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Looking for Useful uses for lead

J

justin1

Super User
I got few buckets of lead/zinc wheel weights from a tire shop and was gonna hoard some zinc for brass making and then use some of the lead for Babbitt and few lead hammers.

Besides those uses I was curious if anyone had any other uses a guy could do with lead around the workshop considering I probly have 150lbs of it and talking to the tire shop I got it from they are having a hard time giving the stuff away these days so maybe a guy wants to pour lead statue or line the bedroom walls with it.
 

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The lead (NOT Zinc) wheel weights are prized by bullet casters. I'm surprised they are having a hard time giving it away unless it's mostly zinc which most wheel weights are these days.
 
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YYCHM said:
The lead (NOT Zinc) wheel weights are prized by bullet casters. I'm surprised they are having a hard time giving it away unless it's mostly zinc.
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Nope mostly lead so far I thought there would be more zinc but from the 1 bucket I've started sorting it's 20% steel 60% lead and 10% zinc and 10% wheel lug nuts
 
Darren said:
i have a few pails of wheel weights too. How do you separate the zinc?
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Zinc is a lot harder then the lead and makes different sound when you tap it on concrete.

Another way if you can control melting temp is to keep the lead under zinc melting temp and it just floats on top.

Some weights also have ZN stamped on them

 

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ok, I thought maybe the zinc was in an alloy with the lead. I'm pretty sure the zinc weights are noticeably lighter as well. The factory weights were light weight for their size. Must be zinc.
 
Darren said:
ok, I thought maybe the zinc was in an alloy with the lead. I'm pretty sure the zinc weights are noticeably lighter as well. The factory weights were light weight for their size. Must be zinc.
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Could be steel aswell as they are very light compared to to other weights Easy to test with magnet.

probly is mixed in to some extent as wheel weights are sorta mutt metal can be pure or have various amounts of tin zinc antimony and few other things mixed in.

I would like to figure out how to purify the lead so I can make better quality Babbitt.

Hardness testing lead neat trick for maybe guys interested in bullet casting

 
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Tons of raccoons in my neighbourhood, but law enforcement seems less tolerant to firearm discharges in the big smoke than when I was a kid in the country :)

I'd say a dead blow hammer but not sure I'd want to be depositing lead on machines and tooling. You can get lead poisoning from handling, indeed every-time you do handle it lead enters the body (why they are always washing hands and firing ranges) so its best for stuff that isn't being handled.
 
I make custom fishing jigs, and have a couple years supply of lead for casting at the rate I go through them. Roof flashing, wheelweights, diving weights, etc all good sources of lead. Bullet casting is far more particular about type of lead from what I read although I've never done any, I have just a glancing interest in that. I don't shoot nearly enough to worry about casting my own. Pretty sad when I can count on one hand, maybe two the amount of rounds I squeeze off anymore.

I've wanted to make a little shot tower, and turn a bunch of it into shot, to sew into weighted bags, or weld some tubes closed for gravity clamps etc, but so far it's just been one of those projects.......
 
@Dan Dubeau
Shot tower would be fun but I think there more then 200'

@thestelster
I thought about some soft jaws using some of the harder lead so it would last longer.

@Mcgyver
That's why I like being in the sticks more then city I can get away with more stuff :)

not sure if handling lead is much worse then oil as both can cause problems with long term exposure. I think ingesting lead or vaporizing it were the most danger is

@Upnorth @6.5 Fan
There is a fellow who does lead fishing stuff actually not that far from me. Not sure how much of it he sells but not sure if that something I would want to do as don't really want to buy the supplies and deal with selling them lol

@slow-poke
I could fill my small drill press column with lead maybe make it quiter but probly add 100lbs to it
 
This is the type of shot maker I was thinking of making.

Much shorter. I have no real need for one, but just thought it would be a cool project for "someday".
 
justin1 said:
not sure if handling lead is much worse then oil as both can cause problems with long term exposure. I think ingesting lead or vaporizing it were the most danger is
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I don't really know either, just have the following anecdote. I was a guest at a range/club with a friend who noted a lady member there ended up in the hospital with lead poisoning from handling it at the club. She was really into the club and "always" there but the warning seem clear enough, skin absorption is real and can be at dangerous levels.

Just an anecdote, not authoritative view or science, but I've been better safe than sorry about it since.
 
From my research skin absorption is possible, but even more so through your mucus membranes than through hand/skin contact contact. More likely to be an issue if you handle it, then touch your eyes, nose, mouth more frequently before washing. Also, don't breathe or stand over the melting pot when casting. Stay upwind if outside, or have good ventilation if inside.
 
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