Permanently Marking Ingots ----------- Again

[lightman]

I know many of us have started marking our ingots. I've been using steel stamps for a good while but have not found a really good way to fasten 2 together to form initials like WW, PB, ect. I've used "C" clamps, turn-buckels, ground rod clamps, ect but nothing really worked great. I mean, they would be ok for 15 or 20 ingots but would eventually get loose. Well, I bought a cheap set from Harbor Freight and tack welded a few together. I started with the basics, PB and WW. I used an upside down "M" for the 2nd "W".

A few weeks ago me and Biggin had our annual smelting day and stamped 616 ingots at the end of the day. They worked great, wish I had done this sooner! Oh yeah, I bought the 3/8ths size.

If you guys are not marking your ingots I encourage you to start. Sooner or later they will find a way to get mixed up.

[Winger Ed.]

Years ago, I began writing on them with a marks-a-lot or sharpie.

I think the sharpie ink soaks into them.
It sticks like poop on a baby blanket, and even the real old ones haven't faded much.

[Conditor22]

tape works great for me to hold the stamps together :)

[BK7saum]

I just wrap the stamps in tape. Been using painters tape lately. Stamped close to 5 or 600 and hasn't torn or fallen off yet. Just hit both stamps with the hammer and your done.

[P Flados]

I just take an old ball point pen and firmly write on the ingots.

The ball makes a nice visible groove in the surface.

[bowfin]

Okay, I would go way, WAY simple. Pure Lead would be "P". Wheelweights would be "W". I leave linotype in it identifiable form or I would mark it with an "L". Being a former software writer when every character carried a performance or storage hit, never use two characters when one will do the same job. It is only three or four characters one would have to commit to memory.

[USSR]

Way, WAY simple would be to simply mark the box the ingots are stored in. This ain't rocket science.

Don

[lightman]

Way, WAY simple would be to simply mark the box the ingots are stored in. This ain't rocket science.

Don

It ain't rocket science but boxes fail, plastic buckets fail, ink fades. Stamps usually don't fail. I'm glad you are happy with your boxes.

[Rooster]

I use a couple of rubber bands to hold the stamps together. It don't take long if you line the ingots up and get your cadence going.

[kevin c]

I think my ingot marking stamps are the 1/4" sets, also from Harbor Freight. I got three sets to have enough letters and numbers to keep on hand several non cryptic designations and content. I duct tape together up to three. The tape works better than any other non permanent quick fix I've tried so far (zero welding skills here, and, anyway, I have too many temporary stamp combos to want everything permanently welded up).

A problem is that the stamps are not a uniform height, not even from the same set, and with the tape the stamps shift relative to each other. End result is one blow to the set may leave deep, light or no impressions all at once. I now just use the tape as an extra set of fingers and tap each letter separately to get the best legibility.

[Walks]

I just pour my ingots into different 1lb factory ingot molds.
Lyman = #2
Saeco = 20/1
Ohaus = Linotype
etc,
I have the legend printed inside the cover of every Reloading manual I own.

[uscra112]

Wheelweights and Linotype I leave as-is until I need some. I did melt down several hundred pounds of X-ray shielding once. That's the only lead I have in ingots.

[lightman]

I think my ingot marking stamps are the 1/4" sets, also from Harbor Freight. I got three sets to have enough letters and numbers to keep on hand several non cryptic designations and content. I duct tape together up to three. The tape works better than any other non permanent quick fix I've tried so far (zero welding skills here, and, anyway, I have too many temporary stamp combos to want everything permanently welded up).







A problem is that the stamps are not a uniform height, not even from the same set, and with the tape the stamps shift relative to each other. End result is one blow to the set may leave deep, light or no impressions all at once. I now just use the tape as an extra set of fingers and tap each letter separately to get the best legibility.

Yeah, I had to use the letter end to square them up and then ground on the other end to even them up.

[lightman]

I just pour my ingots into different 1lb factory ingot molds.
Lyman = #2
Saeco = 20/1
Ohaus = Linotype
etc,
I have the legend printed inside the cover of every Reloading manual I own.

I envy you having that many molds! When I have a smelting day I run 7 molds but 2 is the most I have of one kind.

[oley55]

I know many of us have started marking our ingots. I've been using steel stamps for a good while but have not found a really good way to fasten 2 together to form initials like WW, PB, ect. I've used "C" clamps, turn-buckels, ground rod clamps, ect but nothing really worked great. I mean, they would be ok for 15 or 20 ingots but would eventually get loose. Well, I bought a cheap set from Harbor Freight and tack welded a few together. I started with the basics, PB and WW. I used an upside down "M" for the 2nd "W".

A few weeks ago me and Biggin had our annual smelting day and stamped 616 ingots at the end of the day. They worked great, wish I had done this sooner! Oh yeah, I bought the 3/8ths size.

If you guys are not marking your ingots I encourage you to start. Sooner or later they will find a way to get mixed up.

good fix with the upside down M. I was wondering how you got two Ws out of one set until I reread your post. Glad I reread before posting something stupid.

For what it's worth I cast my COWW and SOWW separately and use CW and SW. It works for me, but wonder if it will make sense to other folks after I'm pushing up daisies.

[Soundguy]

i stamp them as well... I just use the stamps singally as meant to be used.

if you are worried about handling too many stamps.. just stamp them alphabetically.. then have a laminated chart.. a= this b = this.... etc.

[Yooper003]

I mark each Ingot with Roman numerals l-V-&X are easy with a 3/4 cold chisel. Batch makeup is just listed in my reloading book.

