Homemade Cannonballs - Forums Archive

Angie

2008-02-29 17:07:37

Lead has a melting temp of 327 degrees C and a boiling point of 1515 degrees C. Jon and I are heating the lead up to no more then 500 degrees C. I don't think lead gives off any smoke unless it is boiling--please correct me if I am wrong so I can wear a mask while melting :o I read that lead is only hazardous if ingested or if you inhale the smoke. Jon and I wear protective clothing, gloves, goggles and we always wash our shoes before entering the house--we have two animals. We also wash our hands after work. If anyone has any other info about working with the material it would be greatly appreciated.

Carol W

2008-02-29 18:07:25

don't know much about pouring lead but be smart and wear a mask you 2 are both young protect your health the troll fleet needs young people.

angus

2008-03-01 02:14:26

I pour outside on dry days,using a respirator just to be safe.

I would also be careful with any kind of moisture around the melted lead. The lead will spit out of the pot.

Iceman

2008-03-02 01:54:15

I believe melting lead is dangerous in more ways than one. If the lead has moisture in it it could expload. Also just melting lead gives off fumes that are hazardous and will create lead dust. Be careful and do some research. Here's one link to read. There are many more out there.

http://www.edf.org/pressrelease.cfm?ContentID=1740

Jon

2008-03-02 19:02:46

Welcome to the board Iceman :)

It certainly can be dangerous... along with so many things these days.... I think commercial fishing is more dangerous than pouring lead and why they don't require warning labels on a troller is beyond me. I thought of a few we could print out and put on our boats, all of which have applied to myself at one time or another. What do you think of these?

Will consume all available funds and then some.

Labor of Love? Try Love/Hate Relationship.

Caution! Fishing can lead to death, hypothermia, and drowning.

Warning! May cause loss of fingers or limbs, possibly death.

Prolonged fishing will cause work related upper limb disorder.

DO NOT lick your fingers (or gloves) after handling cannonballs. Don't eat or drink either, doing so may cause reduced cognitive abilities.

Danger! Serious bodily harm may occur for any or no reason at any time.

CAUTION!!! Eating large amounts of salmon may cause numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, narrowing of the field of vision and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, paralysis, coma and death follow within weeks of the onset of symptoms.

Improper lifting may cause permanent spine damage.

WARNING: Fishing for more than 1 day may lead to Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Ora-K

2008-03-11 21:47:29

where are the cannonball molds availible for sale? I'm in washington now and I dont remember anyone having them for sale around here.... thanks in advance, Harry You can email me privately if you would like hsodeman@verizon.net and what about anyone with used molds for sale

angus

2008-03-11 23:38:03

Travis Pattern Foundry in Spokane Wa. 509-466-3545 . Ask for lil mac molds division.

I know they sell 45,50,and 60's

Jon

2008-03-17 00:30:53

Yep, that's where we bought ours. ~~[url=~~http://www.lilmacmolds.com/][url]http://www.lilmacmolds.com/

We have a 50lb cast iron mold and a 50lb aluminum mold. Both seem to work about the same but i suspect the cast iron will last longer. Pour hot, but not too fast. :)

shakers

2008-03-25 00:12:17

Melting lead, moving lead, handling lead gives off particles that can be ingested through breathing or contact with hands to mouth. lead turns to powder in salt water giving a white dusty coating on the outside. this coating transffers to people readily. it only takes a few specks of dust to start building in your system

lead enters the blood stream and sticks to your bones. over time it builds up and may cause a number of disorders including reproductive harm and loss of balance. in the 1970's there was a lead scare but, since than levels of lead in people are declining. it is still bad stuff to get in your system.

There is no safe way a person in their backyard can melt lead without being exposed to it however, you can minimize exposure by wearing a properly fitted resipirator with organic vapor cartridge, leather gloves with a nitrile glove liner a tyvek suit and never melt lead in a confined space. (closed room)

Wash up really good after melting lead.

oh, Keep kids and the lady away from the lead, they absorb more than men.

More thoughts on lead

At this point there is no federal guidelines for using lead in the fishing "work place" but it will come sooner or later.

Lead weights and food products in the same facility will raise the hackles of enviro-inspectors.

someday an enterprising college student will want to study and compare lead in salmon and lead introduced by harvest methods. it could put a damper on our high quality reputation.

The best thing we can do an industry is prevent lead from contacting the product.

use one pair of gloves/gaff for handling leads. paint leads with enamel or tool dip to prevent oxidation.

besides, its better for the voltage.

for more info on lead

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/lead/pb_lead2.html

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/default.htm

Anonymous

2008-03-25 00:59:10

I was wondering how come someone has'nt come up with an alternative to lead?

There has to be a way.

tacorajim

2008-03-25 01:26:54

There's a way. In yesteryear they used steel cannonballs. Effectively. But c'mon. Would you rather smelter steel in your garage -- or out in the driveway? Get over it. We're lucky we don't go to jail for making our own leads.

Ocean Gold

2008-03-29 20:02:55

Dingle Bars are steel. A chunk of round stock 4 inches round by 9 long would be close to 60 lbs a piece 6.5 x 6.5 is like 59lbs you just need a link welded on and there you go. I have been calling around to juck places down south one guy told me grader axles are close to 4" dia finding the stuff big enough is the hard part cutting is buy the inch sq x time

Once and Future

2008-06-26 00:03:01

30 years ago I was a deckhand on a boat where we (and our running buddies) used cast iron cannonballs because they "fished better" than lead. Being a deckhand I wasn't privy to where they were getting them. Cast is a different metal from steel, obviously.

Jon

2008-07-31 16:51:36

Kettlebells!

Pre-made cast iron weights with handles available at most sporting goods or fitness stores.

Joe's Sports (aka G.I. Joes)

20kg = 44lbs - $90 ($2.04/lb)

28kb = 62lbs - $119 ($1.91/lb)

32kg = 70lbs - $139 ($1.98/lb)

40kg = 88lbs - $129 ($1.46/lb)

And those are retail prices -- I imagine bulk purchases might bring the prices down to $1.50/lb. There are other sizes - around 40 and 50lbs. I've seen sale prices on the 60 lb bells as low as $66!

~~[url=~~http://www.joessports.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2117106][url]http://www.joessports.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2117106