Lead ingots

[flatcreek]

If they're really close to the mold design weight, I've got good soft lead.

That I think would be a good way. All I have to do is get a mold. Thanks

 

[flatcreek]

You could find somebody with a lead hardness tester. Plenty of folks in PA that cast lead that should have one. Ask around locally and/or let people here know where in PA you live.

Live near Riegelsville, about 10 miles south of Easton the lead is at my shop in Whitehall.
Phil

 

[smoothshooter]

The only way to know for sure is to melt some and pour into a mold.

675 to 725 degrees.

If it pours well, keep it and use it.

Also, if you drop it on the ground and goes THUD it's very close to pure lead.

If it rings like a bell, it has additives. Tin. Antimony. Zinc. Etc.

Make sure to drop your test sample on a
concrete floor.
Not wood or tile.

 

[Spillikins]

With those ingots it would be simple to cut off the ends to make a nice cylinder, then calculate the volume, weigh it and work out the specific gravity. Compare the result with that of pure lead. That hardly requires a mathematical genius, especially with calculators freely available on the web.

 

[William O.]

They're window weights, go inside old fashioned window frames to counter-weight the window going up and down. (Pre-vinyl!)

Yep, they look just like the counter weights we took out of my grand parent's house, built in the 1920's. They were not pure lead BTW, much too hard.

 

[kevin mcshane]

Came across these ingots some years ago. There lead to me but what do I know. Is there a way to tell what it is and what its good for. Probably about 20# a piece and seems soft, I can drive a awl in it fairly easy. May want to start casting or trade it off. I see people always looking for lead.View attachment 245533

 

[kevin mcshane]

Came across these ingots some years ago. There lead to me but what do I know. Is there a way to tell what it is and what its good for. Probably about 20# a piece and seems soft, I can drive a awl in it fairly easy. May want to start casting or trade it off. I see people always looking for lead.View attachment 245533

melt them down outside and if you can put on a mask as you don't know where or what there from

 

[t.willis]

looks like it was cast in a linotype mold.

 

[jimairwin]

The only way to know for sure is to melt some and pour into a mold.

675 to 725 degrees.

If it pours well, keep it and use it.

Also, if you drop it on the ground and goes THUD it's very close to pure lead.

If it rings like a bell, it has additives. Tin. Antimony. Zinc. Etc.

The easiest thing to do is try to scratch/cut it with your thumbnail. If it digs in pretty readily it's soft enough for casting lead round. balls.

 

[ibud38]

These likely came from an old school. If they where cast iron they were for windows, lead was used for the 'double chalk board' system where you raised the outer board up exposing the next board underneath. They were sometimes square in shape.

 

[springfield art]

Well, they're some kind of weight! I'd hate to drop one on my foot! (Steel toe boots, y'all!)

 

[springfield art]

I see a guy almost every week at a sale I attend who says he has lots of Lead; I gotta ask what form it's in and what he wants for it. I have the Lyman ingot mold and a furnace, but don't really cast that much at present.

 

[Nav]

I buy from a commercial supplier. I call, he walks out the loading dock with a 50lb quadruple ingot, and I give him two $20s. He said the paperwork alone would be $40. He buys his guys pizza with the money. 99.9% pure. The only hassle is breaking apart the ingots. They’re thick, so I use a cold chisel.

 

[ibud38]

Well, they're some kind of weight! I'd hate to drop one on my foot! (Steel toe boots, y'all!)

Yeah for sure, those blackboards were some heavy, needing plenty of counter balance.

 

[flatcreek]

Well the jury is back, there to hard. Cut an end off and took it up to Dixons and let Greg take a look at it.
He checked it and we compared it with ingots he had there, this was way harder. He did say they would be good for making other types of bullets. Oh well, not sure I wanted to start casting anyway, got building a rifle on my mind.
Phil

 

[64Springer]

Way harder can still be melted down and turned into balls.

 

[nhmoose]

Look like Linotype to me. Drop on cement they will ring if they are and they will be hard Modern casters love it to harden range lead.

 

[64Springer]

Look like Linotype to me. Drop on cement they will ring if they are and they will be hard Modern casters love it to harden range lead.

Great stuff for deadly animal bullets.

The ultimate in penetration.

 

[le125verne]

Came across these ingots some years ago. There lead to me but what do I know. Is there a way to tell what it is and what its good for. Probably about 20# a piece and seems soft, I can drive a awl in it fairly easy. May want to start casting or trade it off. I see people always looking for lead.View attachment 245533

They appear to be lead that was used on "lead sleds" in the 50s.

 

[1853enfield]

without a doubt they are linotype used in the printing industry until the mid 1970's and are harder than just about any alloy around . the standard alloy is 4% tin and 12% antimony. they make great hard cast rifle bullets if you want to drive them fast and shoot high pressure loads.. don't sell it cheap as bullet casters love the stuff and pay a hefty price for them. Much to hard for anything in the muzzle loading sport. They are actually used to mix hard alloy half and half wheel weights or pure lead. in my cast bullet rifle shooting i find lino harder than i need and use very little of it. years ago i knew a man who worked for the local news paper when they were getting rid of it. he would up giving me around 500 lbs and i put most of it down the barrel of many rifle and pistol loads.. it really makes great looking bullets and has enough tin to flow easily. i am down to my last 150 lbs of it and am using it up. no reason at my age to save it as i am getting fairly crippled up and cant shoot like i used to. i only make it to the range once a week. all my shooting is done with cast bullets. i love the low recoil and noise level and have shot many 1 inch groups ( ok and many more over an inch )