Where do you guys store your ingots?

[jnovotny]

I have over a ton, all in 1lb ingots, stored in milk crates and 5 gal buckets under the work bench in the garage.

[Ole]

What makes the difference if the ingots are subjected to moisture or not? I have some that are outside in the weather.

jar

I'm new to casting, but from what i've read, moisture can wick into ingots if there are any hairline cracks in them. I don't work on any large scale, so it's not a problem for me to let the lead cool when I need to add more lead to the pot. It's an issue for some, from what i've read.

[RustyFN]

Underneath my gun cleaning bench.

Very neat I like it. I store mine in five gallon buckets.




Rusty

[Gerry N.]

I have an old, heavy duty, wooden crate/box that would work great for this, I think. Only potential problem i'm thinking, is maybe wood attracts moisture? I live in AZ and it's <20% humidity here 300+ days/year.

Any thoughts fellas?

Thanks,

Matt

Lead is the only metal that paints itself. Stack 'em anywhere you like. I prefer to put mine where I'm not gonna trip over 'em. Most of my stock of scrap lead is behind my shed.

PS: I live in the Pacific Northwet, about ten miles N of Seattle.

Gerry N.

[supv26]

Right now I have mine in two 3 gallon dishwashing soap buckets. I use a muffin pan to make my ingots so I can stack them in those buckets. And, when they are full they only weigh 110 pounds so it isn't too hard to move them if you have too. I have 2 of them right now and have them stacked on a roll around plant stand so I can move them to the work bench when needed. I am hoping to get some more lead to smelt so I will have to make some more room and find more buckets.

I have also saved some empty boxes from my store bought cast bullets to mine in. I have used 3 of those right now but will soon run out of those also. I am looking for some little plastic boxes to put my cast boolits in also. I can then stack them around the shop.

[ktw]

I am looking for some little plastic boxes to put my cast boolits in also. I can then stack them around the shop.

Someone here recently suggested old plastic VCR boxes for this. I saw a huge stack of these for sale recently at my local video rental place for 10c apiece. I think I'm going to buy 10 or 20 of them and start using them for boolits.

-ktw

[waco]

cardboard boxes, and 5gallon buckets

[mtgrs737]

I have a pallet mover, and a forklift so I made solid top pallets and stack them on top. It makes it easy to move them around the shop. I have gotten a good start on my second pallet of ingots, they get too heavy to pull around at about 1600 lbs. The pictures are of when I was just getting started so there is not many on the pallet, but you can see the method I am useing.

[sundog]

outside, on the ground, in a pile. they ain't agonna rot, the ain't agonna rust, and they ain't agonna melt in the rain...

[Southern Son]

My storage for ingots is exactly the same as Targetshootr's, although I wish it were more like ktw's. We get heaps (and heaps) of humidity where I live, don't really make any problems for the ingots (knocks me around a bit in summer, though). I am more worried that some dirtbag will find out that I have it and lift it in the middle of the night. I don't have a secure shed.

[Loony44]

I store mine like Gary N, so my wife can trip over them (keeps her out of my hair and lets me know if someone is in the garage). Actually I try to keep my corner of the garage where I cast neat (I have a ventilation system), but I keep begging and buying I haven’t resorted to stealing yet, my storage area keeps expanding.
Last week I was given about 350 lbs of 1/8” sheet lead from an x-ray room. Another guy 2-5gal buckets of WW & one full of monotype. The wife likes it when I bring more lead home, and I love it she ain’t through me out yet.

[Loony44]

Sorry, store like Gerry N.

[lathesmith]

In the past few years I've gotten to where I like to store my lead ingots in cardboard boxes that I first put a plastic bag in to help keep some of the moisture out. Not hermetically sealed, mind you, but better than just the box. I have found that here in MO after several years my ingots can oxidize, and I don't like the extra crud this generates. Just goes to show, unfortunately I store my ingots a lot longer than some of you guys! I need to shoot more!
BTW, nice bench there KTW. I notice you have one of those "rock polishers" there on your bench too. I have been thinking about getting one of those, they look handy....
lathesmith

[trooperdan]

Any of you guys hear of rinsing your ingots with a soap solution and letting it dry on them? Supposed to cut down on oxidation, though obviously not for outside in-the-rain storage.

[motorcycle_dan]

The plastic Folgers 3lb coffee can works great. Holds 38 one pound ingots.
They use those coffee jugs at work and I started bringing them home. Work great for storing empty brass, PVC fittings and just about anything. Seal pretty tight and they are FREE if you are willing to fetch them home.

Another plus, you can really annoy the grand kids.

"Run down stairs and fetch grandpa one of those red coffee cans under the steps"

Only works once tho, I think they're on to me

Hehehehheehe

[ktw]

BTW, nice bench there KTW. I notice you have one of those "rock polishers" there on your bench too. I have been thinking about getting one of those, they look handy....

Bought it years ago for the kids to polish rocks. They didn't have the attention span for rock polishing (timespan measured in weeks) and the wife didn't like the constant noise.

So I took it to the shop and tumble my brass with it.

-ktw

[mold maker]

I have 9 milk crates, (not all of them full) with different alloys in each stack. Full crates have over 750---1# ingots each. They are stacked on the chimney foundation in the basement.
Bullets are in SAW ammo cans under the bench. I keep a desiccant in each to avoid oxides.
Cleaned brass is in 50 cal. ammo cans, also with desiccant packs.

[georgeld]

I've had four large plastic milk crates stacked neatly level full off and on for about ten yrs. depends on how much casting I do, or ingot making frequence.

I've found they'll hold 728 ingots in 4 rows of 14 per layer.
Having not melting scrap for the past three yrs I'm into the last crate now, about 5 layers down. That's a LOT of boolits. Am sure I have over 1000lbs cast up now in my loading room in two gal plastic buckets sealed per cal and size.

I've never had a problem using these milk crates for this, they're still in good condition.

Part of the reason I'm casting and not making ingots. They were stacked in the first two before I started sorting them, never expecting to have more than half full or so. I did stamp the soft one's with a large L pc of angle iron. Anything not marked that way can be considered hard stuff. I'm wanting to use up the box and then start all over sorting each one either hard, or L's for lead which to me means soft enough for b/p use.

Just happens the space I used for this storage is the neatest part of the shop. Do wish I had another 10-20 crates for other storage though they're sure nice for that. Stacked on their sides they make dandy cubbyholes like open faced shelves.