What to do with pure lead?

[tech413]

Hey all, I put the word out to people I know that I was getting into casting and I was offered 1000lbs, yes, 3 zero's, of lead pipe for free. I'm going to take it and probably smelt into ingots for now. I'm assuming lead pipe is just that, only lead, but what can I use it for? Just mixing with WW and such or would it be too soft?

Thanks in advance.

[Combat Diver]

Do you shoot muzzle loaders? Also use it for boolits with velocities under 1000fps.

[sagacious]

Lead pipe is not always pure. Often it has a percent or two of antimony. You will need to melt it down into ingots and cast a few bullets-- then measure hardness. Do not be surprised if it's harder as-cast than in it's extruded form. Good luck.

[skimmerhead]

sagacious how would you mix soft lead and lino to get lets say lyman#2? i have a bit of both and haven't decided how to mix it yet. your input would be well recieved. thanks

skimmerhead

[Suo Gan]

Okay sounds good, but the pipe joints are not good for casting. They contain a high content of tin, and all that tin must be disposed of properly. It is your lucky day that you found me. I recycle tin, on my dime, you just leave the worrying to me. I will PM you my address so you can send it all to me.

I usually dispose of the highly toxic tin by alloying it with ww and pure lead and shoot it downrange. Of course I have specialized molds and equipment to handle it.

[sagacious]

sagacious how would you mix soft lead and lino to get lets say lyman#2? i have a bit of both and haven't decided how to mix it yet. your input would be well recieved. thanks

skimmerhead
The easy way to mix Lyman #2 is to alloy 4lbs linotype with 5lbs pure lead, and then toss in a 1lb bar of 50/50 solder. That makes 10lbs of Lyman #2.

[skimmerhead]

thank you very much!!!!
shimmerhead

[dragonrider]

Just a word of warning when melting lead pipe. NEVER add lead pipe pieces to already melted lead. BTDT it wasn't pretty. The inside of lead pipe is always coated with hair and slime and other stuff and it is always wet. Always start with an empty pot.

[Swindler1]

Just this week I tested Linotype cast with WW and or Pb.
Cast temp....725
Mold.............Lee 358-158-RF
Hardness tester Lee
Air cooled

WW................................ BHN/9...........162gr
WW-1.......LINO-1........... BHN16.6.......157gr
WW-2.......LINO-1............BHN15.4.......159gr
WW-3.......LINO-1............BHN13.4.......160gr
WW-1.......LINO-2............BHN17.9.......155gr
Pb--1........LINO-1............BHN14.3.......158gr
Pb--1........LINO-3............BHN17.4.......157gr
LINO................................BHN20.9....... 152gr

[BABore]

Mix it 50/50 with your WW's and never look back. 1/2 to 1% tin addition if really needed. Air cool the boolits (9-10 bhn) or water drop it (20-22 bhn) for your different guns based on accuracy preference and usage. WW's vary quite a bit acrossed the country, so you may have to adjust the ratio slightly. If you want something in the 15-16 bhn range, increase the % of Pb and WD them. You can go down to about 35% WW's and still heat treat them. This alloy takes 1-2 weeks to cure when heat treated. Even longer is better.

[deltaenterprizes]

Separate the joints they are held together with 50/50 solder. If you watch them closely the solder will melt first and you can remove the pieces of of the joint from the solder.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
YES get it...
I mix with WW 50-50 to use as my alll purpose alloy. I also mix it 40-1 with tin for my BP shooting to include Muzzleloader. I use it for trading material.
Pure is just like cash in the hand.. very useful and valuable.

[maddog2020]

I'd swap some wheel weight ingots for some /.
use it in my b/p 44 pistol