casting lead

[BrokenBiker]

need some info about lead casting. I know all about the health risks regarding lead fumes and dust, I used to work in a battery factory shuffling lead plates 8 hours a day. I still have 2 brand new masks in my locker in work so am fine on that front.

things I need to know, what temp does lead melt and become fluid enough to pour, and secondly, will I be ok using an old stainless camping saucepan as a crucible.

its only for one job, I have been doing lead flashing all day, have a lot more left over than I expected, whoever cut it onto the roll must have had a dodgy tape, I used just over 2M of the last roll and still have 2M left from a 3M roll...anyway, only making a lead faced hammer for the guy that wants the English wheel in work. something to do with tank building I think, not sure though

 

[mike 109444]

When I use to do lead fishing weights I could use the gas stove and that was with a stainless heating bowl. So quite low temp needed. Don't forget to have some thing to hand to draw off the slag (old kitchen fork) and somewhere to put the slag, foil dish?

 

[BrokenBiker]

When I use to do lead fishing weights I could use the gas stove and that was with a stainless heating bowl. So quite low temp needed. Don't forget to have some thing to hand to draw off the slag (old kitchen fork) and somewhere to put the slag, foil dish?

i thought it was low, somewhere around the 400 celcius mark rings a bell from where i used to work, they cast the terminal lugs on and 400 sounds familiar.

i have a big stainless serving spoon that has been used for drossing off and an old plant pot to drop the dross in

 

[Parm]

Lead melts around 340 degrees such that you can pour it. A camping pan will probably be too thin and light weight for this task and likely to buckle and be unsafe. Your better off trying to get an old cast iron pan, say from a charity shop or salvage / reclamation yard type place

How do you plan to heat the lead?

 

[BrokenBiker]

I have propane and a bit of oxygen left so will make a temporary forge from fire bricks

 

[gordon stephenson]

When you do pour the molten lead into the mould make sure it is perfectly dry, Otherwise the lead will come back at you a 1000 times quicker than it went in,

 

[Parm]

I have propane and a bit of oxygen left so will make a temporary forge from fire bricks

Propane torch directed at the lead in a pot should be enough heat to melt, plumbers used the same to melt lead solder on to copper pipes to form water tight joints

How you making the mould?

 

[mcostello]

If You use a cast iron pan to melt the lead in, could You please break the pan in two, and throw away the pieces in two batches of garbage so some one does not weld them together.

 

[julianf]

Ive melted both lead and aluminium on our rayburn. Lead on the hotplate, and aluminium in the firebox.

Carrying 600c (ish) aluminium across the kitchen floor is not the best of plans, but, hey, i have to try these things to be able to advise others not to bother! ; )

 

[awemawson]

327.5 degrees C and it is quite fluid when melted

 

[gordon stephenson]

The pot i melted the lead in was homemade, just welded a bottom and a handle onto a short piece of 3"dia pipe and heated it with a roofers type propane torch,,

 

[AndyP]

When I melt my lead for making shot it is molten at under 300c but the mix also contains tin and antimony which may affect that. Alloys seem to have a slushy stage which I don't think pure metals do.

 

[armalites]

I've melted lead in a heavy aluminium with no issues to make fishing weights. As already mentioned water can cause horrific concequences. I had a lead weight that my son found on the beach that must of had some water in it even though . Fortunately I heard it fizzing and got back before it exploded and deposited drips of molten lead everywhere.

 

[Robotstar5]

Used to recover the lead from the backstop on the range to re-cycle back into bullet heads, used an iron pot on a camping stove. I think the lead was called Linotype?.

 

[BrokenBiker]

If You use a cast iron pan to melt the lead in, could You please break the pan in two, and throw away the pieces in two batches of garbage so some one does not weld them together.

or i could just keep it...

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I made a lead mallet in my youth, cut a hole in the side of an empty soup tin can, inserted a length of steel pipe and then filled the tin can up with molten lead. Wait for it to cool then cut the tin off. It has been reincarnated many times when it gets really deformed, just remelt and pour in to a fresh tin and new handle.
I now use the tall thin soup cans though rather than the traditional size cans as its too much of a 'persuader' with a big can.

 

[Kent]

Its no biggy, make sure if you use a mold its pre-warmed and dry. Yes it hates water be careful you don't even drip a bead of sweat into the pan. I have even used wood moulds in the past but they are good for just one go and no means perfect.

Seriously consider using a full face visor rather than just specs just in case, as others have said even ali pans work fine I have even done this on a camping stove adding extra heat from a blow lamp

 

[AndyP]

Used to recover the lead from the backstop on the range to re-cycle back into bullet heads, used an iron pot on a camping stove. I think the lead was called Linotype?.

Linotype is the name given to strips of printing typeface from the old pre-computer printing industry, line-of-type. It contains a high percentage of antimony, about 12% to make it hard and durable along with a few percent of tin to help fill out the mould when cast. For bulletmaking it is mixed with pure lead down to whatever strength is needed for any given application and more tin might be added too. For shotmaking it is usually mixed 1-3 with lead to make a shot pellet that is about 3% antimony this help to stop the pellet deforming on its rather urgent journey up the barrel which helps to hold the shot cloud together and improve longer range effectiveness.

 

[awemawson]

The antimony has the unusual property of expanding as it goes from liquid to solid. This is why it is in type metal - the expansion fills the mould better and gives a sharper image. It also hardens the lead.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Done a bit of casting lead for boat ballast. Used an old gas cylinder and a biggish burner from a gas water heater. Welded a tube spout to the bottom of the gas cylinder for pouring. This avoids the slag on top. (Think an old tea pot) Welded a couple of bits of bar onto the cylinder as pivots, so I just tilted it to pour into the moulds.

Even with the big gas heater, a torch helps to get a pool in the cylinder, then the lead melts much faster.
People have used wooden moulds to cast their boat keels, up to several tons. Bit of care in support, usually by burying it in the ground. coating the inside with water glass helps. The pouring temp just chars the wood. Old cast iron baths are popular as melting pots.
Some good vids on the Wooden Boat Forum.