Casting a lead hammer.

Tamper84 said:
Thank you all for the ideas!!! Here shortly I'm going to give it a try!! I would of never thought of making a mold from a 4x4. I figured it would just burn up!!

Thanks,
Chris
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iv'e made fishing sinkers that way a whole bunch of times. it works very well.
you 4x4s will most likely become consumable items. you may get a couple of pours out of them if you don't let them catch fire.
if you have a space cleared out dig a hole in the ground a foot or so deep, put you mold in the hole supported as to not have direct contact with the ground a brick, rocks sand anything will do. make the pour and bury the whole shooting match with dirt.
leave it alone for an hour or better and dig er up & take the mold off.
my dirt is mostly sand and clay, so don't do it if you have excessively wet soil!!!
 
Chris,
When you start to melt that lead make sure you have adequate ventilation. Lead fumes are definitely bad news and you don't want to breathe them at all if you can possible avoid it. I would melt them outside with a propane bottle torch and pour the hammer head into a plaster mold that has been baked in the over to get it completely dry. Wet plaster and molten lead can result in splattering and burns, so make sure the plaster has dried completely or been baked for a couple of hours in an oven. You can make a mold of a current hammer and preposition the handle so that it is all integrated when you pour and it will make a very nice dead blow and soft faced hammer.

Bob
 
ScrapMetal said:
Thought I'd pull this older thread up - http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/13939-Lead-Hammer?highlight=lead+hammer So far that's the nicest lead hammer I've seen.

-Ron
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WOW that is a nice hammer!!!! Maybe I should about the search function :whistle: But yes I do have a respirator out there. Along with different filters, I work in an aluminum smelter, I know what fumes and dust are like. Its crazy!!!

I will be safe as I can be. I dont want to go about hurting my self to get a hammer. Heck the hammer will hurt me at one point it is life, Guarenteed!!! :rofl: I'm going to give my grandpa a call, he may still have something I could use for a heat source.

Thanks,
Chris
 
I've used a Coleman camp stove to melt lead in an old thrift-store tea kettle. And then poured it into an old, clay flower pot with eye-bolt and a washer through the drain hole. Broke the pot after it cooled and had a fine boat anchor. Yep, did it all outside. Gloves, eye-protection and heavy clothes. But no OSHA blessing, I suspect.

Keith
 
Another echo of the safety precautions. I've had sweat drip into my casting furnace with pretty spectacular results! If you have an old fish (turkey nowadays) cooker, that will serve well. Just be safe.
 
Chris, I wish you lived closer, I've got hammer molds and 600-700 pounds of lead, even have a bunch of 3/8" and 1/2" cut for handles just looking for some help to melt and pour. I've held metal melts here but the turn out is 6-8 people 1/2 just come to look. Last one I had I was cleaning up after everyone went home tired cause foundry work is hard! really with a power muller and riddler? even the young one were tired, too hard.....
:whiteflag:
 
I've had the same hammer for years , I've been thinking of using a 1 inch pipe T to use as the head. Screw in a handle and pure the head . Just have to come up with a small form to let the ends of the head extend out an inch or so:think1:
 
why wouldn't you just use a dead blow hammer? I had a 8oz by snap-on that was just perfect until the plastic rotted from old age.
 
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