Made my 1st ingots (pics)

[2TN Mules]

Made my first ingots yesterday. I've found a free and almost unlimited source of lead. It tests out at 13.0 to 14.3 BHN. So it should work fine for casting boolits for my 45ACP. Still waiting on my mold, press, dies, etc, to come in so for now all I can do is cast ingots. Did 120# in 2 hours yesterday morning, including cleanup.

These are the 30# chunks
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/IMG_0420.jpg

This is how the chunks look in the pot
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/IMG_0422.jpg

This is a pic of my ingot mold
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/IMG_0423.jpg

98 ingots, 20 oz each
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/IMG_0424.jpg

[HeavyMetal]

What the heck are those things?

Thought they might be a container for "waste" but it looks like they are open top and bottom.

Just curious.

[Charlie Sometimes]

They look like some kind of medical radioactive sample container?
I've seen these somewhere before, but I can't remember where or what for sure.
Heck, if it's unlimited supply, I need to locate that supply!

[technetium-99m]

They are generator shields. Nuclear pharmacies use them to supply the most common isotope in nuke med, Tc-99m. The Mo-99 sits in the middle of that "ball" and decays to Tc which is periodically collected and used for imaging. Lantheus and Covidien will give you a credit for sending those back, don't tell whoever is supplying em to you.

GT

[2TN Mules]

Charlie Sometimes gets the prize!

The are lead shielding cores for Tc99m/Moly generators used in nuclear medicine by hospitals and speciality pharmacies. Open at one end only. The lead chunk is used to shield the small radioactive core. The core is only radioactive for about a month. At the end of that month the core is removed from the lead shielding and disposed of properly. What is left is this nice hunk of lead alloy that is very clean. 30 # of melt will give up about 1 tablespoon of dross after fluxing.

[RayinNH]

Pass the butter and salt please...Ray

[Charlie Sometimes]

How much do they weight each?
I have GOT to find a source of these.

I've heard the phrase "Nuke 'em, then shoot them in the dark", but how is this gonna work out? :bigsmyl2: :kidding:

[technetium-99m]

You can get them from nuclear pharmacies or hospital nuclear medicine departments. I would guess that the big companies like Cardinal and GE wouldn't sell them, you would be better off finding an independent. If they are high volume they probably send them back to the manufacturer to get large discounts on other items. These discounts can be 10,000 or more dollars/year so there can be a lot of incentive to send them back.

GT

[Dale53]

I was making little ones out of big ones myself a couple of days ago.

My ingots were just that, "Ingots" that weighed from 67-85 lbs or so. I smelted close to 200 lbs from large ingots to ½-3.5 lb ingots. I was all done in after I finished and cleaned up.

"You done good!!":drinks:

Dale53

[2TN Mules]

Dale53,

Thanks for the compliment. I am very happy to have them in stock and ready to go. If only my dang boolit mold would get here I could get down to business.

Below is the final product. 400# of clean and ready to cast ingots.
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/1st400.jpg

[Charlie Sometimes]

You aren't planning on moving that crate around much, I hope? The plastic can't take it too long, if you do- or your back!

[cptkeybrd]

Nice find, I have some lead pigs used for trimming boats and I was wondering what is a cheap way to test for hardness. I can scrape them with my fingernail. Also a recommended blend of tin and Anti would be appreciated and a source for them. Trying to remember who works in the hospital......;-]

[2TN Mules]

Charlie,

I don't plan on moving it 1 little bit. Trying to move that would have my butt hole stuck out far enough to cut washers off of. I'll just fill another one in another area of the garage this weekend. Want to spread the love, and load, around. I'll pull from them for the casting pot and let them stay right where they are when filled.

[Charlie Sometimes]

IIRC- The thumb nail scratch is supposed to indicate pure lead as it is a BHN of 5. Any harder and you can't scrath it that way. Charish it's purity, pure is harder to find than alloy.

I had an old metal milk crate once, it would hold a LOT of those Lyman 1 lb. ingots. I could move it reasonably well, when I was feeling good about it. I'm a BIG guy.

[kendall yates]

The corn we have in maryland is all yellow. I like you corn much better:drinks:

[2TN Mules]

Todays haul:
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/2ndHaul.jpg
Total of 370#. Guess I'll either be shooting or making little ones out of big ones this weekend? This gives me a total of 750# which is not much by y'all standards, but at least it is a start.

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu143/2TNMules/Waiting.jpg
My poor lonely pot loaded with 6 ingots waiting on the 230g LRN Lee mold.

[Dale53]

2TNMules;
>>>This gives me a total of 750# which is not much by y'all standards, but at least it is a start.<<<


I'd say that is an EXCELLENT start!:drinks:

Dale53

[Charlie Sometimes]

Looks like you're getting the fancy container with the generator shield, too.
What do you do with those?
I think I'd fill them full of boolits!

Don't you recognize that type of corn?
That's Silver Queen- sweet corn!

[armyrat1970]

Nice find, I have some lead pigs used for trimming boats and I was wondering what is a cheap way to test for hardness. I can scrape them with my fingernail. Also a recommended blend of tin and Anti would be appreciated and a source for them. Trying to remember who works in the hospital......;-]

cptkeybrd. Check out one of the links at the top of the opening page. RotoMetals.
I've heard antimony is pretty hard to smelt given a melting temp of around 1200df.
Linotype contains a large amount of antimony as does #2 alloy. You could buy either and add to your pure lead. Linotype has a higher content of antimony. Also wheel weights contain antimony if you don't get some contaminated with zinc your okay. Tin adds to the ability of the alloy to pour and fill the mould better but does not do a lot to add hardness.

[2TN Mules]

The fancy containers will get melted also. They are lead and must meet their destiny in the cast iron crucible to rise again as lowly ingots then be yet again transformed in the Lee pot and fly as cast boolits. No lead escapes the fires of transformation.

[Tom Herman]

Good score! And the lead is new and clean, too... You've done well.
Welcome aboard!

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[Charlie Sometimes]

Looks like you're getting the fancy container with the generator shield, too.
What do you do with those?
I think I'd fill them full of boolits!


The fancy containers will get melted also. They are lead and must meet their destiny in the cast iron crucible to rise again as lowly ingots then be yet again transformed in the Lee pot and fly as cast boolits. No lead escapes the fires of transformation.

They look like white plastic "buckets" w/o handles in your pictures. Sorta like large pvc pipe fittings. Those are what I was refering to.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Good for you, 2 Tennessee mules