something simple and usefull

Tim Wells

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I did that JJ and they broke. I cut a couple 1/4" slices out of a big lead ingot and they both broke right at the sharp 90 degree bend when I beat them over the jaws. My question was originally for Arnaud since he cut his from a sheet; just curious how thick it was.

Maybe mine is some sort of alloy and not solid lead but I don't think so.
 

JJ Roberts

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Tim,The lead I used was very soft,lead used in balancing the wheels on cars easy to work with.J.J.
 

James Roettger

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A friend of mine who does stained glass says lead is absorbed through the skin. He uses latex gloves all day at work. I think pewter would behave the same without the toxicity.
 

Brian Marshall

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Tim,

Did you try to make them out of tire weights or "pure" lead? There is quite a difference in maleability these days.... I can snap some of the modern tire weights in half, but I have lead sheet (40 year old plumbers stuff - not solder) that has been bent to fit vises, blocks and knife clamps at least a dozen times. Doesn't seem to "work harden".


Brian
 
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Andrew Biggs

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The tyre weights are as hard and brittle as hell. One wheel weight in a pot of lead will make it really hard and change the mix. When casting muzzle loading bullets/balls you go for pure lead................when casting center fire bullets you throw in a couple of wheel weights and it hardens them right up.

You can get sheet lead from plumbers supply places down in this part of the world. Not sure about the USA. Generally they should have off cuts if you are lucky.

Tim, you could try cutting a line about half way thorough the lead before you bend, Plus a V grove at the back. That would help alleviate some of the stress on the lead. Or try applying some heat....................just a thought.

Cheers
Andrew
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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Is there something wrong with the lead that I use? it is the one that is used on some part of your roof to make connections waterproof. You can cut it with regular scissors. That is why I said something simple.
I have 40 kilo of that one.

arnaud
 

Andrew Biggs

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Hi Arnaud.

No, there's nothing wrong with the lead you use. It's the same stuff that I was referring to above from a plumbers supplier.

And....it's great for melting down to black powder bullets/balls :)

Cheers
Andrew
 

JJ Roberts

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I like Jims idea,pewter maybe a better way to go it's sure soft enough.Brian mention plumers lead thats also pretty soft,I must have got an old batch of lead weights.J.J.
 
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Tim Wells

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I bet that's what my problem is. The ingot I used is something they used here at work to make loads for cargo aircraft like the C-130 and C-5 to test them I guess before they went to the customer. They don't use them anymore and were laying around all over the place as door stops, chocks, or something to trip over. I got half of one and cut slices off. I use them now, they just don't bend over the top of my vise which is fine. I was originally trying to make a pair for my big bench vise, not my ball vise.

That stuff Arnaud has must be pure lead then. Think I'll check with a plumber supply and see if they have any of that sheet material, it might come in handy.
 

fegarex

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Tim,
I'm guessing that was the problem. I have some lead that was used to cover phone line connections and it was real soft. Hard to say if any plummer has lead any more with all the issues involved in it but maybe an "old school" plummer supply would.
 

mbroder

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I prefer keeping the holes open. You can store the burs you are currently using for any given job right in front of your face.

I'm not sure working with lead is a great idea in the long term.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1341590658.608425.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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DKanger

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I made mine for my bench vise from "American" wheels weights. There are only two companies in the USA who made them and they are marked so. Foreign weights are crap, probably from recycled battery plates or such. They are the ones that are hard and brittle. You can sort them out visually if you know the difference.

I used to sell 500 tires a year in my auto shop and we had several 5 gal. bucketsful of old weights. I melted them and poured them into a flat cookie sheet, then hacksawed them to dimension and pounded them over like JJ did. Worked fine. I also cast roundballs from them for use in my smoothbore flintlock since there is no rifling to worry about.
 

oiseau metal arts

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A friend of mine who does stained glass says lead is absorbed through the skin. He uses latex gloves all day at work. I think pewter would behave the same without the toxicity.

this was my initial thought too. my dr says i already have enough lead in my body and im not even working with the stuff. ill stick with thermo-loc

i mostly do knives and jewelry anyway.
 

Arnaud Van Tilburgh

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My main idea I shared was just covering the holes if you do stone setting. Those 1 mm stones you can loose them quite easy. Also when cutting in gold, I think you would like the gold not falling in the holes, as after that you engrave some Ti, it is all mixed. Just that

arnaud
 
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