Mitty38
Well-Known Member
Had a bit of 3/8" to 3/4" lead plate given to me lately.
A lot of it was in huge sheets that I was not looking forward to cut into pot sized bits.
So I was playing with different Ideas I read on the internet. Tried bending in a vice till it broke....too much work.
Tried a fiber wheel blew lead dust all over. Tin snips, while I had good success with sheet, they were a joke, for lead that thick.
Tried a circular saw, we use those with a rip saw, wood blade, at work to cut aluminum, so why not???. Blew led pellet's all over the place.
Then I got an idea.
Put down some plastic. Got out the Ole' Milwaukee Saws All, and the coarsest wood blade I could find.
It made slick work of all the plate lead I had, in about an hour. Then I just funneled the little lead "bb's" left on the plastic sheet into an old coffee can for melting.
No muss, contamination, or lead exposure just make sure you lay down a big enough sheet of plastic to catch the bb's that fall off during cutting and good to go.
As far as other lead maybe the other Ideas are better, but 3/8 to 3/4" plate this seams to be the way to go.
Just thought I would share. Never thought of a Saws All as tool of the casting craft till now. But with my current lead sources, it will probably be one of my most valuable casting tools for a while.
A lot of it was in huge sheets that I was not looking forward to cut into pot sized bits.
So I was playing with different Ideas I read on the internet. Tried bending in a vice till it broke....too much work.
Tried a fiber wheel blew lead dust all over. Tin snips, while I had good success with sheet, they were a joke, for lead that thick.
Tried a circular saw, we use those with a rip saw, wood blade, at work to cut aluminum, so why not???. Blew led pellet's all over the place.
Then I got an idea.
Put down some plastic. Got out the Ole' Milwaukee Saws All, and the coarsest wood blade I could find.
It made slick work of all the plate lead I had, in about an hour. Then I just funneled the little lead "bb's" left on the plastic sheet into an old coffee can for melting.
No muss, contamination, or lead exposure just make sure you lay down a big enough sheet of plastic to catch the bb's that fall off during cutting and good to go.
As far as other lead maybe the other Ideas are better, but 3/8 to 3/4" plate this seams to be the way to go.
Just thought I would share. Never thought of a Saws All as tool of the casting craft till now. But with my current lead sources, it will probably be one of my most valuable casting tools for a while.
Last edited: