October 22, 20241 yr In that case just pack all the seams from the outside with modeling clay just before you pour the lead. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.~ Semper Paratus
October 22, 20241 yr Author Sorry Randy my seems seal up good, what I mentioned was i didn’t make the cuts super straight like I wanted Here it is done the handle hole is a little wonky I don’t like it but it works Second thing i ordered bullet hinges for this but now looking at it I don’t think they will work on this
October 22, 20241 yr OK, I see that you split the base to be able to take the side pieces apart after the pour and the lead has hardened. I left the base one piece and just cut the 2 tack welds with an angle grinder to separate them. Yours will work just as well, there may be some "wings" of lead seep into the seams but they are easy to trim with a knife. I don't remember if anyone has mentioned preheating the mold before pouring the lead. If the mold is cold the lead will wrinkle up some. A small propane torch will get it hot enough so the sides of the hammer are smoother. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.~ Semper Paratus
October 22, 20241 yr Author Randy i don’t think anyone mentioned pre heating the mold that’s good to know!
October 23, 20241 yr Author 29 minutes ago, seldom (dick renker) said: these hammers can also be found at flea markets and yard sales Thanks for the tip! i do buy lots of used tools at Auctions, farm sales, estate sales, yard sales etc… Since I already have the lead on hand and lead melting pot and ladle and the scrap metal to make a mold I decided to go that route, your definitely right though!!! for anyone else that may happen across this thread in the future lead hammers can be found readily used and new if someone needs one and wants to go that direction I just chose to got the opposite way and decided to make my own in this case.
October 23, 20241 yr Good link, thanks John. Setting the mold on the aluminum block took care of any seepage there. I was wondering how much lead would flow out through the handle. The roll pin works but it's easier to saw half an inch or so into the end and spread the ends with a chisel to set it solidly into the lead. When you pour, watch for shrinkage to make the depression in the top and add lead, if it leaves a high spot when it solidifies it trims easily. Lead cuts easily you can use a cross cut hand saw even. Anyway, that's as good a lead hammer mold as most any. Sure if you can find an aluminum one for cheap cool beans but this video is a fine mold. Frosty The Lucky.
October 23, 20241 yr Good Morning, Weld a nut near the base of each half (2 nuts). Drill 2 holes through your bottom, Which should be long enough for something to support the handle to keep it on center!! Bolt the bottom of each half to the base (Don't use that short piece!!). I tack welded 2 pins on each cut face (8 pins), to stop the possibility of a shuffle!! 4" long Die is ample. How long is your favorite Hammer Head?? The Lead will get smooshed, over time. Think forward and absolutely THINK SAFE!! You don't need Clay!! You don't need to tin the handle!! Neil
October 23, 20241 yr Then there is the dross (impurities) that float around on top. A serrated spatula/spoon, maybe not even serrated spoon close buy to skim it off the top of the molten lead before pouring.
October 23, 20241 yr Author All done, Mold worked well! i spilled bit pouring so it took a minute with a torch to melt it off the clamps and mold I’ll weigh it in a few, I’m guessing 5-7 pounds? Might have to make a little smaller mold later, but at least I’ve got something to work with disassembling the Sorghum mill i have a can of Arekroil due to be delivered tomorrow so I’ll be starting on that project soon I didn’t Tin this one with flux and solder, (mostly because I was to lazy to drive to town) but it seems to be pretty solid all the same i did pre heat the mold though, didn’t get any wrinkles took about a coffee can of coal to heat that heavy cast iron pot enough to melt the lead I did scoop out all the crud that floated to the top there was some sort of metal that had previously been melted in that pot, i thought it was lead but it was something else, I tried prying it off the bottom, I tried chipping it, i tired driving a center punch into it, I tried melting it with a propane torch but whatever it is it wasn’t soft and was not coming out so I just melted the lead with it in there, hopefully i didn’t create some sort of weird concoction
October 23, 20241 yr Looks like a good thumper Billy. Next time try putting the bottom clamp higher off the plate. It doesn't take much to lock the handle in the lead it shrinks with considerable force against it but running some chicken tracks with an arc welder will work a treat. I scraped dross with an old table knife and used it to dam any in the ladle when I poured. Scrape it out before the left over lead solidifies you you'll get to play the rerun. Lead oxidizes quickly so there will always be oxide floating on the surface. Frosty The Lucky.
