Is lead from wire wrap pure lead?

[Triggerhappy]

I have the option of purchasing 300# of lead from wire wrap for $.25 per Lb. I would assume it's pure lead or close to it. He got it from some sort of cable that has a lead sheath. I've never seen such a cable. Before I buy a pig in a poke I'd like to know what it is. Going to try to get a sample to test the hardness.

What would the purpose of a lead wrap be to a cable?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

TH

[Bob Krack]

I have the option of purchasing 300# of lead from wire wrap for $.25 per Lb. I would assume it's pure lead or close to it.
What would the purpose of a lead wrap be to a cable?
Lead sheathing was commonly used to protect telephone lines, mostly underground and in tunnels (city utility tunnels).

Varied in diameters from about 3/4" to about 5". Most information I have read describe lead sheathing as containing small amounts of antimony.

More information can be found somewhere on the LASC site, just can't remember where right now.

Bob

[zuke]

At that price who care's!
Buy it and if it doesn't work out bring it to the local scrapper and swap for what you want or sell it to him.

[Lloyd Smale]

may not be certified pure but it should be close.

[Dean D.]

TH, in our part of the country lead sheath cable has been used for phone and power cable applications, mainly large industrial installations for the power cables.

Most of the lead sheath on these cables is about as close to pure as you are going to find. SOME sheaths used "arsenical lead" with minute amounts of arsenic added to the alloy to help prevent rodents from destroying the sheath. Arsenical lead is the exception rather than the rule.

I would gladly take any amount of lead cable sheathing I could get my grubby hands on!!!!

[imashooter2]

Bell Telephone used arsenical lead in their cable sheath. My father was a lineman back in the early 60's and he cast literally tons of it. I still have about 600 pounds on hand. With a bit of tin added, it air cools very soft, but water drops a bit softer than ACWW.

[Triggerhappy]

Thanks for all the great information guys. As always a wealth of knowledge! I'll snatch it up and let you all know how it goes.

TH

[405]

I'll second the notion- at that price who cares! I have about 1200 lbs of it. The only 2 downsides I've found are: It's a pain to cut up into small pieces and it does produce a large volume of fluffy oxide dross when fluxing and cleaning. I just put on a heavy glove and use large tin shears to cut it then bend into sizes that will fit into my large "smelting" pot.
I treat it as pure lead because my BHN tests show it to be dead soft or very close to it. Any trace elements it contains seem to be of little consequence for any bullet alloy I've tried- from "pure" lead ML bullets to tin/antimony alloys.

[ReloaderFred]

When I first went to work for the phone company in 1963, most aerial cables were still lead sheathed and paper insulated. They were pressurized with dry nitrogen to keep moisture out, which is why you'll occasionally fine a cable splice cover with a stem in it that looks like a tire inflator valve.

The lead sheath is almost pure lead and great for alloying, or using for blackpowder bullets, etc.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Bob Krack]

Whether this has answered your question 100%, treat it as nearly pure lead but be aware that when mixing it - in might be just a tad different.

I've used many pounds of it and was always happy with it.

Bob

[Fugowii]

I have the option of purchasing 300# of lead from wire wrap for $.25 per Lb. I would assume it's pure lead or close to it. He got it from some sort of cable that has a lead sheath. I've never seen such a cable. Before I buy a pig in a poke I'd like to know what it is. Going to try to get a sample to test the hardness.

What would the purpose of a lead wrap be to a cable?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

TH

I just melted down a ten foot section of this sheathed cable. It is the softest lead
I have ever used, softer than plumber's lead ingots. It has to be pure lead.

[Triggerhappy]

Thanks guys.

[Boondocker]

I love the stuff for running ball, the stuff I gathered when I worked for the phone company is as soft as any as close to pure lead I ever worked with. As far as cutting it, I just cut it with an axe on a hunk of fire wood like splitting wood. Watch the sweated joints as some seem tinny and some seem of soom hard lead. I just use them for rifle loads.


http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/boondocker6/028.jpg

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c277/boondocker6/Casting%20furnace/furnace015.jpg

[JIMinPHX]

I bought about 100 pounds of it from a scrap guy a few years ago. I paid .50 for it. It's pretty soft. I've been making shotgun slugs & round balls out of it. I'm running low now. I wish that I bought more. It was nice clean stuff. Mine came off of telephone cable that was about 6" in diameter. When you cast with that stuff, you need to run it good & hot, like around 800-850.

[Triggerhappy]

Thanks for the advice, I'll do that.

[Boondocker]

Oh yes I scoop the copper out and sell it to the scrap yard as #2 copper. I got $2.00 a lb. last time. Just don't drop it in a plastic bucket to fast lol.:bigsmyl2: