SAWSALL

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
Had a bit of 3/8" to 3/4" lead plate given to me lately.
A lot of it was in huge sheets that I was not looking forward to cut into pot sized bits.
So I was playing with different Ideas I read on the internet. Tried bending in a vice till it broke....too much work.
Tried a fiber wheel blew lead dust all over. Tin snips, while I had good success with sheet, they were a joke, for lead that thick.
Tried a circular saw, we use those with a rip saw, wood blade, at work to cut aluminum, so why not???. Blew led pellet's all over the place.

Then I got an idea.

Put down some plastic. Got out the Ole' Milwaukee Saws All, and the coarsest wood blade I could find.
It made slick work of all the plate lead I had, in about an hour. Then I just funneled the little lead "bb's" left on the plastic sheet into an old coffee can for melting.
No muss, contamination, or lead exposure just make sure you lay down a big enough sheet of plastic to catch the bb's that fall off during cutting and good to go.

As far as other lead maybe the other Ideas are better, but 3/8 to 3/4" plate this seams to be the way to go.
Just thought I would share. Never thought of a Saws All as tool of the casting craft till now. But with my current lead sources, it will probably be one of my most valuable casting tools for a while.
 
Last edited:

Cherokee

Medina, Ohio
Good info, thanks. In the past I have just used an Oyx/Ac torch with plywood underneath to catch the drips. Cut up a 16x12x12 block of tin that way.
 
Last edited:

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
Marie's uncle built sailboats, and went to Mexico to get 2400# of lead cast up for use as ballast. Those Tijuana metallurgists poured them to specs, 1" x 4" or 2" x 4" (like lumber), 12" lengths. He used a Sawzall to fit them against the keel-bottom. From this work he set aside both the scrap pieces and the "sawdust", which took up 1/3 the depth of a 5-gallon Home Depot plastic bucket. The scraps were placed in a couple more buckets, and I took them home for bullet-making. Marie's uncle noted that he didn't think lead would dull his Swazall blades so readily during the fitment process.

During the rendering phase with that metal, it contained a 10%-12% amount of beach sand. I've never had the heart to tell THAT part of the story to Marie's uncle. It does explain the short-lived Sawzall blades, though. Just another gringo hustle of the Norteamericanos. That's how things go in The Land Of Manana.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
I suspect the beach sand WAS the mold used to make those ingots as well of the "cutting agent" to reduce the amount of lead they needed to pour.

There's a reason that project was cheaper south of the border.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I suspect the beach sand WAS the mold used to make those ingots as well of the "cutting agent" to reduce the amount of lead they needed to pour.

There's a reason that project was cheaper south of the border.

Dunno about that, P&P. The "ingots" were smooth-sided just like 1" x 4" or 2" x 4" lumber at a yard, with very square corners and ends. GMBTA.

That "Cheaper south of the border" can bite you in a number of ways. I have zero interest whatsoever in visiting that country ever again.
 
Last edited:

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Someone gave me a grounding bullet for an old Service station's Pumps! A crap ton of wires going in to a massive bullet shaped cylinder of pure lead!
This was buried 15 feet into the ground! It was so hard to cut up I just gave it to my son for scrap lead and copper!
He got about 50 $ for it
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
My Sawzall has cut lead before. A little bullet lube on the blade can reduce friction a bunch.
Like Mitty said,use a coarse blade.
 

oscarflytyer

Well-Known Member
SAWZALL is maybe THE ultimate man tool! Thing will do damn near anything! Have cut a 12' section of outside house wall out with one! Same with floor sections. Lead should be no problem. Other thing I have heard of is using a chain saw to cut pure lead sail boat hull ballast into usable chunks. Hell on the chain, but beats the alternatives!
 

JonB

Halcyon member
some years back, I bought a bunch of lead plates of various shapes, sizes, and thicknesses(1/8 to 3/4) from a scrapper, who got them from some manufacturer. I suspect the plates I got were "drops" from cutting the lead to fit into some product. They were all pure Lead. I used my hydraulic wood splitter to cut everything into ingot sized pieces for the Bullet furnace, and it worked great.
 

