Pure lead! (or is it?) a field test ?

[token tory]

Accoring to the experts lead will NOT absorb any radiation , but if there is an alloy in that lead it could very well be contaminated .

I'm trying to let this be laid to rest as the owner is going to make good, & that is fair enough by my standards. I was never out to pillory anyone & if you look back to the beginning of the thread this will be self apparent as I just asked a question of an (still) unnamed retailer.

Just to address the "contamination" issue though.
This was actually tested, be it lead, or an alloy of lead, to have no detectable radiation. If it hadn't been so tested it could not have been released as there are stringent regulations regarding the disposal of such materials.

I guess I'm going to do the cut, mold, & cast myself as it looks like I'm going to be (again) the proud owner of enough material to make literally thousands of .454 round balls.

 

[goon]

It would take awhile for me to smelt down a 32 pound block of lead but I'd call it completely doable. Worst case I'd try to maybe cut corners off to get small chunks to melt first, then carefully add the rest. I've noticed that lead melts more easily if it's fed into more molten led.

 

[token tory]

If it had any corners that would be a good plan. Unfortunately its a tapered cylinder, with a reversed taper on the other end.

I'm thinking I'll just hack slices off, kind of like a sausage is sliced & use them individually to make balls as needed.

If my math improved since this thread started I'll have enough lead for 1560 .454" round balls. That should mean I have plenty of time to figure out the details as that's a 6 year supply for my needs.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

I always knew you had a lot of balls :rotf: . Sorry, couldn't resist! Who knows, maybe you'll even wind-up with a rifle before then, or a single-shot pistol, or both!

The hack saw sounds like a good idea--just don't spread lead dust around the condo!

Be safe & have fun making your balls!

DAve

 

[cmdrted]

this might be oversimple. I do all the thumbnail scraping etc for softness of lead but wouldn't a closer test be to cast a batch of known diameter balls slugs etc. these weigh a certain amount if cast from pure lead. weigh a good sample to see what they actually weigh and compare that number to what pure lead balls/slugs should weigh. this ratio, ie what they actually weigh divided by what they should weigh x 100 should give you the percentage of pure lead. the method doesn't tell you what the other metals are but it gets you in the ballpark of purity.

 

[Fishhog]

If you have an old miter saw around try it.I use mine all the time rips right though the lead,smear a little bees wax on the tooth area makes it less prone to clog..Ray

 

[token tory]

Great tip on the beeswax, thanks. :hatsoff:
I'm actually planning on going to evile power tools for the cutting up. Think Super Sawsall :shocked2:

 

[B.Habermehl]

Some Kerosene and a brush makes a good cutting lube for lead. Wipe your cut off pieces well to prevent splatter when you melt the lead.

 

[hockeyref]

I talked to the shop owner today on the telephone and told him about what we were discussing. He told me how they did the test on the lead and that by the results of that test, it was ascertained that it contained a good bit of alloy. After you left the shop, he used a lead hardness tester and it confirmed that the block was definitely hard lead. Whoever told you that it was soft apparently does not know their lead.
.......

Not to stir stuff up any more, but....
My only question was why the crude comparison tests? Why didn't he didn't use this tester in the first place? IRRC, you can buy a Brinell hardness tester from Midway....

 

[goon]

There are 7,000 grains in a pound and IIRC, a .454 round ball is about 151 grains...

To melt that large of a chunk at once you'd have your work cut out for you.
In your case, I'd probably try to make three cuts, giving you four peices. Melt one of the smaller ones down to get some molten lead, then add the bigger ones to it. I've found that lead melts a lot easier if it's fed into already molten metal.
If it's clean you shouldn't need to flux it much and you shouldn't get much dross.

I haven't casted any balls yet, but I did smelt a bunch of lead down from really dirty sheeting over the summer using a cast iron pot and ladle I got in the bargain sections of antique shops, three cinderblocks, and a fire in the yard. I'll need to be scientific eventually but at least now it's in a useful, manageable form.

 

[Tumblernotch]

He didn't tell me. But the method he used was good enough to see if it was soft or hard. The tester let him know just how hard. If it was me and there was a question about it at the point of sale, I believe I would have drug it out and done it with the tester. I believe the shop owner would have if there was. Makes me think that the seller didn't disagree at the time.

 

[token tory]

Makes me think that the seller didn't disagree at the time.

Please stop mis-stating my intentions!

While I'm grateful for your interceding on my behalf I emphatically WAS questioning this at the time.

The dealer took a piece of material from a pile of metals on the floor & struck the block I was offering. There was a dent created in the block I had and a dull "ding". Based on this he pronounced my block a "lead alloy of some type" & denied that it was in fact pure fairly soft lead. He then switched to a different block of material & repeated the test where it went "dunk" for lack of a better term. A dull thud. There was no mark left in the block of mine at this point.

The point, in fact the whole & only point of this thread was to address my concerns & questions as to the nature of the materials being tested & the results of that testing.

When the pig is back in my possession I will get the test done independently & correctly & post the results here if that is what would finally put the topic to rest.

 

[Tumblernotch]

Pardon me. But I didn't see anywhere in your posts that you emphatically stated anything. You told him what the guy who gave it to you said and the buyer said it wasn't. That's all I got.

