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squid1230
05-27-2009, 04:00 PM
I have what might be the strangest story of finding lead.

I was up at my old man's place last week. He has 10 acres of mostly bush. I was out for a walk with the kids when I saw a peice of metal sticking out of the ground. I poked and eventually dug it out. Turns out it was a piece of the nose of a plane built in the 40's (according to the faded data plate). It had a large bracket holding a 5lb lead weight. Like a pig to a truffle, somehow I managed to sniff out lead in a forest!:mrgreen: I have no idea what kind of lead it is, but it make for a great story none-the-less.

Crash_Corrigan
05-27-2009, 04:07 PM
Believe it or not it was a common practice to use lead weights to balance the plane when they were built.

Race cars use lead weights to balance their machines upon construction. Later during use they use lead weights to change handling characteristics.

ghh3rd
05-27-2009, 04:34 PM
You should Google and see if there was ever a plane crash around there... interesting!

mtgrs737
05-27-2009, 06:21 PM
I had an uncle that worked at Cessna in Wichita Kansas and he used to give me rectangles of lead that had a couple of holes in them. I used this lead to cast boolits for my and his 38 spl. The bars he gave me were counterbalnce weights for the control surfaces on the planes. He also gave me sone little lead round keystone shaped cylinders with a plastic fitting on the large end. The plugs were out of broken batteries and their function was to pluge the vent holes when and if the plane inverted. I lost a wheel weight supplier to a guy that casts ballast weights for dirt track stock car racers. Planes, sail boats, and stock cars infringing on my lead supply! LOL!!!!

Ekalb2000
05-27-2009, 10:49 PM
We still use them on the 15's as ballast. Hundreds of pounds in the nose. Big chunk in the LVS cone tip assembly. I think it is pure lead.

The Double D
05-27-2009, 11:32 PM
Are the F15's using lead or depleted uranium? Lot's of modern aircraft are now using DU. You don't want to use that stuff for bullets, even if you could melt it.

briang
05-28-2009, 12:21 AM
...snip... Like a pig to a truffle, somehow I managed to sniff out lead in a forest! ...snip...

This could prove to be a lucrative talent. :mrgreen:

squid1230
05-29-2009, 08:42 AM
When I made my homebuilt biplane I had to balance the ailerons and rudder to prevent flutter at high speed. I used WW, sacrireligious I know, but is all I had and certainly not in the numbers that Ekalb2000 is talking about.

I'm going to melt down this junk just as soon as the rain stops and throw some tin in for good measure - does that sound about right? I'll use it for pistol boolits as it is an unknown quality.

briang
05-29-2009, 09:30 AM
I'd cast a few before adding tin, might not need it.

Beau Cassidy
06-04-2009, 10:00 AM
I recently bought a lot of flat lead that was used as counterbalance on a military helicopter. It still had the NSN on it. I thought it was pretty cool.