Best way to cut lead

[olddavid]

At work we used to cut up bars of 63/37 solder with a band saw. The blade teeth were always running down and I don't recall any dust, just tiny pieces of solder.

 

[joeysmith]

Hes not smelting day in day out

Might be able to break chunks off if its a hard lead

 

[urbancase]

do you have a large wet tile cutting saw? i have a small one.

 

[1948CaseVAI]

It's 3" thick.

That doesn't mean an industriao shear won't work. They might charge some fee but would be worth it in time saved.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I already have the molds. We made them years ago with a scuba club I was in. The lead came from salmon fishing tackle salvaged from Lake Michigan.. these slabs weigh about 1500 pounds each.

According to google salvage lead is going for about 50 cents a pound.

 

[Hemmjo]

Use a torch, just melt what you need off the chunk.

 

[jdeere562]

Band saw

Band saw will not work on that lead. I learned the hard way. Melting the chunk wanted off worked best.

 

[ss55]

Ok, it’s kind of weird, but. I scrapped out an abandoned sail boat. (Never let friends store their junk on your farm). I ended up with several slabs of lead approximately 3 inches thick, 15 inches wide by about 30 inches long from the keel as ballast. I want to melt it down and make weights for scuba diving. I would like to cut them down to about 5 pound chunks or so. Sawzall maybe??

At 0.41 pounds of lead per cubic inch, 5 pound chunks would be about what, 12 cubic inches or around 3 X 2 X 2 inch cubes? That would be about 7 cuts down the 30 inch length and 15 cuts across the 15 inch width. 435 Inches of saw kerf 3 inches thick.

A one sixteenth inch wide saw kerf could generate around 30 pounds of lead chips and lead dust to deal with. Double that for a one eighth inch wide saw kerf.

 

[lodoc]

Shear likely best if you have access to one. Easily get manageable chunks and certainly won't damage cutting edge. No dust and few chips. If you choose to use a rotary or reciprocal cutting device suggest: 1) keep moist to minimize dust. 2) Use in area where children/pregnant women cannot access - they are more susceptible to lead poisoning. 3) clean up well. 4) research your smelting process well to protect yourself.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

How about an hatchet or axe and a large hammer.

 

[ss55]

Ok, it’s kind of weird, but. I scrapped out an abandoned sail boat. (Never let friends store their junk on your farm). I ended up with several slabs of lead approximately 3 inches thick, 15 inches wide by about 30 inches long from the keel as ballast. I want to melt it down and make weights for scuba diving. I would like to cut them down to about 5 pound chunks or so. Sawzall maybe??

A local smelter or foundry might be able to melt your slabs whole. They might also cast into your molds or be able to make molds for you.

Do divers weights need to be enclosed in another material like fishing weights?

 

[rrlund]

Can you just use a torch and melt some off a corner and in to your mold?

 

[used red MN]

research your smelting process well to protect yourself.

This would include obtaining and properly wearing a quality respirator such as offered by 3M. Disposable masks such as p95s only “slow down” particulate intake. Example quality Respirator

 

[scootergmc]

Might as well file application with the EPA, contact OSHA, obtain permits, or send the project out to bid at this point.


Hope you got it done already OP.

 

[NDIHC]

And to think we sand cast lead anvils in high school shop class. I don't remember how we cut up and melted the lead. I guess it wasn't something we thought a lot about in the 1980s. I still have my anvil somewhere around the house.

 

[Hemmjo]

And to think we sand cast lead anvils in high school shop class. I don't remember how we cut up and melted the lead. I guess it wasn't something we thought a lot about in the 1980s. I still have my anvil somewhere around the house.

I am thinking you were in reality casting Aluminum anvils in shop class in the 80's. I taught "shop" for 35 years starting in '74. Lead was way too expensive, and hazardous, even back then. If it possible you were casting lead. But if you were making sand molds, and and melting the material in a roaring furnace with the crucible was glowing dull red when you took it out to pour, that was aluminum.

 

[a49deere]

And to think we sand cast lead anvils in high school shop class. I don't remember how we cut up and melted the lead. I guess it wasn't something we thought a lot about in the 1980s. I still have my anvil somewhere around the house.

I really doubt it, lead is too soft to make an anvil! JMHO

 

[used red MN]

I really doubt it, lead is too soft to make an anvil! JMHO

My guess is the anvil shape was used as a “novelty” and probably a miniature size very likely intended as a paper weight.

 

[NDIHC]

My guess is the anvil shape was used as a “novelty” and probably a miniature size very likely intended as a paper weight.

Exactly. They were about 2 inches long, an inch tall and half an inch thick, maybe a little bigger.

 

[Stan Coryell]

Exactly. They were about 2 inches long, an inch tall and half an inch thick.

The anvil couldn't have been lead. You would have surely perished from the toxic matter! It must be chocolate!