 

[token tory]

I am most emphatically done with this thread, in fact I'm sorry I even started it at all at this point.

When I retrieve the pig I will post the independent test results & the full name & mailing address of the store concerned.
This way with actual results in hand the membership can make their independent decision here without further insinuation or whitewash attempts.
I will comment no further either in this thread, nor in any other I'll simply post the actual factual results.

Anything further is simply :dead: .

 

[Idaho Ron]

If you can cut a small piece off and send it to me I will test it. Ron

 

[token tory]

Thank you, Ron. :hatsoff:
If you'll PT me your mailing address I'll do so as soon as I get there & pick it up. Please include anything relevant, like thickness, minimum size, shape needed & so on so this goes smoothly.

As you may have gathered I'm no expert in this area, in fact I'm almost completely ignorant. I am getting a high speed, fast track edumacation though! :surrender:

 

[Tumblernotch]

I was in the aforementioned shop Wednesday and looked at the lead in question which hasn't been picked up. At first glance, just by looking at the shine of it and the appearance of the surface, I could see that there was alloy in it. Almost looked like a chunk of zinc. I did a simple thumbnail scratch test. In soft lead I can dig a pretty deep gouge. In this piece all I could do was barely mark it with a fine scratch. All of the angles were sharply defined and the surfaces were very smooth and slick. Now, I'm no metallurgist and far from being an expert in alloys, but I've handled a lot of lead, both soft and hard and I could tell that though this may not have been the hardest lead alloy out there, it was plenty hard. It would be great for casting bullets for cartridge shooting. It certainly stood out from the couple of tons of soft lead sitting on the shop floor.

 

[token tory]

looked at the lead in question which hasn't been picked up. At first glance, just by looking at the shine of it and the appearance of the surface, I could see that there was alloy in it. Almost looked like a chunk of zinc. the surfaces were very smooth and slick.

A truly amazing ability, almost unbelievable in fact. :bull:
The surface of the piece I deposited there were matte& smooth, not in the least bit "slick".


As for anything else on this I repeat I'll get there when time & other things allow, just as I said.
I'll let the member here actually test with something other than an amazing calibrated remote eyeball, & post his results independently & hopefully without the huge bias you exhibit.

Till then I repeat:
"I am most emphatically done with this thread, in fact I'm sorry I even started it at all at this point.

When I retrieve the pig I will post the independent test results & the full name & mailing address of the store concerned.
This way with actual results in hand the membership can make their independent decision here without further insinuation or whitewash attempts.
I will comment no further either in this thread, nor in any other I'll simply post the actual factual results.

Anything further is simply :dead: .

 

[Tumblernotch]

looked at the lead in question which hasn't been picked up. At first glance, just by looking at the shine of it and the appearance of the surface, I could see that there was alloy in it. Almost looked like a chunk of zinc. the surfaces were very smooth and slick.

A truly amazing ability, almost unbelievable in fact. :bull:
The surface of the piece I deposited there were matte& smooth, not in the least bit "slick".


As for anything else on this I repeat I'll get there when time & other things allow, just as I said.
I'll let the member here actually test with something other than an amazing calibrated remote eyeball, & post his results independently & hopefully without the huge bias you exhibit.

Till then I repeat:
"I am most emphatically done with this thread, in fact I'm sorry I even started it at all at this point.

When I retrieve the pig I will post the independent test results & the full name & mailing address of the store concerned.
This way with actual results in hand the membership can make their independent decision here without further insinuation or whitewash attempts.
I will comment no further either in this thread, nor in any other I'll simply post the actual factual results.

Anything further is simply :dead: .

First of all, if you had looked you would see that I was replying to Idaho Ron, not you. Remember, you had stated "most emphatically" that you was done with this thread. So you really don't have a dog in this hunt any more.

Secondly, since you couldn't stay away I'll explain the term "slick". It wasn't greasy slick. It was very smooth like it had been polished. A matte finish is not that smooth. It had a shine to it and if it was pure lead and had been sitting around for a while it would have started to dull.

As for my "amazing calibrated eyeball", thanks for the compliment! :wink: Just wait till I get my new glasses! And I'm thinking of getting my thumbnail insured too. You yourself said that you were ignorant when it came to lead. Well, I've handled lead for many years and while I don't know about alloy percentages and other scientific things, I can tell the difference between hard and soft lead. And the shop owner has handled even more than me. Not only that, the owner of another shop nearby came in before I got there and examined the piece and agreed that the lead was hard.

And lastly, concerning the huge bias that I supposedly exhibit. Yes, there is some bias there. I've known him for many years and have done quite a bit of business with him and he has always treated me right. Apparently others feel the same way because there's always customers there and most of them are repeats. On the other hand, I don't know you at all (and based on your attitude don't care to). So who do you think I should believe? However, if I had gone up there and examined the lead and come to the conclusion that it was pure, I would have told him that he didn't do right by you. I would certainly have lost respect for him and he likely would've lost me as a customer unless he made things right. I've left other merchants for less. I can get my flints and other supplies cheaper elsewhere. I have nothing to gain by this. But I can't stand by and let a friend get badmouthed without him being able to defend himself, especially when his livelihood is involved. Lead is apparently not the only thing you're ignorant about.

Now, maybe you better go bury that horse.