[barnetmill]

I purchased lead from an X-ray room and lead from beneath the shower and toilet, I used the wax that came with the toilet when melting all of the lead.

I was told a company was moving their operations overseas, meaning there was a lot of their stock was being thrown into dumpsters; I was thinking how could they miss me, 4 dumpsters full of rolled material and stuff I had no clue how it was used. I was thinking I had to find a use for it, there were miles and miles and miles if it. I have a 36"X36" shear for paper and cloth. The rest of it? I sked my wife what was the material used for and If I should run low how could I replace it. She informed me how lucky I was because I collect old sewing machines and attachments. I had to ask her about being lucky, I can't sow.

Anyhow, I started making barrel cleaning material and bore snake looking devises, I demonstrated the devises to show the gun show crowd, they must have been impressed but we are all getting old so impressed is all I could manage.

I will never want for another patch and changing the dimensions of the patch did wonders for cleaning barrels.

F. Guffey

I guess if they sold you the lead it was ok. some types of radiation make lead dangerous. Something called neutron activation.
A health physicist would know.

 

[Dr.Hess]

I, too, use powder coating now. MUCH MUCH better than lube, and I've run many thousands through my Lubamatic. Right now, I'm shooting 22 cal 55 gr LEE cast bullets, powder coated, over Unique in a 223 at 2000 FPS (confirmed by my chrono) in my Howa Mini 1500. That's my "back yard plinking" round. Zero leading. Works great.

Some 7mm and 429's:

Loaded 429DE and 44MAG:

Those were loaded HOT. As hot as you can go, and 429DE HOT is HOT. Zero leading in a Desert Eagle or Model 29, although my wrist needed a few days rest after the Model 29. The 44's in the DE is "just right." The 429DE is "a tad much." About like 50AE.

30 cal 230 GR shot in 300BO recovered from a tree stump:

 

[soundguy]

I guess if they sold you the lead it was ok. some types of radiation make lead dangerous. Something called neutron activation.
A health physicist would know.

Xrays don't produce neutron emission.. Fusion/fission does/can...

Dr office xrays don't make things radioactive.

Isolation cores used to carry/ship isotopes can become contaminated with the isotope..and can thus be radioactive due to contamination..

Cobalt 60 has medical uses and it undergoes beta decay... That would be a neutron source.

That's why I'm not keen on using isotope core lead....

 

[barnetmill]

Xrays don't produce neutron emission.. Fusion/fission does/can...

Dr office xrays don't make things radioactive.

Isolation cores used to carry/ship isotopes can become contaminated with the isotope..and can thus be radioactive due to contamination..

Cobalt 60 has medical uses and it undergoes beta decay... That would be a neutron source.

That's why I'm not keen on using isotope core lead....

Thanks, I could not remember and that is why I said to check.

Some industrial Xray machines do use Co60, but IIRC medical ones used for imaging do not.

A neutron is not the same as a beta particle, but being a particle I guess is part of the flow sheet to get neutron activation.
A beta particle, also called beta ray or beta radiation is a high-energy, high-speed electron or positron emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic .

 

[soundguy]

Thanks, I could not remember and that is why I said to check.

Some industrial Xray machines do use Co60, but IIRC medical ones used for imaging do not.

A neutron is not the same as a beta particle, but being a particle I guess is part of the flow sheet to get neutron activation.
A beta particle, also called beta ray or beta radiation is a high-energy, high-speed electron or positron emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic .

And to get neutron emission.. you have to have beta decay.. which is what I said.

 

[CavScout8]

Gamma radiation is going to melt your house down.

Put extra lead above your bed/bedroom. Block some of those cosmic ray particle strikes.

I'm probably going to need to start reloading 43 Mauser, and I have extra toilet rings actually also for guns stuff, so that works out if it's a good idea to use them.

 

[fguffey]

my son is a plumber and he told me that there are no wax in toilet rings any more.

I have been repairing the house for over 50 years, I have a number of extra items left over and then the city said if I got rid of the old toilets they would purchase two new ones for me and then at my age I felt like I had been in mortal combat with replacing the toilets because I had to replace lines and connections because of their gage.

What does that mean; it means if I was going to save the wax rings I should have saved the ones I removed. Anyhow, thanks for the heads up.

I guess if they sold you the lead it was ok. some types of radiation make lead dangerous. Something called neutron activation.
A health physicist would know.

I got the lead from a doctors office in Yonkers, NY. for free, the scrap iron and metal yard there said I did not have any competition.

F. Guffey

 

[barnetmill]

I have been repairing the house for over 50 years, I have a number of extra items left over and then the city said if I got rid of the old toilets they would purchase two new ones for me and then at my age I felt like I had been in mortal combat with replacing the toilets because I had to replace lines and connections because of their gage.

What does that mean; it means if I was going to save the wax rings I should have saved the ones I removed. Anyhow, thanks for the heads up.



I got the lead from a doctors office in Yonkers, NY. for free, the scrap iron and metal yard there said I did not have any competition.

F. Guffey

Many if not most scrap yards had detectors actually on the gate. The last thing they want to end up with is some cobalt 60 or other radioactive isotopes in their scrap. I have heard of people getting stopped at the gate of a scrap yard. I am not sure what the fellow did, but it likely got disposed of in a clandestine manner.
When ever buying rural property always be on the lookout for undocumented dumping. Recently a couple purchased land in my county that did turnout to be a landfill. I am not sure how it was resolved if at all.

 

[toot]

yes they are. the bees stopped making it. so synthetic is the new wax!!

 

[uncrichie]

:
"Modern wax rings are made of vegetable and petroleum waxes, with polyurethane additives.

 

[CavScout8]

:
"Modern wax rings are made of vegetable and petroleum waxes, with polyurethane additives.

Good to know... although... still seemingly legit for my uses. And I don't see any issue with it for bullet grease grooves. One would think it'd actually be better, since in this case, better to have something petroleum based and with maybe some better saturation/penetration and act as a soap or solvent to a degree, at least more than an inert wax.

I use Ren Wax between all metal and wood on guns. Compound items are harder to manage, since the materials are often trying to degrade the other and have different ideal storage conditions. The answer museums use in the end is just stable temp and humidity, and heavy use of inert waxes.

 

[soundguy]

I'd not use petro lubes for black powder applications though..

 

[CavScout8]

I'd not use petro lubes for black powder applications though..

Think it'll increase the burn?

 

[soundguy]

Worse... Hard and thick gummy fouling. In the bore and fire channel this is horrible to clean.

 

[Edward Tinker]

I always tell myself that I'd never get too 'cheap', but reality is that as I get older, I may not be working and cheaper is better.
I have passed on wax rings, I want to say many times at yard sales or even better estate sales. I figured they might be slightly damaged.... but for this use, what the heck

 

[Adler1944]

Blue shop towels will work. I just use napkins from McDonald's or Burger King, sometimes Wendy's. Cut the size I need for a patch. I like the napkin material (cheap is good) for dry swabbing a muzzle loader between shots to keep the fouling under control.