05-26-2010, 11:28 AM
Another option is to stop in at a tire store. They usually have a lot of old tire weights lying around that they will give away. I picked up about 10 pounds about two years ago and still haven't used it all. I melted a bunch of the tire weights in empty (and clean) cat food cans on my BBQ grill, making thin sheets that I could cut and mold to the inside of loco shells. I also cut them into smaller pieces to fit into the underside of light freight cars. With thin sheets, lead is easy to manipulate into different shapes and one can layer the sheets into thicker pieces if needed. Be careful when melting the lead! Do it outside, do not breathe in the fumes, and be careful: it is molten metal you will be dealing with until it cools and hardens! Wear eye protection, wear leather gloves, and use tools to handle the cans. No sense in getting hurt. Just my two cents...
Chuck
Chuck
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