weighting and rope length?

[Cisco-Kid]

ag4ever,

Thanks for info. After you get enough weight from Tire companies, you have to take it somewhere to get it melted down? What shape are your 25lbs bars? I found a few places online that I can get it, but shipping is expensive (go figure...)

[ag4ever]

I melted mine myself. I got a 12" pipe from a steel scrap yard, and a plate that I welded to the bottom of it. I then put a bunck of lead scrap in it with it on my turkey frier. Cranked the frier up and melted away. I then took a metal ladle and scooped the lead out of the pot into aluminum throw away bread pans (the pans require support to keep them from bending and collapsing). I then left the lead in the bread pan as it protects all but one side from contact with your hands while handling. I then used duct tape, and taped the heck out of them. Each brick weighs about 25 pounds.

[crowmobe540]

ag4ever,
do you live in austin. I know some guys here that basically did the same thing. I think these are 40lb ones though. They had lead on their hands for a few weeks. Not sure how safe that is.

[ag4ever]

Nope, I live in Houston. If you are careful while melting the lead, you won't have any on your hands. If they had it on their hands for weeks, then they ingested some as it will come off as they eat lunch and dinner. I wore gloves the entire time I was melting the lead or handling it without a protective layer. Even then I thouroughly washed my hands often.

People that work with lead for a living actually get their blood tested at the start of each new project to ensure they are not being poisoned by it. It is some really nasty stuff, but even the nastiest stuff can be worked with if you take proper precautions.

Also while I was melting it down I wore a resperator that had filters rated for lead contaminants in the air. This is NOT just a simple white "dust" mask you get at the hardware store.