Casting lead weights

[Lobster]

I recently attempted to convert 1 kg of old lead piping in my 'scrap' store into a nice neat 1 kg weight for exercising a damaged shoulder. Was trying to make a cylindrical shape; I know naff-all about casting but melted it down on my gas hob in a baked-bean can, with the aid of a blowlamp. Wrongly hoping that it would not be hot enough to melt a plastic wastepipe, I then poured the molten lead into a short length of it, which promptly splayed outwards providing me with a very mishappen plastic- encased lump of lead! It does weight 1 kg at least; but I'd like to have another crack at it.

Other than the obvious, searching for a length of suitable metal pipe to use as a mould, anyone got any better ideas? (bearing in mind my level of expertise and available kit?!)

Thanks

[The Natural Philosopher]

plaster of paris will take lead OK. Use plasticene or clay to make te shape you want and then put plaster around it in a suitable container. you will have to dig the clay or palastocene out before you put lead in, so a shape with a wide flat top is best

[FMurtz]

make the weight shape with a sprue out of polystyrene cover it with plaster of paris and let completely dry and bury it in very dry fine sand.

similar method

[Thomas Prufer]

That'll work if you place the plaster of paris in the oven and heat it well to dry. Otherwise, the faintest trace of moisture in the plaster will turn to steam and spatter lead all over the place.

Thomas Prufer

[Dave Plowman (News)]

A bit of suitable copper tube (28mm?) which it will stick nicely too with some flux? And much nicer to handle than lead - or to provide some form of fixing to.

[Thomas Prufer]

You could saw a suitable mold in wood, provided it is open. Say, an "I" shape cut through some wood, then clamped to another flat board, to provide an open mold. Run a blow torch over it to char and dry the inside, and expect it to spatter and bubble when casting. This kind of mold works better the second time you use it.

Otherwise, maybe a tin of approximate dimensions, and leave the lead in the tin?

Bits of angle iron clamped to an iron plate, to provide a "box" to pour into?

Misappropriate a baking mold, using talc as a release agent?

Thomas Prufer

[Geo]

Still got the scars on my hand from learning that (as a 10 year old). Melted in can on gas stove and trying to make "pennies" for the meter. Parents used to be a bit less restrictive back then...

[Brian Gaff]

Sounds a bit dangerous. Much fuming during this melt. Lead fumes not good. Brian

[Michael Chare]

You should have used pennies made from ice. Then drilled a small hole in whatever they were collected in.

[Tim Watts]

Having done it, 2" aluminium tube will work excellently - you will not get the lead out again, so look to simply filling the tube and using that.

Scaffold tube would work too. You will need to make a cap to close off one end - or plug it with clay and let that dry.

[Tim Watts]

Obviously, do it outside - not in an enclosed space :)

[Rob Morley]

So how do you move the gas cooker outside? :-)

[Tim Watts]

BBQ :)

With a hoover in blow mode (some of the old cylinder ones could do this) to turn it into a blast forge :)

[Tim+]

A bit unnecessary for lead though. Very easy to melt on a regular gas ring.

Tim

[Dave Liquorice]

You don't, I didn't...

[Dave Liquorice]

I was going to say that. B-)

Yer normal sized can filled with lead will be 1 kg or maybe more. ICBATDTMs Wrap in racket tape to make it a little more pleasant (and less slippy) to handle.

[Roger Hayter]

11 x 0.4 = approx 4 1/2 Kg

[FMurtz]

Outside barbecue.

[Dave Liquorice]

Ta. THAT heavy... Mind you the 12" wide 5" dia roll of lead flashing I have is almost but not quite glued to the floor.

[Andy Burns]

I have several rolls of lead waiting for tuits, they surprise me how heavy they are every time I need to move them, even when I try to prepare myself for how heavy they are going to be.