Lead Weight & Storage

[Bashby]

Not sure those totes will hold up to much stacking with much weight in them.

[BIGOX]

I would also not recommend the totes. Over time the lids will break if you stack others on top.

[ericscher]

No, you're right, they won't stand up to stacking beyond a certain point. MAYBE 3, but likely 2 high is the limit, so I'm going 1 high. My plan is to have them on the bottom level of the bottom shelf and put them in a single layer, with lighter stuff on top.

The shelving is that beefy commercial stuff.

[kevin c]

If filled to the top (not all lead, but with, say, some scrap stick lumber or ply layered on top of the lead to the point that it touches the underside of the lid), any weight on top of the lid wouldn't be bearing on the sidewalls of the tote, but on the wood, the lead underneath, and then down to the bottom of the tote. That might allow stacking.

[Sasquatch-1]

The totes would probably be fine as long as you don't use the lids. You could stack two or three that way. As far as the sheet lead goes, if it is large sheets cut it to fit your shelfs and flatten as best as you can with a hammer. If smaller just flatten and stack. I believe flat sheets would be the easiest way to store it. If you get any oxidation over the time of storage it will float to the top when melted.

[ericscher]

Kevin -
That's a good idea. Thank you.

Sasquatch -
The sheet stuff is currently rolled up into semi-flattened bundles and wrapped with plastic pallet wrap.
I did think about unrolling, flattening and cutting but I decided that's a fair amount of work without a whole lot of payoff.
I think I'll just add some Gorilla tape to the outside and call it good.
As you say, any oxidation will come out in the melt, so my main concern is just not having to chase a bunch of little pieces of linotype all over the ground.

Honestly, my ideal situation would have been to cast them into manageable billets and stack them naked. Failing that, metal ammo cans. But I don't have time for the first and I was too cheap to buy that many ammo cans.

[RogerDat]

Melt and pour the sheet lead into bread loaf pans. Inch or two slabs from bread loaf pans stack well. Stack on piece of wood on top of a harbor freight furniture dolly. Slabs can be similar weight to the USPS boxes at 15 - 25 lbs. from a single ingot pour. That weight isn't too bad to move them individually. As long as you don't have a gravel driveway the furniture dollies roll pretty well. Can't stack the dollies by not too hard to get 400# on each dolly.

Putting bottom shelf up high enough that dollies roll under bottom shelf.

Always test a new bread loaf pan for how well it releases ingots. I have only had a couple that stuck like a bad muffin pan but it is a hassle to get the lead out if it sticks. Loaf pans from garage sale or thrift store or estate sales. Doubt I paid over 50 cents for any of them.

I use 5 gallon buckets for stuff like type that I don't want to melt because the form proves the alloy. Soft lead comes from sheet or pipe or roof or xray shielding so I don't mind melting it as long as I know the source is soft lead. I also in addition to stamping "Pb" on the slabs will often stamp a number or letter "batch" id. So I know that this batch of ingots are all from the same source.

In the picture note the furniture dolly and stack of slabs next to blue bucket on floor, the crate next to it is also on the dolly. The buckets have type. For home shelf the furniture dolly is nice, for moving I think a hand truck friendly load is better. Sure makes rolling it around in the garage easier if it can be moved by one or the other. Wheels rule!

[oley55]

Melt and pour the sheet lead into bread loaf pans. Inch or two slabs from bread loaf pans stack well. Stack on piece of wood on top of a harbor freight furniture dolly. Slabs can be similar weight to the USPS boxes at 15 - 25 lbs. from a single ingot pour. That weight isn't too bad to move them individually. As long as you don't have a gravel driveway the furniture dollies roll pretty well. Can't stack the dollies by not too hard to get 400# on each dolly.

Putting bottom shelf up high enough that dollies roll under bottom shelf.

Always test a new bread loaf pan for how well it releases ingots. I have only had a couple that stuck like a bad muffin pan but it is a hassle to get the lead out if it sticks. Loaf pans from garage sale or thrift store or estate sales. Doubt I paid over 50 cents for any of them.

I use 5 gallon buckets for stuff like type that I don't want to melt because the form proves the alloy. Soft lead comes from sheet or pipe or roof or xray shielding so I don't mind melting it as long as I know the source is soft lead. I also in addition to stamping "Pb" on the slabs will often stamp a number or letter "batch" id. So I know that this batch of ingots are all from the same source.