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
Yeah ......A SAWZALL is a GREAT demolition tool, but it isn't the best construction tool.

In the 1980's, I attended a vehicle extrication class the was taught by Harvey Grant. Even back then the SawZall was considered to be an excellent tool to take things apart. It wasn't much good to put things together but it sure would demolish stuff.
 

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
I used my hydraulic wood splitter to cut everything into ingot sized pieces for the Bullet furnace, and it worked great.
Had to use what I had handy, at the moment.
But ye, that sounds like another good idea, kinda like a hydraulic, sheer. Just kinda squeeze it till it falls apart.:cool:
Would not be any shavings to worry about either.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I put my chop saw in a box... Then WEAR A RESPIRATOR and cut OUTSIDE.
i processed a BUNCH of weights from gym equiptment years ago. Worked well and all I nneded donwas remove saw and empty box occasionally.
I have also used a old axe head welded to a block in a arbor press at my shop. A big one used for pressing bearings and races. Works well for knocking down big to small useable.
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
I was gifted quite a bit of soft sheet lead by a member here, goes by Mike N. It turns out Mike lives about 20 miles from my place. Also turns out he used to be a customer of mine at my Cripple Creek Automotive store back in the 80's..
Anyway the sheets of lead were about 1/4" thick and quite large, but still manageable to load in the trailer. Not wanting to unload onto a pallet and them move it again I went and used a sawzall and cut in to strips about 8 to 9 inches wide. Then folded into pieces which are much easier to deal with, and that will fit in my smelting pan. Winter project making ingots.
The sawzall worked very well with a heavy blade.
 

Walks

Well-Known Member
Back in my youth I got a dozen 25lb Pure lead bricks. Had to cut them up using a 15" bow saw. Did three the long way. Found a 10qt Dutch Oven at a garage sale.
And a small 2 burner Coleman stove. Best $10 I ever spent.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I started in to cut up a few lead curtain weights once, quickly abandoned saws and went to a hatchet. After one I broke out the weed burner and a cast iron pot, propane is cheap enough. I didn't then and still don't own a reciprocating saw, keep telling myself to buy one but never quite get the wallet out..
 

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
I started in to cut up a few lead curtain weights once, quickly abandoned saws and went to a hatchet. After one I broke out the weed burner and a cast iron pot, propane is cheap enough. I didn't then and still don't own a reciprocating saw, keep telling myself to buy one but never quite get the wallet out..
Mine has saved me so much money and time on so many things. It has paid for itself 10 times over in the 20 + years I have had it. I am considering purchasing a second one,a cheap cordless. Well worth the investment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ian

JonB

Halcyon member
I didn't then and still don't own a reciprocating saw, keep telling myself to buy one but never quite get the wallet out..

Mine has saved me so much money and time on so many things. It has paid for itself 10 times over in the 20 + years I have had it. I am considering purchasing a second one,a cheap cordless. Well worth the investment.

I used a plug-in Sawzall at work fairly often, mostly to modify shipping pallets & Crates. I've never really needed one at home, it seems I have enough other type of saws to handle everything I have ever needed to cut.
THEN, right before I retired, I bought a new Milwaukee battery drill with M18 lith-ion batteries, Shortly there after, I also ordered a Milwaukee "hackzall" that used the same batteries. I've only used it for trimming trees so far, but it sure works great for that ;)

 
  • Like
Reactions: Ian

Bill

Active Member
I used a chain saw on a sailboat keel, it worked well and still cut wood after the keel, I did use a tarp to catch the chips

Bill
 

Axman

Active Member
When I was scrapping an x-ray room years ago I used an old single bit heavy axe.
6000 lbs 3/8” thick 30”x96” sheets crumpled up.
I wonder now why my back and shoulders hurt?