Lead molds

[pestguard1]

I use a old cast iron sause pan that I found at my local car boot sale....it has a lip spout on on side for easy pouring,try to get hold of a ring poker that roofers use to melt your lead,and as for heating your mould with a candle......ha.... the first lot of lead that you pour in will heat your mould enough and your leads will come out with no problem......without all this soot efect jargon.

Dont forget once your lead has been into salt water a couple of times it will go as dull as hell............UNLESS YOU POWDER COAT THEM

If you want to make variouse sizes of weights try getting a "ajusti mould" that will do weights from 2 oz to 9 oz, there are plenty for sale on Ebay and try your local sea angler........Gerry`s of Morecambe do them also.

I make leads/lead heads all the time for sale on Ebay

[ColinW]

The most important thing about lead making is to do it safely.

Lead fumes are poisonous so do it outside.

Molten metal "explodes" on contact with water so make sure your moulds are COMPLETELY dry. It also helps to heat them up with a blowlamp, at least for the first lead you make, as it helps stop the lead solidifying on contact.

Wear safety goggles and leather gloves (all your equipment can get very hot).

Remove the leads from the moulds as soon as they solidify then put them aside to cool down before you handle them. If you make them one after another fairly quickly then the mould stays hot and the lead runs better.

Use a small, strong pan because you don't want molten lead slopping around in a big pan, it's heavy stuff.

[MrWiggly]

Some good advice given so far on here ...

 

When you melt the lead all the impurities will come to the top. Commonly known as "dross". This needs to be removed before you pour the lead. Scrape it off with a piece of dry wood, and make sure it lands somewhere dry. The lead should be nice and shiny when you pour it into the mould.

 

Remember ... not a drop of water anywhere near that lead, or the mould !!!

 

[ 28. July 2005, 08:34 PM: Message edited by: MrWiggly ]

[five bellies]

Pestgaurd The candle thing used to be recomended by gemini maybe that is now not the case.But its not Jargon as you put it. The moulds when new tend not to cast as well as one that has developed a patina on its inner surfaces the soot tides you over untill that happens. You have no problems because no dought your moulds are well used

the advise that I offerd was in good faith to someone who is just starting out pouring thier own leads.

[chesters1]

forget gas for melting lead ,try your humble barbie and a leaf blower ,itl melt lead in seconds but the bottom of the barbie doesent last long,use an iron melting pot not aluminium as it will either explode or melt itself and catch fire ,chesters1 humble blast furnace advice no2.

use a large pan and ladle out the quantity you want for each fill using an iron ladle with a bolted handle rather than welded or riveted.

with plenty of charcoal it will melt iron too so watch that barbie otherwise you will have a surprise.

 

[ 28. July 2005, 10:32 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[five bellies]

Bl##dy hell chesters thats what I call a Lead Smelter.

 

You possibly wernt bored one day were you?

 

Id never have thought that one up in a hundred years

[chesters1]

old chesters1 may talk crap but usually he has tried it first,you can melt several feet of lead pipe ,it gets so hot you can just feed it in ,but as mentioned make sure its dry ,paint isnt a problem BUT water is deadly (i have had a very near miss with an exploding mould) but for short runs wooden molds can be easily made for prototype shapes.

as mentioned lead is heavy and 30 or 40 lbs at a time may crush your barbie in a trice so remove its legs and stand it in a depression in the ground ,the leaf blower is an electric one and its about all its fit for oh and blowing dust out of your telly or monitor/pc ,pixel dust has a peculier taste.

stout gloves and a full faced crash helmet are a must but goggles are ok at a pinch.

we actually got the idea melting enough lead at once to cast a pair of keel weights ,even a pukka gas ring for melting tar was insufficiant so we had a play

 

[ 28. July 2005, 10:46 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[Fastd]

Tynesidetiddler,

If you dont know a "friendly roofer" I just bought 50 kg of lead from the scrap metal dealers just of the western bypass dunston turn off for £12 which I thought was reasonable. the turn off after the metro centre heading north. You can also get some stainless pipe there for jiggers.

 

Dave

[Toerag]

Chesters, should you find the airblower insufficient for your needs, then this site may be of use:-

http://www.doeblitz.net/ghg/

To warm my mould I just lay both halves open on the bench and cast a couple of 'half weights' without bothering to put wires in, this means you get the mould hot without wasting wires on partially moulded leads. The pressure cooker idea is good too, I hadn't thought of that. If you can get hold of one from a carboot sale an old BT lead cable jointer's stove works well. I can keep enough lead molten to cast 10x10oz supazooms in one go using a butane cylinder. Allegedly getting a 'modified' regulator to allow more gas through helps, try a welding supplier. As for cutting up gas cylinders it's actually dead easy. Use an 8mm metal bit to slowly drill 2 holes in the top and fill it with water to displace any gas left inside. Empty it out and cut in half with a hacksaw. The metal is actually pretty soft so you won't have any problems.

[MrWiggly]

Jeeeze ...

 

This is getting serious !!