Melting Lead

1 Dollar · Nov 19, 2008

So I got this idea to melt down about 50 lbs. of lead to make a square weight. Any tips for doing this? I was just gonna build a fire outside, put a steel box above the fire, put the lead in it and let it do its thing till its all melted in the form, then I would be done. Any BIG safety issue I should know about?

(I know lead is toxic, and the fumes too. That's why I'm outside, and standing at a distance)

Thanks for any tips

bison · Nov 19, 2008

you just answered your own question. go for it.

dave guest · Nov 19, 2008

Its been 40 years but seems like after you get it to the melting point, you have to watch the heat. If it gets too hot, seems like it goes hard and turn a white color.

Stan in Oly, WA · Nov 19, 2008

Hi $1,

A site about casting lead bullets would tell you everything you'd need to know for your project without going into a lot of unnecessary detail. The most common reason for casting your own bullets is to save money, so people who do it know all about the problems you can have using scrap lead, contaminated lead, and lead of uncertain composition. There are some potential problems involved, if I remember correctly, but none that should be dangerous if you keep your distance during the melting phase and while it's in a molten state. There is one horror story associated with lead casting but it involves pouring molten lead, and since you're not going to be doing that, I'll keep it to myself.

Be careful, and have fun,

Stan

Wardner · Nov 20, 2008

Plumbers used to melt lead routinely. Both to join sections of lead pipe or traps and fixtures, or to caulk cast iron waste and vent pipes. And hasn't everyone here sweated copper tube?

30 years ago, every large printer had a linotype machine with a pot of molten lead going all the time. I know of one private secondary school (Groton School, Groton, MA) that had its own print shop and linotype machine. Teenagers were doing all the work. They published everyday in the basement of the schoolhouse.

Both applications were done inside of buildings.

I have used molten lead for setting hinge pintals in granite. It was not a big deal. I melted the lead in a 5 lb iron ladle inserted in the door opening of my pot-bellied stove. Just be sure that water and solvents are not near the molten metal or in the form.

T_Bone · Nov 20, 2008

Hi Dollar,

This is right up there with trying too tell some one how to weld a gas tank. It just can't be done over the internet.

50# of molten metal is a huge amount to deal with at one time. So easy to loose a eye, foot or hand with this operation.

A couple drops of water into the melt will scatter boiling metal several feet.

T_Bone

hay · Nov 20, 2008

i helped a friend melt lead and make bullets and it was not too bad if i kept away from the fumes and was real careful pouring the melted lead. sure makes me think about what could happen if some of the molten lead spilled. would make a nasty burn or maybe even lose an eye from splattering. only done this once and have no desire to try again. be very careful around any molten metal. fumes are just as dangerous as the melted metal.

Butch(OH) · Nov 20, 2008

T-bone is correct, molten metal and water is bad news, especaily in large quantities. The problem is not with wet metal when starting, it is in adding wet metal to what is already molten. In other words, dont add to the pot once it starts to melt or make sure it is dry. Other than that common sence applies to handling the lead, breathing the smoke and disposing of the left over dross. A tip for making a clean cast is to flux the moltel before pouring. You can use ordinary gun grease, a tablespoon sized blob will fux 50lbs, stir and skim then pour.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 20, 2008

We do it all the time, and is no big deal other than using your head. A few years ago we got caught in a sprinkle of rain. Words can not explain how far the molten lead will spatter. I hope not to exagerate, but I would guess fifteen feet is not a safe distance.

If you are using dirty lead, you will have to skim off the junk that floats to the top.

We make black powder balls, and slugs, fishing sinkers, and igots for later use. Igots are nothing more than a squared off form of lead in a chunk that has the junk melted off, and cased in this square for future use.