[OS OK]

Number stamps are no doubt handy, especially if you have made up special mixes for future...I don't have any idea why I marked both ends of these tiny ingots...old'Farts are strange critters at times! :bigsmyl2:
https://i.imgur.com/N8flWqt.jpg

But for large batches now I like the idea of labeling the 'key' ingots with the details and end marking the ingots with a rattle can...

https://i.imgur.com/G2sMlWL.jpg

More and more I like to keep that lead stacked tight & use the least amount of my precious floor space as I can...

https://i.imgur.com/5dYyNox.jpg

I am so done with these muffin tin ingots in the background.

I think we might tend to go overboard marking our ingots, like the guy said..."containers fail" & so does 'memory'...so were 'anal' about identifying stuff heh?
What's wrong with anal? :bigsmyl2:

[zarrinvz24]

I just use a center punch and no marking = COWW, 1 strike = SOWW, 3 dots right next to eachother = Lino.

[bangerjim]

I just use Gorilla Tape to hold the 2 or 3 letter stamps in the right order (PL, COW, RL. etc) and it has worked for me for many years. One whack with a 2# mallet and the ingot is marked.

I alos use paint on the ends of my ingots to mark them for easy ID when stacked. I NEVER use muffins or odd shapes!!!!!

[Soundguy]

I don't use the muffin tin ingots anymore either. I converted all of mine to angle iron or lee/Lyman ingots. Easier to use.

[fredj338]

I still prefer diff molds for diff alloys. Its just easier for me.
1# rcbs or Lyman for pure
custom alum squares for range scrap & channel iron rectangles for clip ww.
Lino stays in type form. SImple.

[uscra112]

If you're making angle iron moulds, make moulds of different lengths for different alloys. Or use your welder to write the alloy on the inside. Or use stamps for the same effect.

[bruce381]

I label the pails

[USSR]

I label the pails

Makes too much sense, it will never catch on.:)

Don

[Ural Driver]

I use the Redneck Gold molds that allow you to strike (or strike out) the appropriate composition.


283104

[Capt Keith]

I feel inadequate after reading this thread—I just use a sharpie.

[kevin c]

I have eight of Lakehouse's Cast Boolit molds, but I've got too much lead in too many varieties to do anything with most of it but cast big ten # storage ingots that get marked with the source and sometimes content. Then I make casting alloy with the CB molds, 120 ingots or so at a time. The content [95-3-2] gets stamped on each (no matching pre marked category except other, which the numbers cover better).

[bowfin]

I just use a center punch and no marking = COWW, 1 strike = SOWW, 3 dots right next to eachother = Lino.

Probably the most efficient and effective way. Marking boxes and pails is okay IF every ingot gets put back in the right place.

[Gtek]

Black Sharpie here.

[ElPistolero]

Okay, I would go way, WAY simple. Pure Lead would be "P". Wheelweights would be "W". I leave linotype in it identifiable form or I would mark it with an "L". Being a former software writer when every character carried a performance or storage hit, never use two characters when one will do the same job. It is only three or four characters one would have to commit to memory.

LoL! Coming from a "mainframe" machine with a 3.8K main memory and incoming mortar fire, I can sympathize. A single numeric stamp generally works for me, then I maintain an index in my "loads" spreadsheet (with LibreOffice on a 32GB nanosec-DRAM, 20GzH, 8-CPU, multi-threaded Linux box) on the "alloys" page that lists the components, BHN, and some speed spec's. E.g.:
LinoBall
Pb 85.50%
Sn 3.30%
Sb 9.04%
Ag.2.00%
Cu 0.16%
-------------
Alloy Number 4
LinoBall
Stamp 8
Air Aged BHN 19.8
$19.52

[rototerrier]

Uncle Sam gives away small flat rate boxes for free. I just pack them up and label the box. I figure once I'm gone my family can sell them and they are already ready to ship. Win win

[kevin c]

I’ve got way too much to store that way, but for smaller quantities of special alloys, in ingots of the right size, that sounds eminently well suited.

[bruce381]

LoL! Coming from a "mainframe" machine with a 3.8K main memory and incoming mortar fire, I can sympathize. A single numeric stamp generally works for me, then I maintain an index in my "loads" spreadsheet (with LibreOffice on a 32GB nanosec-DRAM, 20GzH, 8-CPU, multi-threaded Linux box) on the "alloys" page that lists the components, BHN, and some speed spec's. E.g.:
LinoBall
Pb 85.50%
Sn 3.30%
Sb 9.04%
Ag.2.00%
Cu 0.16%
-------------
Alloy Number 4
LinoBall
Stamp 8
Air Aged BHN 19.8


so by the time you figure out what you have you forgot what you were going to cast?

[Polymath]

Shape a hose clamp to a square and failing that, weld them.

[Liberty1776]

Totally agree that marking with stamps is a good way to go. Got the small HF set. WW, PB, 31 (3 parts lead, 1 part WW) and RS for range scrap.

I made some ingots 35 years ago. Some were lead, some were wheel weights. I knew the difference then. But as the decades went by and I got out of reloading and casting for a time, the ingots migrated to other uses, like holding stuff down or as counterweights.

Then a bunch ended up in a gallon paint can out back in the rain.

Then the paint can bottom rusted out. Then the ingots were in the dirt next to the wood pile.

I almost left them when we moved to Arizona. But I gathered them up and hauled them here.

Now I'm glad I did. Back into casting and those old ingots are still with me! A little worse for wear, but ready to melt.

In the olden days, I just scratched a "W" into the wheelweight ingot with an icepick before it fully hardened. Not the best, but I can still see it, sorta. Everything else was pure lead and unmarked.

Now I stamp them with letters. Much better.