How to cut up sheet lead.

[MGySgt]

I scored 350 pounds of Linotype. Paid the guy what we agreed to. He thought I got the short end of the deal so he threw in 2 60 pound lead sinks that were folded up.

Now those mutilated sinks will not fit in my smelting pot.

So how do I cut it up?

Any saw is going to leave lead on the ground.

A single bit ax or hatchet used as a chisel works great with a mini sledge. I haven't tried my air chisel yet, but I think it should also work well.

[Winger Ed.]

A sawzall with a tree limb cutting blade will do it, but ya need to sweep up the chips.

A hatchet or air chisel is also pretty common, and is the weapon of choice for lots of guys.

I often use a propane torch to carve it into bite size pieces I can fold & hammer so they'll fit in a pot.

[Baltimoreed]

Cut it with an axe or hatchet. Picked up some sheet lead years ago and that’s what I used.

[shootinfox2]

Sawzall with a demolition blade works very well. Sweep up shavings and put then in the pot. All is well.

[MGySgt]

Thank you for your responses. This post's true meaning was to give others ideas if they ever get sheet lead and how they could cut it up to put it in their smelting pots with minimal waste.
I will probably use the ax as a chisel and my mini sledge.
Keep the ideas coming.

[Winger Ed.]

Carving it up with a torch keeps me out of the house longer so Mrs. Winger has less opportunity
to name the various other 'work' projects I really should be doing.

[Rickf1985]

Careful hitting the hardened back of the axe with a hardened hammer! It will not mushroom, it will shatter and throw shrapnel!!! I have the scars to prove it and it was not me doing the hammering! Use a lead or brass hammer or even a large chunk of woof as a hitting tool. I always just swing the axe.

[GregLaROCHE]

A Saws All is a good bet, however, I have heard of people cutting up thick pieces, like boat keels with a chainsaw. If the lead is thin, a circular hand saw with a coarse blade should work too. Be sure to cut it over a tarp so it will be easier to clean up.

[MGySgt]

Careful hitting the hardened back of the axe with a hardened hammer! It will not mushroom, it will shatter and throw shrapnel!!! I have the scars to prove it and it was not me doing the hammering! Use a lead or brass hammer or even a large chunk of woof as a hitting tool. I always just swing the axe.

The ax I am using really isn't harden that much. It has mushroomed already. So I don't think it will throw shrapnel. But I will be careful.
Thank you for the warning.

[lightman]

I've used an ax, an air chisel and a few different corse bladed saws. If you use a saw cut it up over a box or have something to catch the chips in.

[georgerkahn]

A sawzall with a tree limb cutting blade will do it, but ya need to sweep up the chips..

I use a Ryobi 18V (Home Depot) "Sawzall" and Harbor Freight pruning saw blades. Two added notes include the minimal "lead-dust" created; and the best! One blade seems to last without any dulling "forever". (Maybe the lead acts as a lube?)

In all cases, however, I do wear a dust mask when cutting; and, wash the youknow-what my hands with D-Lead soap and water when done.

geo

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use a utility knife on sheet lead that is 3/16" or thinner...and a Hydraulic wood splitter on thicker sheets.

[Scrounge]

Careful hitting the hardened back of the axe with a hardened hammer! It will not mushroom, it will shatter and throw shrapnel!!! I have the scars to prove it and it was not me doing the hammering! Use a lead or brass hammer or even a large chunk of woof as a hitting tool. I always just swing the axe.

Get a dead-blow mallet, or use a piece of 2x4 with a handle carved on it. Though I have a lead faced hammer here, uses something like a lead cupcake. Once I get my smelting setup put together, I'll be pouring at least a couple of cupcakes to see if my pan is the right size.

Bill

[CastingFool]

I have cut up sheet lead, that was used for a shower pan, with a pair of tin snips. Slow, yes, but it worked.

[kevin c]

I learned here about using a counter rotating dual bladed rotary saw to cut sheet lead. Still got a lot of chips (“swarf”?) that I caught on a tarp and with a large piece of cardboard set up to contain the spray, but it was chatter free and smooth cutting. My lead, though, was pretty flat. Dunno about sheet lead that’s crumpled up.

I have heard good things about powered wood splitters and air chisels in terms of chip free lead cutting.

[Grayone]

I have cut up sheet lead, that was used for a shower pan, with a pair of tin snips. Slow, yes, but it worked.

Yes what I used too. I wouldn't use a sawzall unless it was a large amount.

[jsam]

Earlier this week I cut some 3/8 inch sheet lead with an ax. Worked pretty good as long as you are acccurate with swinging the ax. Thinner sheets I used a hatchet.

[1hole]

Lead cuts easily with woodworking saws. Reciprocating saws, band saws, circular saws (table and hand held) all do quite well. Just as with wood, it's best to have the teeth so at least one tooth (three is better) in contact with the cut to reduce the chances of grabbing and kick-back. That means the tooth count of the blade is somewhat dependant on the thickness of the cut. If our available blade is coarse and the material is thin we can usually meet the safety need for three tooth contact by angling the blade so the cut is not vertical and can't grab a full bite.

Fine lead particles - the powdery stuff that makes a gray stain on our fingers when handling it - can be harmfully absorbed into our bodies and that's a bad thing. Moral: wash the gray "dust" off your fingers (Don't lick it off!), and all will be well.

It's good stewardship of the material to capture lead "sawdust" and add it to the melt. But, frightened Greenie-Weinnies aside, lead comes from the earth and letting it fall back to the earth does NOT automatically poison the ground from which it came.

Fact is, in its solid form, lead really isn't much of a human health problem; some people live long and happy lives with lead bullets trapped deep in their bodies. I know of two small children who swallowed a handful of their daddy's bird shot that trickled through the only open channel and soon come out quite safely at the end. (That makes an interesting X-ray shot too!)

[Geezer in NH]

Find a wider smelt pot.

[MGySgt]

Geezer my pot is plenty wide, bottom half of a 20 pound propane tank. The folded sinks are about 24X18.