cohutt]

Cohut......Interesting ingot moulds...care to elaborate??

wish I had a welder as I'd like to make something similar.

FN in MT


Got them from jawjaboy - pm him here, he might still have a few.

If he doesn't, you can make them out of about anything as long as it has a taper to it, don't cut square on the ends, 6 degrees off maybe and you'll drop ingots with ease. I think these are 4" channel iron. Pure ingots drop 7 lbs iirc. I got tired of pourinf smaller ingots and muffins, switched to these and have a couple hundred of the big ingots put back now.


http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/Smelt%20101/smelt017.jpg

[mtgrs737]

I cast them into 1 lb. or so ingots from RCBS or Lyman moulds then store them on a modified pallet so that I can move them with a pallet jack. At about 1500 lbs. they get pretty hard to pull around so I start a new pallet.

[Omega47]

Man, if only I coud find that much lead. Been asking around 3 weeks now and still only have 20 lbs or so. Like everyone says, persistance pays so I'll keep bugging people until they cave in :)

[jack19512]

What constitutes a good heat source? I originally tried that on my 1000 watt hot plate but it doesn't get hot enough to melt lead, just softens it into mush. So you're saying I should try one of the Coleman propane camping stoves? Any other suggestions?






I use a single burner hot plate that I purchased at Walmart and it works fine. I'm not sure why your hot plate doesn't work unless your pot is just too big for the hot plate.

I don't shoot as many boolits a month as some here so my set up works good for me. I keep a 5 gallon bucket of ingots ready for casting and don't smelt my wheel weights into ingots until I need them.

Here is all I use to smelt my wheel weights. I have enough ingots and cast boolits right now to last me a very long time. I admit it is slow, but I'm in no big hurry. Also, make sure whatever you melt your lead in will hold up to the heat.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/jack19512/DCP01460.jpg

[Pitmaster]

Got them from jawjaboy - pm him here, he might still have a few.

If he doesn't, you can make them out of about anything as long as it has a taper to it, don't cut square on the ends, 6 degrees off maybe and you'll drop ingots with ease. I think these are 4" channel iron. Pure ingots drop 7 lbs iirc. I got tired of pourinf smaller ingots and muffins, switched to these and have a couple hundred of the big ingots put back now.


Those are great ingot molds. I have 4 of them and may get a few more.

I store mine in my garage and shed in milk crates. I plan to stack crates. WW's will be one stack and pure another stack. I won't stack 2 different kinds of lead in the same stack.:-D

[Just Duke]

Those are great ingot molds. I have 4 of them and may get a few more.

I store mine in my garage and shed in milk crates. I plan to stack crates. WW's will be one stack and pure another stack. I won't stack 2 different kinds of lead in the same stack.:-D

That's a great avitar!!! :shock:

[LeadThrower]

... brought to us by my better half!

She looked over my shoulder as I'm reading this thread and instantly devised the following:

Assuming you have bare studs -- pull off the plaster if you don't -- nail plywood over the studs such that there's a gap about the size of your wrist from floor to reach height. Hopefully this is narrower than your ingots. Now, simply grab an ingot and lower it in. Continue until you've filled the gap between your studs with ingots. Great out-of-the-way storage, and a great shelter in case of nuclear attack or dirty bomb!

And I thought I married her for her looks! :bigsmyl2:

[imashooter2]

That's a great avitar!!! :shock:

And even more so if you remember his old one...

[Pitmaster]

And even more so if you remember his old one...

Need a reminder? :twisted::-D

[miestro_jerry]

I have make up some WW + alloy, Lyman #2 and Lino all in ingots. I have a lots of lead in pure form and in allys like wws stashed away. I need to make some bigger molds, because I have some tow motor counter weights to cut up and melt down.

Jerry

[zampilot]

Cohutt,
I like the $ symbols on your jug of Tin! Never hurts as a reminder to it's value!
I like "having" also.

[imashooter2]

Need a reminder? :twisted::-D

No need... It's burned into my retinas. :shock:

[cohutt]

Cohutt,
I like the $ symbols on your jug of Tin! Never hurts as a reminder to it's value!
I like "having" also.

For my heirs benefit - never know what kind of unscrupulous lead and alloy scavengers might descend upon them should I experience a sudden exit from this world.

:mrgreen:

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

Call me a pessimistic if you want, but the cost of casting is going to go thru the roof shortly after the 1 July, 2011 federal ban on lead alloy in wheel weights. I have a six tire shop route I run every two weeks. I am averaging over 200lbs of WW a trip. Of course, a lot of them are the crappy zinc blend. Half of them are worth melting down. I want to have a couple tons of melted down 3lb ingots by the cut-off date.

Rich
8 days to Zimbabwe

[canebreaker]

Check your local scrap dealer. Last time I checked lead was .25 per lb.
I know it's up by now.
Plumbers lead: lead pipe, lead flashing are almost pure lead.
Solder: about a 50/50 mix of lead and tin. soft sticks but make hard bullets.
Wheels weights: if you find some that are dark gray, they are lead.
If they are silver, they are a mix.
Watch as some are zinc and steel.

I have a workshop made ladle, it will hold about 3 1/2 lbs of molten lead with wheel weight and battery lug connecting steel with it. Heat it with an oxy/acc rig at work. I pour it into a cornbread stick mold ( 7 sticks, alum. mold, cost .25 at carport sale). Each stick is about a pound.
I have a Lee 10-2 production pot that has 3 blocks of 1x board added to give more clearance with bottom spout. If I have a good day at work, I can pour up about 10 lbs of boolits. Lee 6 cav. 158gr. swc or Lyman 2 cav. 120 gr. rn.
After they are cooled, I put them in sandwich zip-lock bags, at home I add the liq. lux, flip the bag around to mix well and pour out on wax paper for a couple of days. While watching tv, I can swag a lot of boolits. I fill an 18 oz. plastic peanut butter jar, then pour into a baggy, and stack in a coffee can.

[Russ in WY]

Until Cohutt answers . Have seen these here before .Don't have the dimension on the steel, but is a length of channel cut at angle & matching larger size of angle. as I recall the weld was on the inside. Hope this helps. ingot weight was 7 lbs are close to that. Hope He can fill you in on details. Russ.