Please help identify this lead....thing...

I have enough lead, I didn't need this thing. Curiosity won out. Didn't hurt that it's 20 lbs and the guy only wanted $12. Unless it's poisoned with zinc, it's pretty much a no-loss.
But, whatever it's made of, what in the world IS IT?
I tried google image search from every angle. Nothing.
Best I can think is some kind of piston or plug. Those holes for the pin are so high, it couldn't withstand much pulling force. Maybe even too weak to be able to pull a jammed plug.
It looks built to take one heck of a forward pounding. So, leaning towards piston. Or some kind of ram? For what? Pile driver, maybe? It would be easier on the wood than iron, I suppose.
I told the guy I'd come back and tell him if I found out what it is.

I can scratch it with my thumbnail and curl up a shaving with a standard #2 pencil. A COWW ingot will scratch it. But a telecom cable sheathing ingot will not.

https://i.imgur.com/bMOfmzI.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/zDNigXg.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/1etJCfb.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/VdCf5WY.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/Mku1YLN.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/lTWH7LW.jpeg

Its not a piston. A piston wouldn't be tapered and would have smooth wear from where it moved in the cylinder. And it wouldn't be hollow with machining to specific shape to hold something. The top slot is also machined where you can put another lead block on it and still put something thru the holes for transport.


My guess is it is a lead holder to transfer some isotope or other radioactive stuff........maybe even a retired nuclear core 8-). But this is just a guess

I'd guess a weight for an olde skool fire door in an industry building of some type.

Typically hung with a cotton rope. Rope burned through, door slammed shut.

Gate closing weights looked like that too.

If it was just some kind of weight why would it be cast hollow inside to hold a specific shape? Pretty sure if we could figure out what fits inside that is the answer.

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Originally Posted by Delkal

If it was just some kind of weight why would it be cast hollow inside to hold a specific shape? Pretty sure if we could figure out what fits inside that is the answer.

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Going down that path... the shape of the holllow may indicate it was meant to spin. Perhaps to clean and / or reshape lead water pipes?

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Originally Posted by sureYnot

Going down that path... the shape of the holllow may indicate it was meant to spin. Perhaps to clean and / or reshape lead water pipes?

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Could be. A round hollow for the main shaft to fit and a key to turn it. Can you see any wear inside? Or turn marks on the outside from when it was spinning?

I think it is a plug to plug a well. Drop it in the hole and twist and press until it is sealed then cast a concrete cap over it.

Tim

I think either Winger Ed is on the right tract A way to close the gate or raise or lower something. Orrrrr It’s some type of mooring anchor! Looks to me like it might’ve spent considerable time submerged in water.

I guess I should probably elaborate a little bit more on my previous post. Obviously I’m not talking about the mooring for a battleship! Many times when you have waterfront property it’s too shallow to actually Moore Your boat right up to the edge of your property so you sink a mooring anchor so many yards offshore with a float on it so that you can tie your boat up. Possibly a small sailboat or even some type of dinghy. The machined rectangular sections look as if you could attach a post of some sort to it.

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Originally Posted by Delkal

Could be. A round hollow for the main shaft to fit and a key to turn it. Can you see any wear inside? Or turn marks on the outside from when it was spinning?

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No wear inside whatsoever. All sharp corners. The shoulders on those tabs on the side show equal wear on both sides. No real evidence of spinning on closer inspection. Whatever it was doing, I think we've ruled out it's being a moving part...maybe. All wear being external, could have all come from just being around in junk piles. Sitting at the bottom of the river with some plastic stick jammed in it would explain that as well.
dtknowles and or poppy 42 may have something there. I could see it anchoring a bouy, for sure. Well cap that hasn't been used yet, also fits the observations so far.
I'm not far from the Tennessee River. Local conservation officer may recognize it, if that's where it came from.

I think it’s a counter weight that goes in the bottom of an alien flying saucer. It keeps it centered while the spaceship spins.

I think it's a clock weight from a large clock tower.

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Originally Posted by redhawk0

I think it's a clock weight from a large clock tower.

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A very real possibility.

Pretty sure it's an radioactive isotope shipping container. They are about as pure a piece of lead as you could find. Take the picture on your cell phone and show it to an x ray-tech at your local hospital. Be nice, and they may find you some more of these. They are not usually return-shipped because of the weight, they get tossed or given away.

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Originally Posted by gunther

Pretty sure it's an radioactive isotope shipping container. They are about as pure a piece of lead as you could find. Take the picture on your cell phone and show it to an x ray-tech at your local hospital. Be nice, and they may find you some more of these. They are not usually return-shipped because of the weight, they get tossed or given away.

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The Isotope Containers that I used to get, all had a Cap. None were nearly 20 lbs, and all were same size, But, all came from same source. Some isotopes must be different, due to very Few were Pure Lead...the majority were Painted Orange, and were a Quite Hard Alloy, Harder than COWW...But...again, those were the ones I was sourcing!!
Sure look like a Mooring Anchor to my eye...