A turkey cooker and a old cast iron skillet is all you need for the most part. If you screw up you can always redo it.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 20, 2008

Fumes,heat and caution I'd say go for it as well.
Its about 11 times denser than water. Which weighs in at 62.4 lbs/ft^3. (12x12x12cube) 50lbs of lead is actually a small volume. Don't over heat it and if you're doing it over a wood fire wait till its just coals.

keh · Nov 20, 2008

In addition to the safety concerns expressed by others, I will add a word about sources of scrap lead. Car batteries have arsenic added to the lead to make it harder. Breathing those fumes is a real no-no. Also the lead inside the battery has been corroded by the acid to the point where the lead yield is not worth the effort. The only large pieces of lead are the posts and the top plate connectors. Getting rid of the acid is a problem. I once(before I knew of the arsenic in the lead) tried processing a battery that had been in a tractor fire. Acid was gone but much of the battery case remained.

KEH

Lefty · Nov 20, 2008

Friend and I do a semi annual melt of wheel weights.We use a propane 30lb"plumbers pot&ladle",50 lbs is a relatively small amount in size,but unless you can keep your mold hot or smelt it in your mold,you will have difficulty getting a clean solid block as it will"layer".
Use welders gloves,respirator and faceshield as molten lead will hurt you badly.A few shavings of beeswax added to the pot from time to time will concentrate the dross(scum)for skimming.
Do not rush it,too much heat can cause the molten lead to"pop/spatter"and cause it to break down to lead salts.

Sidenote*We cast our melt in"Bakers Secret" coated muffin pans,which amazingly hold up without damage to the coating and allow the lead"muffins" to fall right out once cooled.Maybe I should send a letter to the mfg

Wilsonfire · Nov 20, 2008

I use a big ole cast iron skillet and my gas grill. I made boat anchors. It worked well.

Dick2 · Nov 20, 2008

Guy at work volunteered to set up a small foundry in an outbuilding to make small cast AL parts. Guess he didn't know as much as he thought he did. It rained overnight and he didn't dry the molds that were setting outside before he made his first pour. That molten metal burned him real bad; he didn't come back to work for almost a year.

jose bagge · Nov 20, 2008

Melted used wheel weights all the time to make ballast for stock cars back in the day- we used a plumbers pot to heat and melt it, skimmed out the metal clips (which floated to the top) with mom's old metal cooking spoon, and poured the lead into SBC valve covers which made for a good approx 20lber. A few whacks with a hammer and it would pop right out.
FYI- a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights weights about 60lbs as i recall- about 3 valve covers worth once you get rid of the clips

JML755 · Nov 21, 2008

Reading all the good safety tips made me chuckle. When I was an 11 yr old kid (47 yrs ago) I built a Soap Box Derby car and my dad got hold of some lead sheets from the phone company where he worked that they used to encase big telephone cables. I needed to add about 50# of weight to the nose of the car. I built the nose as a form and my dad said to just melt it with a torch and pour. No gloves, no safety goggles, no instructions, no warnings about the fumes, just "go for it". Man, how did we survive those days? Only an idiot would do the same thing today.

TomH in PA · Nov 21, 2008

The biggest safety issue was already mentioned, a tiny bit of water will instantly turn to a large amount of steam and blow molten lead everywhere.

Also, don't even think of melting lead from lead/acid batteries. It contains other very toxic materials that can kill you when heated.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 23, 2008

Sell the lead, use concrete.

rustyj14 · Nov 24, 2008

When i was a kid, we would melt lead in a ladle, down in the cellar, using the gas hot-plate that Mum heated her wash water on. We had lead soldier molds, and turned out whole armies with them. Being poor wasn't much fun, but we'd ply the local dumps to find scrap pieces of lead. That was back around the 1930's.

Melting Lead

1 Dollar

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bison

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dave guest

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Stan in Oly, WA

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Wardner

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T_Bone

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hay

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Butch(OH)

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Anonymous-0

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Anonymous-0

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keh

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Lefty

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Wilsonfire

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Dick2

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jose bagge

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JML755

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TomH in PA

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Anonymous-0

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rustyj14

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