Question about radiopharmacy lead

[n10sivern]

I now have a steady supplier of lead. Bought 200# today and they have another 600-800 pounds on hold for me. Is $0.50 per pound a reasonable price? They have a guy they deliver to 1hr away that pays them $0.50 per pound to make fishing jigs so I had to match his price. They'd rather sell to me so they don't have to travel. That said, what is the composition of it? The sheets are really flexible so I assume they are 100% but I don't know about the containers. Each of those big football containers is 32#.

[Beagle333]

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

This should help.


Great price, by the way!!! (Jealous here!)

[454PB]

The shielding lead I've used was good stuff, from about the same as wheel weight alloy to dead soft pure lead. 50 cents a pound is a good price.

[n10sivern]

Well, using the pencil test, the sheets are pure lead and the big lead jugs are most likely pure lead. Both were peeled by 5B pencil but the sheets seemed a little easier. The little bottles are probably 20:1 lead/tin as they were peeled using 2B pencil. Now to melt into ingots. Be nice if I could trade the pure lead for some Linotype. Once I have melted I'll have to post it and see if there are any takers.

On a side note, I have never done the pencil test until today. I tested some water dropped 3:1 pure lead/Linotype bullets I made and they were peeled by H pencil which means they are 16-18 BHN. Does that sound about right?

[Toymaker]

Lead doesn't absorb radiation, but the oxide on the surface does. The amount of radiation is minute. If you really have a concern just let it sit for two or three months before rendering it into ingots. In truth, the lead oxide poses a greater health hazard to you. Wash your hands, with COLD water and soap.

[leadbutt]

Yea. That's a good haul for 100 bucks.

[n10sivern]

I'm not worried about radiation. I am an ER nurse and I'm exposed to more from X-rays in the ER than I will be from this lead

[Mitch]

Nice find for a great price I have used the 32# ontainers and they work nive for my allaround pistol shootin

[glicerin]

My previous assay of radioactive isotope containers was=WW. good stuff

[n10sivern]

The link provided with the info above lists the jugs as a BHN of 10, but the ones I got pencil tested out dang near pure lead. I just checked again and 5B peeled it, 4B did a little better, but that still doesn't put it at BHN 10. Interesting.

These are the footballs similar to what I got that tested at a lower BHN
Attachment 179024

I picked up some of these and they tested out about right on the BHN
Attachment 179025

They had a few of these
Attachment 179026

The also has 2-3 of these but they were unpainted. They said the previous buyer couldn't use them so I wonder if it is a different composition or metal
Attachment 179027

[jsizemore]

Member BNE can XRF a sample of each container and you'll know the alloy composition of each sample. He charges 1 pound of lead for each sample tested. Send him a PM for shipping details.

[Leadmelter]

I am a former Nuclear Med Tech.
The football is from a Moly99-Tc99m generator.
The capsule in pic #2 is a Iodine 123 capsule shields.
Item number 3 are Xe133 gas tubes. Not sure what item #4 is?
All items should be wiped tested for any contamination.
At the hospital I am at, I cannot buy lead because it has to be returned to the nuclear pharmacy to be recycled.
At $.50/lbs buy all you can because the regulations are getting worse.
My .02 read up on radiation safety and shielding
Enjoy cheap lead
Leadmelter
MI

[n10sivern]

I plan on buying all of it and selling about half of it. They said this stuff has been sitting for months. I dunno if they have to wait until the half life has cleared before releasing it, but all the lead was just in a stock room. I guess since this is a radio/nuclear pharmacy they are taking the appropriate measures. They were handling it with no precautions.

[plainsman456]

I have several hundred of the smaller ones and they do make some good pistol bullits.
I just add a little tin just to make sure they fill out.

The ones i got cost 1.00 a pound so half that is good i think.

[dragon813gt]

The large containers are 96/3/1. I've had them analyzed. I used to have close to a ton of them. I would buy all I could get because it's a perfect clean alloy for almost every application. You can water drop or heat treat if you need them harder. There is nothing to be worried about. They aren't released until they have gone through the proper cool down period. They started reusing them so there are a lot less available these days.

[n10sivern]

Pencil test works. Went by local scrap yard and they XRF checked those footballs. 99.80% lead so pure lead. Explains why the ones I have didn't check out like everybody else's. by the way, the scrap yard is paying $0.51 per pound lol

[merlin101]

I bought some locally a few years ago and paid $1.00 lb, you did real good! Definitely buy it all and toss in a pizza or doughnuts too!

[2wheelDuke]

Great stuff. I mean it's no good, I'll take it off your hands for no charge.

I've tried pumping the nuke med delivery guys for information at the hospitals in my city. They say the isolead gets sold to a scrap yard, but I couldn't nail down where. Someday I'll follow up on that investigation.

[n10sivern]

Well now I have a steady source of pure lead. I just need a good supply of antimony to mix with it

[MaryB]

I would be bringing those guys a case of beer! And pizza! 50 cents a pound is a great price! I will have to check my stash, I may have 20 pounds of foundry type I can part with... and I know I need more pure lead.