All right, might be getting some lead.

[Ole_270]

Son just texted me that the plant he's working right now is doing some retrofitting. Got an elevator to be replaced in the deal. 4,000 lb elevator and the counterweights should be 1:1, so 4,000 lbs of counterweights. One of the mechanics told him they were lead. Scott said it would be a while till they got into it enough to find out what they really are, but if lead he could get them for free. Now that's a price I like. He seemed to think the bars would be around 500 lbs each.
Always knew that boys engineering degree would pay off.

 

[S Mac]

Lots of casting there!

 

[Ole_270]

Don't want to think about trying to use it up with the old 2 holer Lee 50 caliber REAL mold.
Even one of the bars with what I have on hand would about see me through till I get too old to cast.

 

[Rick]

Converting to grains and casting 160 gr 30 cal bullets that may sound like a lot of lead but it's only 150,000 bullets. Or 200 gr 45 cal is only 120,000, With either and a 2 cav mold it's a mere 75,000 or 60,000 fills of the mold assuming all are good bullets Should keep ya busy for awhile.

 

[Brad]

If 2 tons is some what would you classify as a bunch?

 

[Ole_270]

Any guesses as to alloy? Not a home built elevator, it’s been a freight elevator in a manufacturing plant for a long time. guessing it’s probably pretty close to plumbers lead. I told him to drop some acid on it to check for zinc, a little antimony and maybe copper would help it hold up to all the trips up and down

 

[Ole_270]

If I end up with even half of it there will be some available for others. Would be a lot of cutting and ingot molding. Might be a cure for my boredom since I retired

 

[Rick]

Going back enough years pure lead was cheap and easy to get in bars of your choice straight from a foundry. Should be no stress on the lead as elevator counter weights, if it's old enough it's most likely pure lead, no need for them to scrounge up scrap or mess with alloys.

 

[Rick]

a cure for my boredom since I retired

That went right over my head. Can't make a bit of sense of that. Been retired for 8 years now and can't find any boredom any place but it might be a nice little diversion for a change.

 

[fiver]

depends on how it was hung.
I'd bet in a basket or support cage of some type. [cheap insurance and cheaper lead could be used]
that would indicate pretty much straight lead, or maybe some antimony [like 1%] if there is a need to fill out some writing, or pegs, or whatever on the side.

 

[Bret4207]

That went right over my head. Can't make a bit of sense of that. Been retired for 8 years now and can't find any boredom any place but it might be a nice little diversion for a change.

I was going to offer something along the same lines of an observation. The last thing I have to worry about is boredom. Unending stress, yes. Boredom, no.

 

[Ole_270]

Actually been thinking of going back to work part time. Growing up on a dairy farm, I've been working since I was a little kid. Just doesn't seem right to sit around with little productive activity going on.

 

[Rick]

Between things I need to be doing and things I like to do and things I am doing there isn't much sitting around time. Never been a couch potato, no reason to start now. Whatever I am doing there is a long list of things I could/should be doing.

 

[OS OK]

If you do get them, think about what type of ingot you want to make.
* Ingots need to stack well, take up as little space as possible & stay put, be easy to identify as to lead type and most important to me...have an ingot that will stack well in the cast pot so that my whole pot will fill in one loading and I won't have to feed the cast pot until all the odd shaped ingots are melted and ready to cast with.

These ingots average 2.5 pounds each, my ladle holds that much so that's all I put in each cavity.

Here in this wire basket is 430 pounds, you can imagine the space that 4K pounds will require. This is different lead and the ends got painted so I can keep track of the different hardnesses even though it is all stacked together. The ingots on top were tested and marked for reference.

Once all my muffin ingots and other odd shaped ingots are gone, there will not be anything in stock but these bars.

Here is 18 pounds of ingots in the Lee 4-20 pot all melting down at the same time...no feeding the pot required. If all your lead stock is in bar type, it is easy to weigh out different leads you want to blend and put them in the pot all together.

 

[Ian]

I acquired some stage curtain counterweights one time, about 25 lbs each as I recall, rectangular but notched on the ends so they would stack onto a plate with two long rods welded to it and not fall off. The metal was fairly low antimony, similar to average range lead, quite useful for handguns and heat-treatable for use in rifles.

 

[Ole_270]

I like that color coding idea OS OK. I've got 5 molds about like yours, just 5" long that pour a little over 2 lbs. I've been using muffin tins for bulk storage and the angles for blended, ready to use stock. I think that will change in the not too distant future. Looking for some 3" channel drop offs to use for the bulk stuff.
The elevator tear down isn't scheduled till later next spring, so it will be a while before I find out anything.

 

[OS OK]

I enjoy making ingots as much as I do casting these days.
There's just something about a fresh pile-O-ingots that's soothing to the soul!

I sure hope this deal works for'Ya.

 

[Hawk]

OS OK, that's exactly what I have in the way of ingot molds. They stack great!

 

[fiver]

stack great with no wasted air space.
nowhere near as tedious to stack as the little ingots either.

find yourself an old bed frame kicking around, they have plenty of angle iron to make a couple of these molds.

 

[Bret4207]

OS OK, and here I was worried I was getting too super organized by finally making the wrench board I'd wanted for 45 years the other day. You got me beat all to heck man! Sweet!