Hello all. Just found this site today. I usually buy my lead by the pound on eBay. However I recently came across a sheet of lead that weighs about 60 lbs. It is about an inch thick. What is the best way to cut this into small pieces for my small melting pot?
Cutting Lead
- Thread starter lcookie
- Start date
LedHed
Sponsor
Welcome aboard Ic. You mightwant to try a hammer & chisel.
Jig Man
Active member
Some one will be along soon. Welcome to Jig Craft from West Texas...
LedHed
Sponsor
No worries. Cutting lead is no fun. An ax would work also. Now if you had a cutting torch.......
Ron Don
Future Sponsor
Wow thats a thick sheet of lead! Torch would be nice for this. A recip. saw would speed things up also just go easy with the trigger!
smalljaw
New member
an inch thick sheet for me would either be done outside with a reciprocating saw (sawzall) or cut but torch but I think the saw would be better just because good lead is easy to cut, I had small sheet lead that was a little less than an 1/8" thick and I used pliers and a side cutter to get off chunks and melt down, good luck with that piece.
Fatman
Active member
I'd get a couple of large cookie sheetsand then take the sheet put in on some blocks over the trays, score some lines with a nail and then use a propane torch to melt it into long strips. Any melt gets caught by the trays. OR if you're looking for a workout use the axe and sledge.
plateboater
New member
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
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My uncle had a piece several hundred pounds from a sail boat about 10 yrs ago.....Chainsaw!!!!
Fatman
Active member
Man can you say sharpnel!!!!!!!!!!
Ron Don
Future Sponsor
In xray sheets I just use a good pair of tin snips. But sawZall will be perfect for this.
upnort16
New member
Working on race car ballast weights, poured lead/wheel weights, a saw does little to cut thick sections. I have tried a sawzall with coarse blade and slow speed, nope. Tried band saw set at slowest speed, nope, tried same with coolant wash, nope! I did not try a chainsaw and probably won't. One way I got through a 4 inch thick 6 inch wide chunk was using an old axe head in the hydraulic press. It pushed it through all right, but not easily. I feel the shearing, wedging, chiseling, chop is the answer on a one inch thick piece. Lead will drill if you get the speed and feed rate right. So I guess you could drill a line of holes to facilitate removal, Or just start melting it into usable ingots and make a day of it. By the way, we no longer use lead, we use solid steel for weight for ballast.
Fatman
Active member
When I was stationed at Plattsburgh AFB, NY our old personnel office was the old hospital and when the room was renovated we took out some hugh sheets of lead 6" thick and 8' High. One of the guys took a jack hammer to it and small blocks of lead were taken quickly!!!!!!! Once you get an edge melting it will go quick and 1" shouldn't take long at all. And if an axe head and sledge should be easy enough to whack chunks small enough for a lead melter, you would get a work out though.
Well I don't have a saw so I will have to use manual labor to do it. I am now considering cutting it into quaters and then melting the entire thing down in a large pot and pouring into a muffin tin. I just don't have an old pot large enough to hold it. Off to the thrift store I guess. I also have some blocks of lead that are 4 by 6 by 6. I will melt those down at the same time. Weekend project here I come. Thanks for all the ideas guys.
blt
New member
I used a recip. saw with a bi-metal blade to do some lead cutting. Went through a few blades. I have some 1"-5/4" lead to cut myself. I'm going to try the cold chisel and hamer.