Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting Cutting down mono type pigs?

I've got a bunch of 22 pound pigs of monotype I bought from an old timer that ran a print shop for years. They are around 74% lead and then maybe about 17% SB and 9% tin iirc. I had one gunned with an xray gun once and u think that's about what they were. I also had a few hundred pounds of type blocks and pieces of pigs that were about 1/3 of a pig.

I've used a lot of the type blocks to blend alloys and then casted most of it already. Needing smaller bits to work with I melted the 1/3ish length pieces of pigs and poured some ingots the other day. I was able to manage those in my bottom pour furnace. However the full pigs are just too big for the furnace. They are too long and would tip it over if I leaned one in it. I tried to cut one with a saws all metal blade and they are too hard and the process too tedious.

Any ideas on an easier way to cut them down? I may just have to find a big pot to put on my turkey fryer burner like when I processed several buckets of ww a few years ago. I was hoping for an easier way to just cut the pigs down. I had a machine shop try to cut one with their band saw and after 1 cut they said they wouldn't do that again.

I probably have about 40 full length pigs left. A friend of mine talked me out of half of what I'd bought and I'm kind of wishing I still had that other 1200 or so pounds now that I'm casting again.

Bb

Bought a few hundred pounds of linotype pigs a couple decades ago and had the same problem, how to cut them to smaller lead furnace sized pieces. I tried a saw as well but the lead immediately gummed up the teeth.

I ended up using a full size axe. Lean the long bar against a concrete step and give it a couple of hard whacks about a third of its length up, the idea being half to cut it and half to just break it. The blade bites a little way but will also bend the bar some and weaken it at that point, then turn it over and hit the other side opposite the first cuts to bend it back. Repeat as needed. The combination of cuts and bending back and forth breaks it quickly. Takes some effort but no more than cutting firewood.

The relatively soft lead doesn't hurt the axe blade, just don't miss. That's hard on the blade and the concrete...


A big pot over a strong heat source is definitely easier but I didn't want to buy a big pot and don't have a heat source like that anyway, so came up with the axe method.

However, if anybody has a better idea I'm all ears, too.

You either beat, break, cut like Jim or melt.

A linotype pig ingot should weigh 20lbs. It may be easier to get a bigger pot, use an appropriate burner, and recast into smaller ingots. Good used pots and pans are all over the place in antique shops, flea markets and other venues.

Or Take it to a casting buddy, or shop that would be willing to do this for you if it's a 1 time event. I have a plumbers torch with a fixture stand to hold the torch end. I use cast iron pots for this when melting 10lbs at a time.

Try using your saw with a courser blade.

You need a friend with a cutting torch.

Doesn't get much simpler than that.

I took an old 20# propane tank that I couldn't get a replacement valve for, filled it with water, and used an angle grinder to cut it off just above the weld seam. Voila, (French word for "lookit at this scheit!" the perfect pot for melting down pigs.

Ed

I didn't know monotype can be found in pigs. Always that with linotype but not monotype.

I melt pigs and other godawful size chunks in an old cast iron kettle, on a wood fire in the backyard. I save up the stuff for when buddies stop by for fire+beer socializing. Now and then set the lager down and grab the ladle and dispense into ingot molds. Kills two birds with one stone, and doesn't cost a dime for fuel.

There are many lead pots on eBay, ladles too

I melted thousands of pounds of lead back when I first started plumbing. I bet there are lots of lead pots laying around old plumbing company shops. We had a couple in the place I retired from. I bet there is some in antique shops. Old cast kettles would work.

I use a mall or sledge hammer and a section of rail road track, much easier to break than to cut. I borrowed my Dad's section of track, about 2' long and my section about 18", put a pig on top between them and smacked the center, snapped right in half, moved one side closer, broke them in half again, repeat, until you have 4" lengths. Easy.

On pure lead I use a fire axe, chop it into pieces. A full swing buries the axe, helps to back it with a big log.

I'll have to try an ax. They are 22 pound pigs maybe 18" long. I thought they were linotype when I bought them but I had one gunned with an analysis xray gun and if I recall correctly they were only 72 or 74% lead and the rest was tin and antimony so they said it was monotype.

The old print shop owner I bought it from said they would add extra tin and antimony to it every once in a while. It seems to be very good stuff to blend with my softer stuff or wheel weights.

I have more of it than I do ww or bullet scrap from rmr. I just took advantage of rmrs 8% off deal and ordered another 120 pounds of their scrap lead that's supposed to be bhn 10. It seems to be working well in my hollow point molds. I used 1 pound ww and 1 pound of the mono to 8 pounds of the rmr and made penta hps for 45 acp. Powder coated they weighed 212g.

I gave a bag to my neighbor who's an army Ranger and used to teach at the sniper school. He brought me back one that expanded pretty well after being shot into wood. I'm saving milk jugs to do some water testing. I've also cast some 410g cup points for the 45-70 guide gun. I made them a little harder with more mono and ww.

Bb