Storing lead

[oley55]

I guess I need to get way more busy scrounging. As is I don't have near enough to even wonder about storage. Just saying, I wish I had that problem.

[lightman]

I cast mine into the Lyman type ingots and store them in milk crates in the corner of my shop. Their not perfect but serve to keep them together. A full crate with the ingots stacked neatly weighs about 700#, which is way to heavy to move.

[Wis Tom]

I learned fast, that you don't stack lead very high, before it gets very heavy, as I started a very nice stack in the back corner of my shop, and before I knew it, a nice crack appeared about 4 foot back all the way across, in the cement. When moving it, I got out my refrigerator scale to add up each wood crate I had packed, and knew I had went overboard when just over half done, I had already hit 900 lbs. I can't remember where I got these wood crates, but each are only about a foot by foot and about 7 inches high, and they stack really nice. I also use the old heavy duty milk crates for the muffin shaped lead, but the new crates are not dependable for that much weight, as are built very light weight compared to the old one. Happy casting.

[lightman]

I cast mine into the Lyman type ingots and store them in milk crates in the corner of my shop. Their not perfect but serve to keep them together. A full crate with the ingots stacked neatly weighs about 700#, which is way to heavy to move.

Quoting ones self seems like it should be funny!

But I have been helping a buddy that retired from farming move all of his equipment and "stuff" from his old shop. Yesterday I spotted a heavy duty side mount truck tool box that he gave me. This winter I plan to move my stash from the milk crates to the tool box. If they will all fit! I'll stamp the unstamped ones as I move. I'll either have "tennis elbow" or my right arm will be like Popeye's!

[Soundguy]

I made short, low shelves. works great. lots of sub divisions for different alloy.

[Jtarm]

I bought several of the Cast Boolits ingots from LakeHouse2012.

They fit neatly into .50-cal ammo cans.

[FISH4BUGS]

I store my lead mostly in 5 gallon buckets with lids. A sub shop locally gets their pickles in them and when empty sells them for a buck a piece.
If you don't mind them smelling like pickles for a couple of years, they are great.
I store a lot of wheel weights. I am the luckiest guy on the planet because a good friend sold his tire shop a number of years back, and he told me to come and take as many wheel weights as I wanted before they closed on the sale. I took well over a ton.
After sorting, I smelt them in major production runs. I might smelt for an entire day or weekend and make a big batch of ingots. Those get stored in the 5 gallon buckets sealed until I break into one. The linotype is done the same way except those are from 25 lb pigs.
I might keep 20 lbs or so in the reloading room, but usually will bring in 50 lbs for a big casting session.
All in all, the buckets have worked out well. They are out of the way in the basement and the barn.
I am very grateful to have enough lead for my lifetime.

[Hossfly]

IIRC a cubic foot of lead weights about a little over 700#.

[kevin c]

706# and some odd ounces for pure lead, but the dead air space between even closely stacked ingots cuts that by a good amount.

I use Lakehouse's CB ingots too, but even with the airspace, I'm not gonna even try to lift a fifty cal ammo can full. I just take a few bars off the top of my stacks of alloy to carry to the pot as needed.