Mold for pouring lead?

I have a few hundred lbs of wheels weights and im planing on melting them down. What I'm wanting to do is make a long (36 inch) brick size (3 inch high) mold to pour the lead into. Ideally, I would like for it to be flat on one side and have a 90degree angle at the other (so it can fit snugly against a wall.) I'm wanting to run this piece/pieces on the floor down the side of my engine cover.

My question is, could I make this out of plywood? Any ideas of anything else I could use? If this is not possible, what could I use as a mold for a long brick shape. Thanks

We used a metal bread pan and it made a heck of a brick.

I don't have that much room in my boat so I want to make it so it will take up the least amount of space possible. I will probably end up using bread pans if this doesn't work out.

This is sort of what im talking about. The total length is 36 inches. I assume I will need 2 or 3 bricks though.

I would get a 3" x 3" angle iron and weld plates on the ends. Run a piece of rod from end to end then pour it full of lead. When you get done you have a very good 90 degree just like your picture.

Thats a great idea, but i might be missing something, what is the rod for?

When you put the lead into the angle it will more than likely want to fall out after it cools. I think the rod going end to end will prevent this from happening.

I made some molds out of wood (solid pine) screwed together. They were rectangles through. The mold worked 2 times and then came apart so I just used bread pans for the rest of the lead. Hope this helps.

The rod will need to be welded into the end caps to work.

Wouldn't you want the lead to fall out of the mold after it cools so you could make more lead bars?

I've made lots of lead bricks in bread pans. The angle iron idea would work well. You could remove the lead bar from the angle iron and use it many times.

Could some one give me a rough estimate of how much a one of these bricks would weight if it was 18 inches long? I tried to do it with some math, but it came out to 5 pounds? That can't be right. I was wanting at least 50 pounds on each side.

Bill: Would the angle iron be permanent? or would it be a mold? I still don't get the rod part, but I like the idea so far.

(Message edited by malibu73 on June 12, 2007)

We made a bunch of bricks using a small block chevy valve cover as a mold. I would guess they were approx. 3x4x20, and on average weighed 55lbs.

Small block Chevy valve covers make great molds. I think each one is about 60 pounds.

small block chevy valve covers work killer!

I wouldn't leave the angle iron on. Iron rust and lead doesn't. Lead weighs .4094 pounds per cubic inch. So an angle piece 3X3X20 would weigh 33 pounds.

chad, go get some 3 or 4" pvc pipe and fill them. that's what i've done. 2 1/2 feet long or so is 25 pds with 3". I just did the 4" today, and have yet to weigh it. I'm guessing its going to be around the 50 pd mark.easy to move around, just cap them. drill hole in one end to release air so cap fits on.

I am making lead plates that are custom formed to the bow of my X1, and am using OSB for the forms. It works well.




The plate shown is 5/8" thick and around 55 lbs. The larger plate, (not shown), is around 75 lbs. When all said and done, there will be 4 plates, (260 lbs), that will fit perfectly on the bow floor. Also, I will coat the lead with epoxy paint and install snaps, so the bow carpet will snap on top of them. . . should be pretty slick, when all said and done.

Good luck with your project.

P.S. by my calculations a 3x3x20 lead bar will weight 74 lbs or so.

chad... reconsider making them so long... at 36 inches long they become VERY HARD to manhandle around... i had some 2X4X36 inch blocks... that i have since cut in half (18" long) to make them easier to move around

3rd post in a row, Hey Chad, I do recommend that you melt enough lead to fill your molds in one pour. . . so you will have to calculate the necessary volumes in your melting pots. For example, my last plate pour required two pots to achieve the necessary volume, in a single pour.

Good luck.

Or do two pours, and use a torch. That is what I have done. Your mold can be kept hot, then cooled by air. Actually I use a torch to boost the melting speed too. Make sure all edges are smooth. some fat welds on the inside of the end piece triangle, will make the mold smoother on the inside.

Wheel weights are not pure lead, and will weight a little less, but not enough to matter.

Edit: I like the flat plate idea under the carpet

(Message edited by peter_c on June 12, 2007)

3 x 3 x 20 x .5 x.409 = 36.81 pounds. the 0.5 cuz its a triangle.

Chad - Initially I was thinking of leaving the angle on for additional weight. The more I think about it that was pretty stupid. Forget the bar thing. I did a 20" x 5" x 2.5" in a pan and it turned out to be almost 100#. Using the calculations above it should be 102.25# My pan has rounded corners so that is probably why the 2.25 difference.

You guys melt your own lead? How do you do it safetly? Do just pour hot melting lead into the PCV pipe? or just toss in the lead in its used wheel weight form?

Here is a little rainy day project i did.. If your gonna do it i recommend researching it.. IT IS DANGEROUS!!

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/317499.html

I have been pouring lead bullets for years. I always have and always will have a great respect for melting lead. I have a couple of the RCBS furnaces specifically for melting lead and can usually have a continuous pour that allows the shape to stick together when finish. The large pan I did was the most difficult I have ever undertaken. But when I was finished I was very satisified with the results. I finished my weight by wrapping it is a high density foam and taping it with packing tape and having my local upholstery shop make me a waterproof material case with a handle on it so moving it around the boat to fine tune the balance was easier. I use mine to offset and level the boat.

How does everyone melt the lead? Do you use your stove, BBQ, Camp stove, Propane burner?????

do you have to melt the lead to put in the PCV pipes? Is anybody not melting it?

I use a propane turkey fryer with a large cast iron skillet. It takes me 3 melts to fill the 40 pound brick shown above. There are lines visible from the different melts but none have ever come apart.

I've got a guy thats going to weld some 3X2X20 bricks. I will be putting 2 on each side hopefully that will give me around 100-150 pounds in the middle.

I have melted lead in a cast iron skillet on top of my Coleman camp stove.

This was the "high output" stove, liquid camp fuel (not propane). I bet the turkey fryer would work great though.

For a mold I used a dry wall "mud" pan.

For lead I picked up as much as I could carry off from an indoor shooting range for free. It was mixed with a LOT of garbage, such as plastic wadding, brass shell casings, etc. All the junk floated to the top and I would skim it off.

Rod

My dad built a propane stove for taking camping. It worked greated. I melted a bunch of bullets in pot, scooped out all the crap that rose to the top, and poured it into a bread pan.