cutting lead

[fraungie]

I have acquired some lead bars 1" thick x 4" x 15" long. It is very soft. I can scratch it with my thumb nail. What is the best way to cut this up to put in my melter?

 

[BrownBear]

I've used everything from a Sawsall to an axe. Bud of mine uses his cutting torch.

 

[necchi]

A mighty blow from an Axe, then bend it over to break it.
Cutting is hard to do with soft, it plugs the saw teeth right quick !

 

[bpd303]

Cutting with a saw leaves lead chips (dust) which could be ingested if not careful. I always use a wide chisel or axe to cut up large pieces, or I get out my plumbers lead melting pot and melt the large ones and pour them into a smaller ingot mold.

 

[newtewsmoke]

chop or shear, don't cut. :thumbsup:

 

[Greebe]

If you don't like chiseling it into smaller pieces you could always just make a fire on hard packed earth or bricks with the lead ingot in the middle. It will then melt and flow out into a fairly thing sheet which can be cut up with shears. Next time you melt it just skim off the dross as usual.

 

[coloradoclyde]

hatchet and a big ol hammer

 

[George T.]

I would grab it in vice grips and when the pot came up to temp I -would lower it until I had enough and then I would set it aside until needed.

Geo. T.

 

[AZbpBurner]

When you have a partial pot of lead that's already at temperature, drop the ingot in and let it melt and the pot return to casting temp. For an empty pot or a led bar too large to fit the pot, I've often just used a propane torch and melted either directly into the pot, or into my Lyman bar mold.

I've got a large fluted bar of lead that I've had for a few decades. It's too cumbersome to use very often. I've cut off pieces with a splitting wedge and mason's hammer, but the propane torch is a lot easier.

 

[jamesthomas]

I would just take a big chisel and a hammer and cut it into smaller pieces. I use a cast iron cornbread mold to melt my scrap into, makes easy 1 lb. or so ingots to put in the 20lb Lee Pot.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have cut with both radial arm saw and bandsaw. Yes, do wear breathing filter mask. If the pieces are not too large I have a large pot I melt in over a fish fryer burner then cast into ingots from there. Personally, I think the chisle and hammer method is not practical.

 

[Spikebuck]

I would just take a big chisel and a hammer and

That's what I do. Big cold chisel and heavy hammer. A few big whacks and it's cut.

 

[mooman76]

I have heard of people using a chainsaw on lead form a boat used for ballast.

 

[Adui]

Impractical perhaps, but this cheapskate doesn't want to lose the chips you lose sawing. I will either torch melt mine or use a chisel / axe to cut it down when i get larger bars..

( :idunno: Yea I know, I cant be losing more than a ball or three cutting. But even so I want that ball or three. Also I have dogs that tend to eat dirt and other debris. They ingest it and my wife will kill me!)

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have heard of people using a chainsaw on lead form a boat used for ballast.

I was offered a "piece" of lead that weighed about 1,800 lbs. The deal was I couldn't saw it (it was a section of a shortened keel and the lead filings were verbotten at that marina). I ended up using an old Stanley plane set fairly course and shaving off curls of lead. Worked great. I filled two five gallon pails in one summer before I got tired and gave up.

 

[bpd303]

Only if we knew then what we know now. I would have hired a wrecker to haul it home for me. :grin: