What do do with lead?

J

Jason Fry

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
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Let's just say I could get some lead bullets, and I wanted to incorporate them in a knife somehow.

What are my options? Melt and cast? Are there any alloy elements that would make the properties better?
 
Jason Fry said:
Let's just say I could get some lead bullets, and I wanted to incorporate them in a knife somehow.

What are my options? Melt and cast? Are there any alloy elements that would make the properties better?
Click to expand...

Melt and cast. Please be careful, though. Melting lead lets off a lot of toxic fumes, no?
 
I've melted lead in the fireplace and made fishing weights since I was a kid. May explain my lack of brain cells lol.

For real though, would some tin, copper, brass, silver, whatever make the working properties better?
 
I would leave it alone. It is soft and low melting, rubs off, doesn't look great, has a reputation for toxicity.
Alloyed with tin it is a bit more usable.
I would say unless you cast a bullet into resin for say a pommel, I wouldn't bother.
(I doubt any of this will discourage you...)
 
I would not use it in a knife either.

Uses:
Melt it into a 1" round ball and make a braided blackjack.
Make a lead "dead blow" hammer with a 2 or 3 pound head.
 
If it is a historical bullet or ball war related, you could cast it in resin and inlay in a handle? Make a pocket milled out of the handle and inlay with resin? That would make the rub off/toxicity issues moot, and still give a visable artifact
 
I know they add antimony and tin to bullets to make them harder...
 
I realize that the question was about knives, but lead could be used as a counterweight in the pommel of a larger sword.
You could also make a plate that could be put on an anvil during top cuts to protect the anvil surface and top cut tool.
But it's honestly trying to find a nail for your hammer.
 
Ron Raducanu said:
Melt and cast. Please be careful, though. Melting lead lets off a lot of toxic fumes, no?
Click to expand...

melting lead does not let of toxic fumes. Lead melts at a way lower temp then when it “lets off fumes”. To let off fumes it has to boil and the boiling temp of lead is over 3000°. In the 900° range you will state getting a yellowish crust on the top of the lead. That’s lead oxide don’t eat it. But just melting lead is not going to release Toxic vapors into the air. I have melted hundreds upon hundreds of Pounds of lead with no vapors/fumes. Wash your hands and do t pick your nose and you will be ok.

now if this was zinc we would have another matter on our hands ;)
 
100-dungeons-dragons-shadowrun_1_9bc5dabceface093de24d24dec076521.jpg


Go make a horde of D&D miniatures.

n2s
 
JTknives said:
melting lead does not let of toxic fumes. Lead melts at a way lower temp then when it “lets off fumes”. To let off fumes it has to boil and the boiling temp of lead is over 3000°. In the 900° range you will state getting a yellowish crust on the top of the lead. That’s lead oxide don’t eat it. But just melting lead is not going to release Toxic vapors into the air. I have melted hundreds upon hundreds of Pounds of lead with no vapors/fumes. Wash your hands and do t pick your nose and you will be ok.

now if this was zinc we would have another matter on our hands ;)
Click to expand...

Good to know! Thanks!

I know that when casting wargaming miniatures, we were told not to use lead at all. Maybe people just don't have the expertise needed to do it safely. Thanks again.
 
JTknives said:
melting lead does not let of toxic fumes. Lead melts at a way lower temp then when it “lets off fumes”. To let off fumes it has to boil and the boiling temp of lead is over 3000°. In the 900° range you will state getting a yellowish crust on the top of the lead. That’s lead oxide don’t eat it. But just melting lead is not going to release Toxic vapors into the air. I have melted hundreds upon hundreds of Pounds of lead with no vapors/fumes. Wash your hands and do t pick your nose and you will be ok.

now if this was zinc we would have another matter on our hands ;)
Click to expand...

Ron Raducanu said:
Good to know! Thanks!

I know that when casting wargaming miniatures, we were told not to use lead at all. Maybe people just don't have the expertise needed to do it safely. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

The vapor pressure of molten lead is fairly low just above melting, but it is not zero.
If your hobbies involve frequent handling or exposure to lead it is a good idea to take precautions and get a test periodically.
Some people find higher than expected levels.
Of course I don't think it is a big concern if the OP does a one-time melt of a small amount.
 
All the concerns about melting lead is way overblown as far as I'm concerned. I've been casting bullets since the '70s. Many times on the stove while wife was cooking on one eye I'd be casting on another eye - or she'd be casting while I was cooking. Since she was the better cook it was usually her cooking. I've soldered electronic stuff for well over 50 yrs, and many times biting solder wire with teeth to pull more from roll. It really seems like with all the careless methods of working with lead I would have a lead buildup since it's cumulative and doesn't leave the body. I was tested a few yr ago and lead in blood was way low.

With that said, it's not to say it's a good idea to chew on lead and it does require some care (more than I ever gave it) and for sure no eating lead paint. Casting with lead, soldering, etc are not going to cause problems. There is a thread on one of the bullet casting forums where folks have posted their lead in blood tests, and most of those folks have been casting for well over 50 years with no problems.

Later
 
Ken, I'm glad your levels were low.
When I was a kid we would cast lead figures, play with mercury and all sorts of things. I got into reloading as a teenager.
Now as a chemist we routinely work with lots of stuff where the warnings seem overblown, but it can be a lot different working in a basement vs a lab with fume hoods. For general advice on the web I figure it's best to be a little conservative.
 
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