October 23, 20241 yr Author Thanks Jerry the lead was pretty dirty before I melted it, it’s been setting for over a decade in the mud in a scrap pile, i figured all the crud floating up was from the dirt i just weighed the hammer on a postal scale I have and it came out to just a hair over 5.5 pounds so I was off on my guess I figured the two bolts I welded to the sucker rod would hold it in place fairly well yes most definitely I’ll move the clamp higher next time
October 23, 20241 yr Dirty doesn't matter as long as it doesn't emit toxic fumes at lead's melting temp, just scrape or strain it before you pour. So, yes you figured right the crud was dirt and stuff. It's all good. Did you calculate the difference in weight between lead and all the handle and steel holding it in the hammer head? Next one you make try welding a nut in the end of the handle and screwing a bolt into the nut. it'll be solid as can be. Frosty The Lucky.
October 23, 20241 yr Author Jerry no i didn’t think to weigh the handle separately before pouring so a rough guess would be a five pound head and half pound handle? As far as fumes go it was pretty windy today and I tried to make sure I was upwind of the smoke as best i could
October 23, 20241 yr I wasn't talking about the total weight, just the lead in the head. It's not that it makes much difference so long as it does what you need. Right? I didn't think you'd melt lead in the kitchen we caution people about good ventilation more for the folks who are new to this stuff out there. Frosty The Lucky.
October 23, 20241 yr One of the nice things about lead being so dense is that just about anything will float to the surface once it melts.
October 23, 20241 yr Quite a few metals are denser than lead, lead will float on mercury in fact. Sorry, I couldn't get this to cut and paste in a reasonable way and am too lazy to type this much. Frosty The Lucky. MaterialDensity (ρ) kg/m3 Aluminum 2,705 Brass 8,587 Cast Iron 7300 Copper 8,944 Gold 19,320 Iron 7,860 Lead 11,343 Mercury 13,570 Mild Steel 7,850 Platinum 21,425 Silver 10,497 Stainless Steel 7,982 Tin 7,260 Titanium 4,520 Tungsten 19,450 Zinc 7,068
October 23, 20241 yr Author That’s Crazy, i didn’t know mercury was that dense, i guess that gives new meaning to… heavy metals
October 24, 20241 yr Uh . . . no, I'm pretty sure the old meaning still applies. The real surprises come when a person looks up the actual data. If you didn't notice isotopes don't appear on the chart, uranium is significantly heavier than lead and plutonium heavier still but not close to the heaviest, those are osmium and iridium both more than 2x as heavy. Of course most people have better things to do with time than searching out info they don't or might need. That's what us bookworm types are for. Nerds RULE! Frosty The Lucky.
October 24, 20241 yr Good Mourning, Glad you made the plunge and "Did It". The hardest part is the psychological preparing for the unknown. Now you too can say "Yup, I've dunn that beefour"!!!! Neil
October 24, 20241 yr Author Neil definitely nothing I had done before! as far as my experience not much Psychological preparation I just kinda winged it and eyeballed the cuts with an angle grinder I do think it turned out well though the project I needed it for is a later 1800s sorghum mill restoration, I needed something to remove the top drive brace without damaging it, I’ll have to use an angle grinder to remove some mushroomed 2” shaft off the top but after that I’m hoping to soak everything in Kroil and use the lead hammer to remove the bracket
October 24, 20241 yr When melting lead to keep the dross to a minimum, use a flux, oiled sawdust, borax, paraffin wax, old candles will all work and doesn't take much. I use Kroil for gun work and when just a little will do, it's very good at penetrating rusted bolts nuts screws etc. When I need a lot I make my own that works just as good as Kroil and costs a lot less. A 50/50 mix of acetone and Dexron II ATF. It sometimes works faster than Kroil too. I think there is a thread about that. Your hammer looks very good Billy. If it's a little heavy looks like you could cut some off both faces maybe drop it back to 4 lbs or so. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.~ Semper Paratus Edited October 24, 20241 yr by Irondragon Forge ClayWorks add trim hammer head
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