What do you store/how do you store, your scrap lead?

[John Y Cannuck]

I've been using 20 liter pails for years, they are insanely heavy, waste space on the floor, and after time, they split from the shear weight of the lead.
Most of what I have is wheel weights. Most are still in their original form.

I was thinking of making smaller reinforced wood boxes maybe 10 liter size, and possibly casting everything into ingots. But that would be a monumental task I think there are six heaping pails of weights here, more at my cottage.

So how do you store yours?

 

[glycerin]

I collect xtra 20litre pails so that none are over 50 pounds(they stack). With a large wide pot and propane stool type burner a young friend and I melted to ingot 10 pails in 2 days. Before that I sort the ww on a wire mesh tray, removing plastic, paper, rubber, steel and zinc ww . Beware the dust! Lots of protective clothing(boots). There is a video by Miculek in reloading(he's a little shy on protection and ingot molds should be on a waist level table, don't ruin your back!).

 

[redbirddog]

I cast the lead right away and store the ingots. Might as well get right to what you need.

 

[Sleeper]

I use muffin pans and store as ingots

 

[1927 caretaker]

I use muffin pans and store as ingots

+1 my muffins average weight is 2 1/3rd lbs. They stack very well.

 

[amosfella]

I make 10-12 pound ingots using 1/9 buffet serving trays as a mold. I have also used a 1/3 buffet mold to make weights for the back of the truck. They stack really nicely without wasted space.

 

[Bassmaster]

I scored a rusty old cast iron muffin tin at a garage sale a few years ago for my ingot mold...never had luck with the tin/aluminum trays...I had to beat the lead out, destroying the tray. But I've since learned that if you can manage to burn off the non-stick crap, then the tin muffin trays will be fine....as mentioned, the lead 'muffins' stack nicely and I can feed several into my casting pot at a time

 

[caperaway]

I have a 45 gallon drum out behind the shed and when I get buckets of wheel weights I just dump them in it.Takes up less space than having multiple buckets hanging around.

 

[zuke]

refined into ingot's then stacked carefully, just like cord wood.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

I like the 45 gallon drum idea, but it'll have to wait until I can build a lean to behind the garage. I need space inside the garage. On second thought, I'd need a fork lift to move a 45 gallon drum full of lead. I think I'm back to movable small wood boxes, but out back is where they will go.

 

[amosfella]

I like the 45 gallon drum idea, but it'll have to wait until I can build a lean to behind the garage. I need space inside the garage. On second thought, I'd need a fork lift to move a 45 gallon drum full of lead. I think I'm back to movable small wood boxes, but out back is where they will go.

Wooden crates won't really be any stronger... Keep them dry, as when they get wet and freeze, a pail of weights can take a few days to thaw out... And it's really gross combing through them after they've been wet...

 

[Seagull]

I use the large ammo cans for WW, the ones that are about 4 times the size of the 50 cal cans. They seal but are a bugger to move very far.
Cheapest method is this

collect xtra 20litre pails so that none are over 50 pounds(they stack).

 

[Lionel]

I use the 5.56 ammo cans like what Princess Auto sells. I made up some angle iron ingot molds that fit in crosswise or lengthwise inside the ammo cans. I have about 20 or so cans filled with different leads. One can in each hand is more than enough exercise to lug around for me.
Weatherproof so I don't have to store them inside, but I will.
I also stamped my ingots with what type of lead they are: WW, PB, High Tin, etc. That way no matter how many moves/restore jobs I do, I don't have to guess what type of lead I'm dealing with. Just a cheap Princess Auto 3/8 metal stamp kit.

 

[Seagull]

I also stamped my ingots with what type of lead they are: WW, PB, High Tin, etc. That way no matter how many moves/restore jobs I do, I don't have to guess what type of lead I'm dealing with. Just a cheap Princess Auto 3/8 metal stamp kit.

Excellent note! I do the stamping as well. It is a great way to not mess up later.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

Wooden crates won't really be any stronger... Keep them dry, as when they get wet and freeze, a pail of weights can take a few days to thaw out... And it's really gross combing through them after they've been wet...

Oh I'm well aware of that, my cottage pails sit outside. complete with pine needles.
I also have a small stash of lynotype, and some pure lead in various forms. I like to experiment with alloy depending on what I'm shooting it in.

So if I get around to making a zillion ingots, they will be stamped for sure. Although the lynotype is pretty easy to recognize. Stays shiny.

But the wood boxes I build would be inch plank with reinforced corners. They will out do any plastic pail.

 

[squirrelnuttz]

I currently use muffin pans to make ingots,and 5 gallon buckets to store them. I am going to make angle iron moulds.these produce a nice tightly stackable ingot.I also use a an inexpensive letter and number punch set to stamp on alloy composition and batch #s.Also milk crates are great for finished ingots.

 

[Canadian_Zuk]

I collect my wheel weights and other forms of lead all year long and then smelt everything at once in the fall in one sitting, this gives me a consistent alloy for future casting. I use small muffin pans to cast the ingots and put them all into milk crates stacked in the corner of my garage.

 

[migrant hunter]

Muffin pans from salvation army, write on the ingots with a black marker(range scrap, clip on, stick on) and a big tote on my deck. It's getting full so I'm starting to use 5 gal pails.

 

[Mikeyman]

I scored a rusty old cast iron muffin tin at a garage sale a few years ago for my ingot mold...never had luck with the tin/aluminum trays...I had to beat the lead out, destroying the tray. But I've since learned that if you can manage to burn off the non-stick crap, then the tin muffin trays will be fine....as mentioned, the lead 'muffins' stack nicely and I can feed several into my casting pot at a time

I dump the lead from the muffin tins as soon as the lead is hard enough to hold together and they never stick. If you wait till the lead cools too much it will stick.

 

[alox]

I leave them in the 5 gallon pails; drill a couple 3/8 holes in the bottom and just put them outside for future use. I HATE old water in my buckets and don't want to add to the mosquito population. Rather than carry the pails around I just tip them over and scoop what I need by hand until enough is removed and then I can carry the stuff. A heaping pail weights about 115lbs or so. If the handle happens to break you will be the proud owner of a modified foot.