I agree with sureYnot that it doesn't look like it could take much abuse suspended by the holes at the top, and with Winger Ed and others that it looks like a gate weight of some sort. Any chance it's a counterweight on a lift gate (sort of like a railroad or parking lot single-arm gate)? That might explain the relatively pristine inside, because once pinned in place, it doesn't move on the bar, but also the external markings, weathering, and abuse.

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Originally Posted by gunther

Pretty sure it's an radioactive isotope shipping container. They are about as pure a piece of lead as you could find. Take the picture on your cell phone and show it to an x ray-tech at your local hospital. Be nice, and they may find you some more of these. They are not usually return-shipped because of the weight, they get tossed or given away.

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This is the link you are looking for to determine if you have an isotope container or not. And it is not one of these.

http://www.fellingfamily.net/isolead/

I believe its a balancer weight for a door or parts on an assembly line. Heavy parts are suspended from a balancer to make them weightless for the workers.

Does it weigh 62.78 lbs?

It's a lead isotope cannister.
Also known as medical lead.

Decoy weight for a pterodactyl decoy

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Originally Posted by country gent

Decoy weight for a pterodactyl decoy

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Lol! :bigsmyl2:

I think its an Isotope container, the 31# one. The picture looks like its missing the part that goes inside. If you want to PM me a phone number I can text you a picture of one thats not as weathered as yours.

I doubt it’s an isotope container. Two sides are thinner and two sides are thicker…wouldn’t uniformly keep the radiation inside if the rays had enough energy. Too complex inside. Typically the inside was round so the walls would have a uniform thickness and strength.

Retired Navy Radiation Safety HMC

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Originally Posted by Whole Bunches

I doubt it’s an isotope container. Two sides are thinner and two sides are thicker…wouldn’t uniformly keep the radiation inside if the rays had enough energy. Too complex inside. Typically the inside was round so the walls would have a uniform thickness and strength.

Retired Navy Radiation Safety HMC

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That...And I have never seen one that large...and None without a Top/lid.. Worked in the industry in the mid '80's
ours were like 2-1/2" diameter, X 3-1/2" tall, 1/4" thick, with a top!!!
Note; I could be Off by up to 1/2-3/4 of an inch...as I still don't know what 6" is!!!! I blame the Canoe Club!!!!

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Originally Posted by BP Dave

I agree with sureYnot that it doesn't look like it could take much abuse suspended by the holes at the top, and with Winger Ed and others that it looks like a gate weight of some sort. Any chance it's a counterweight on a lift gate (sort of like a railroad or parking lot single-arm gate)? That might explain the relatively pristine inside, because once pinned in place, it doesn't move on the bar, but also the external markings, weathering, and abuse.

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That sure makes sense.
At this point, I'm starting to think it's nothing more than a 20lb dumbell to help fend off the "old" that seems to be creeping into my arms. lol

I've messed with some large garage doors that were made of steel. Usually just a steel skin on the outside. Most were for tractor trailers and a couple were for boat houses. Some used a chain to roll the door up and down and had a counterweight rolled up on a drum or pulley system to off set the weight of the door. The amount of travel negated the use of a torsion rod and spring. Looks like your lead counterweight would have a L or T shaped handle where a short leg would stick down in the lead weight. A longer handle would stick out to the side in alignment with the yoke at the top. Maybe made of wood. The rope would attach at the joint of the L or the other short leg of the T. When the door was raised up and the counterweight came down there was a pair of angles bolted to the wall separated by the width of the counterweight just above the tabs cast into the weight were you see the wear marks. Rotate the T or L handle 90 degrees to the side between the metal brackets and the door is latched open. Of course the door is slightly heavier that the the counter weights. Also could have been used for heavy drapes or curtains on a stage or flags or banners in a gym or sports arena. Like somebody else mentioned, if could be attached to a rope on a fire door.

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Originally Posted by racepres

That...And I have never seen one that large...and None without a Top/lid.. Worked in the industry in the mid '80's
ours were like 2-1/2" diameter, X 3-1/2" tall, 1/4" thick, with a top!!!
Note; I could be Off by up to 1/2-3/4 of an inch...as I still don't know what 6" is!!!! I blame the Canoe Club!!!!

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Taking the Way Back Machine to 1979-1981, the pigs that molybdenum 99 came in weighed about 32 pounds. 22 for the main container with a 10 pound lid. They were round and thick. Cast nice bullets as-is, about #2 hardness. After nuclear medicine was done with the contents, they were stored by Radiation Safety in our locked storage area. Once a month we’d check the oldest ones for residual radioactivity and release them if safe. What Nuc Med did with the released pigs, I don’t know. This was Bethesda Naval Hospital.

Nuc Med let me take all I wanted for casting, as that was only a drop in the bucket compared to what was shipped into the hospital every week. Some smaller pigs were very soft. I simply cast samples with the variety until I found what worked for me. Ah what good times. Still have a few in the bottom of a chest type gun safe to make it heavier.

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Originally Posted by Uncle Grinch

I think it’s a counter weight that goes in the bottom of an alien flying saucer. It keeps it centered while the spaceship spins.

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Don’t be ridiculous everybody knows aliens don’t use lead! They use kryptonite!

Looks like a bunch of boolits to me.

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Originally Posted by ulav8r

Looks like a bunch of boolits to me.

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Well said.