In the picture note the furniture dolly and stack of slabs next to blue bucket on floor, the crate next to it is also on the dolly. The buckets have type. For home shelf the furniture dolly is nice, for moving I think a hand truck friendly load is better. Sure makes rolling it around in the garage easier if it can be moved by one or the other. Wheels rule!

I have the same shelving unit and it is surely stout, but I ended up with enough weight on the shelves that I was detecting a bit of outward bowing of the side braces. Fearing they could spring out too far and have a catastrophic failure, I picked up some 5/8" all thread and ran a rod at the halfway point on each shelf with jam nuts on the inside to prevent twisting/bowing either inward or outward. If that makes sense? edit pic added.

As pictured I too replaced the particle board shelves with 3/4" plywood (while it was still affordable to normal humans!).

[anothernewb]

There's a cat litter that comes in square 5 gallon-ish pails that works slick. no clue as to the brand though. with 3 kids with cats, i have a never ending supply of them. They stack a little better than round pails. Same weight restrictions apply like 5 gallon pails though.

I have moved more of them than I can count from the shed to the house with the my radio flyer wagon leftover from when I was young enough to ride in it.

[imashooter2]

There's a cat litter that comes in square 5 gallon-ish pails that works slick. no clue as to the brand though. with 3 kids with cats, i have a never ending supply of them. They stack a little better than round pails. Same weight restrictions apply like 5 gallon pails though.

I have moved more of them than I can count from the shed to the house with the my radio flyer wagon leftover from when I was young enough to ride in it.

Tidy Cat brand.

[StuBach]

Melt and pour the sheet lead into bread loaf pans. Inch or two slabs from bread loaf pans stack well. Stack on piece of wood on top of a harbor freight furniture dolly. Slabs can be similar weight to the USPS boxes at 15 - 25 lbs. from a single ingot pour. That weight isn't too bad to move them individually. As long as you don't have a gravel driveway the furniture dollies roll pretty well. Can't stack the dollies by not too hard to get 400# on each dolly.

Putting bottom shelf up high enough that dollies roll under bottom shelf.

Always test a new bread loaf pan for how well it releases ingots. I have only had a couple that stuck like a bad muffin pan but it is a hassle to get the lead out if it sticks. Loaf pans from garage sale or thrift store or estate sales. Doubt I paid over 50 cents for any of them.

I use 5 gallon buckets for stuff like type that I don't want to melt because the form proves the alloy. Soft lead comes from sheet or pipe or roof or xray shielding so I don't mind melting it as long as I know the source is soft lead. I also in addition to stamping "Pb" on the slabs will often stamp a number or letter "batch" id. So I know that this batch of ingots are all from the same source.

In the picture note the furniture dolly and stack of slabs next to blue bucket on floor, the crate next to it is also on the dolly. The buckets have type. For home shelf the furniture dolly is nice, for moving I think a hand truck friendly load is better. Sure makes rolling it around in the garage easier if it can be moved by one or the other. Wheels rule!

Not all of us are as organized with our lead as you Roger .

Personally I just use a sharpie to write the content on the lead if it gets tested. Each info gets marked with percentages of the big three alloy components for safe keeping and for posterity if I was to not be around to assist.

Shameless plug for Chris though, if you don’t have one of the CB/redneck gold I got molds you should see if when Lakehouse will get more in. They are phenomenal at keeping lead sorted.


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[fredj338]

I am fine with 5gal buckets but they can only handle about 100# without shearing the handle off. HD sells half milk crate copies that stack nicely & are sturdy, cheap, easily holds 150# & can be moved if you can lift 150# or put it on a ref dolly.

[GregLaROCHE]

At Home Depot or similar type stores, you can buy black buckets that are designed for masonry work. They are around three gallons and made for heavy weight, especially the metal handles. I’ve filled them full of range scrap and carried them, but pure lead is heavier. There are several levels of quality. The inexpensive ones have worked for me. They should cost less than two dollars a piece, but I haven’t bought any recently. If the lead is level on top, you can stack them. I can’t say how high, at least two or three maybe more if they aren’t full.

[bigjake]

How about no containers? just stack the ingots where ever you plan to store your lead. this way there will be no heavy lifting.