Cutting large chunks of lead

Firewood splitter quick and easy

I routinely buy 60+ pound pigs from the foundry. I now have melting pot that will hold the entire pig.

But I have chopped them up before also. I do not recommend any kind of saw. This will generate a lot of lead bits that you have to clean up.

The easiest way is to use a hammer and a hatchet. Hammer the hatchet through the lead. It is amazing how soft the lead is and how easily the hatchet will drive through the lead. In about 20 hammer blows you can chop through a pig.

Wear safety glasses because when you are hammering a hardened steel hatchet with a hardened steel hammer there is the potential for spalling with a piece of steel flying off of the hammer or hatchet.

I'd recommend a cheap-ass hammer and hatchet from Harbor Freight or somesuch if possible.

Tom A Hawk said:

After the chainsaw I melted the chunks down over a charcoal forge, then into ingots for the lead pot.

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that is a lot of lead. never seen that much

I use a bandsaw with 3/4 teeth to the inch. I also oil the cut line it cuts much easier. Then clean up. Still much faster than a hammer and hatchet.

Sidney Smith said:

And melting lead in a pot won't? Just do it outside where there's fresh air. I think you will be fine.

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No, it won't, unless you exceed 900F, at which point your castings will have a hammered, frosty appearance.

Perkiomen Bruce said:

Hello,
I have a literal brick of lead. Obviously much too large to fit into my casting pot. What method(s) could be used to cut small sliced off this mass?
Thanks,
Bruce

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Believe it or not, a chainsaw really works great. I have helped cut up lead counter weights that came in 500 pound blocks. Place on a large tarp to collect the shavings. And it doesn't really dull the chain.

ADK Bigfoot said:

Propane torch works for me. I am less concerned with vapors than I am with microfine particles from a saw. Work outdoors with a mild breeze and stay upwind!

ADK Bigfoot

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I'm with you. Propane much cheaper than Cutting gas. I use a weed burner on a 20 pounder outside. No effort no mess.

Thank you all again.
I think I'll go for the axe/chisel/splitting wedge approach. I could shift over the a propane torch as a second option. Agree with many to avoid dust by power tool cutting if possible.

75 pound lead tile for x-ray room construction

If I have to do it again I think I’ll get a wood chisel at a flea market. I don’t like the idea of using a saw because of loosing lead as saw dust. A cold chisel will work but being so blunt it doesn’t just slice through the lead.

IanH said:

A big campfire works, too. Let the lead melt and run through the ashes. Break up pieces when cool and remelt in a pot.

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I’d bet that would work, but to keep it from just reforming into one lump one would probably have to move it around a bit.

Shiloh said:

If I have to do it again I think I’ll get a wood chisel at a flea market. I don’t like the idea of using a saw because of loosing lead as saw dust. A cold chisel will work but being so blunt it doesn’t just slice through the lead.

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No dust. The sawn chips are as big as the gullet of the saw blade. With a chain saw the curls of lead are easily raked up and retrieved.

A tile saw. It is sharp enough and the water keeps debri down with no fumes. Some of these other methods are dangerous to your health.

Got to love the Jerry Nadler reference above. Couldn't help laughing out loud after reading it.

Nothing that makes sawdust

Whughett said:

I’ve used various ways. A saws all works well with a blade designed for tree limbs. My wood shop band saw, but that leaves a lot of chips to clean up.
Had a large number of plumber ingots that would not fit my small Lee pot. I used a propane torch to melt them into the pot.
Any hand saw that is sharp will cut lead.

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In my profession I’ve literally cut up tons of lead brick size ingots of lead. The cutting device was a production level band saw. The blade was a 1/4” skip tooth blade with 4 teeth per inch and it was run at 300 feet per minute. As this was done now many years ago, new advice may be available but at the time this was a success.

I totally forgot that I had bought a portable band saw some years ago. Of course it is arguable as to how portable it really is. I need to dig it out of my shed. But the hatchet and hand sledge looks promising too.

earlwb said:

a nice back yard camp fire and a big iron pot would work too,

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I tried that with a large cast iron kettle my wife has and I forged a tripod to hang it from. Took me a while to live that down when she saw what I was up to.

1971fx said:

75 pound lead tile for x-ray room construction

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That's a chunk!

A friend of miner once bought a lead elevator counterweight. He used a welding torch to cut it / make it drip into a large iron pot.

You have not told us how big this "brick" its. If it is really only about 25 pounds or so (Rotometals sell;s a

Lead Brick 2" x 4" x 8" 99.9% Pure weighing 26 and a fraction pounds​

your least-effort path may be a sledgehammer and a cold chisel. I have done that to cut large bars of lead down to size. Used a stump for a cutting surface.
On the other hand Rotometals has on their web site a large cublcal block of lead, 100 pounds (6"x6'x7") and at that point the torch looks like the best solution.