Where to buy lead sheet from?

hydin

hydin

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I was hoping someone could help me out on this. I am trying to find some lead sheet to make a small lead box for a crystal that I want to display. I haven't had much luck looking online, so if anyone knows of a hobby store or some other place to look for this, please let me know.

I don't need much, maybe 2 sq ft of it, in something like 1/8th to 1/4 thickness.

I know I could repaint wood or cast a resin box, but I really want to get this as close to "realistic" as I can, plus it's hard to match the heaviness of lead with resin.

Thanks guys
Chris
 
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/miscellaneous-items/269439-rubber-coated-lead-sheets.html

This is sheet lead encased in genuine black rubber. It wieghs in at about 40 pounds per piece is about 1/4 inch thick and can be cut wth shears or punched into little round pieces with a punch if you so desire. ...


Make me an offer. ... $1 per Pound

Dive Shops: Make me an Offer for the whole lot!

Newenglandcharters@maine.rr.com
Click to expand...
th_leadstrips2.jpg
 
Cool! I never thought of diving. I was thinking welding supplies or even lead roofing tiles.

I will drop the guy an email later on and see if he can help me out :)

Thanks!
Chris
 
If that doesn't pan out, let me know. My father can most likely get it from his pewter supplier. I know he used to supply it.

FYI - you'll have to attach the sheet over a frame or your box will turn into an unrecognizable smooshed thing over time from physic's weakest force, Gravity.
 
If you can check the price from the pewter supplier, I would appreciate it. Never hurts to have information :)

I planned on "bending" it around an existing box. I haven't decided if it will be wood or thick cardboard, but the idea is to insert little "walls" in the areas before I bend the metal fully closed. Mostly this will just be me outside wailing on lead sheet with a hammer and probably cursing up a storm.

Kinda like how I resin cast, cept less hammer involved :lol

Chris
 
Could you cast the box? You can melt it over a wood fire in a steel pot and cast (smallish section parts) straight into a wood form. Five pounds of buckshot is only $25 at Cabela's, and I'm sure that you could find cheaper if you searched longer than the 30 seconds I did.

*Edit*
I did some more looking for casting grain and ingots, and stumbled on a lead supplier that has sheet stock, ingots, and wire.

Rotometals
 
Last edited:
I thought about going the casting route, but decided not to. I only have a 5lb melter, and that isn't a lot of lead. Bending sheet would be preferred due to less chance of me catching on fire, and the ease of it.

I will check out that link though, thanks for the heads up!

Man, I got squat with my google search earlier this week. Guess I was using the wrong terms or something.

Chris
 
I found the link from a bullet casting site, I figured they'd know some good suppliers.:lol
 
hydin said:
If you can check the price from the pewter supplier, I would appreciate it. Never hurts to have information :)
Click to expand...

He's going to call tomorrow and ask, but he doesn't think it'll be good news. IF the guy even supplies it, you'll probablu have to get like a minimum 50 pound order of it, which will be a couple hundred dollars. But he's gonna check for you anyway.

It turns out all the lead sheeting my father has he got for free. Apparently old shower stalls are lined with the stuff. So contact some renovation companies and scrap yards, and you can scavange the sheet from there. Also, contact any companies that manufature or supply radiation vests for x-rays. With all the lead safty restrictions in place these days, that's about the only thing that still uses real lead sheets.

He also suggests cracking open some old truck and car batteries. You can use the lead plates in there. They're a bit thicker than standard lead sheeting, but you can still cover a box with them.

Hope that helps.
 
If you can use thin material (maybe as covering over a wood box?) then you should check local hardware stores for lead flashing. It's usually quite thin, like between 1/16" and 1/8", but might be worth a look.
 
I've bought pewter before from Rotometals a long time ago. They're still in business and even sell on Amazon. They list lead sheets up to 3/8 on the website. They carry Pewter sheets also.

Other alternatives are make the box from brass/copper and then use plumbing or auto body solder sticks on it. You may be able to get the autobody lead sticks & paddle tallow from the local body shop supplier. Regular plumbing copper pipe flux should work for getting it to stick to the brass/copper. The plus to lead coating a copper/brass box would be the structural strength it would give, but You'll probably run into heat control problems and warping if its a large box I'd think.
 
Chris, you can make your own sheet the way it was made in the old, old, old days.
Put the lead in your melter and pour the molten lead onto a cookie sheet. Then take the flat pour of cooled lead and put it on an anvil and hammer it thin. This would give you the hammered look you are going for.
 
replicaprops said:
Chris, you can make your own sheet the way it was made in the old, old, old days.
Put the lead in your melter and pour the molten lead onto a cookie sheet. Then take the flat pour of cooled lead and put it on an anvil and hammer it thin. This would give you the hammered look you are going for.
Click to expand...

It doesn't even have to be a cookie sheet. Anything non-plastic works. My father's caster pours the leftover pewter and slag into a flat bottomed (no tabs) cardboard box for example. And no, it doesn't burn or even turn black.

Here's a video of pipe organ makers making a lead sheet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3CPerlTb-g&feature=PlayList&p=C68C959DF7F5EE07&index=0&playnext=1
 
:D

Much appreciated detective work!

The lead sheet is pretty much dead on for what I need, at a price I can live with, and who can turn down uranium?!?!?!

Thanks man!
Chris
 
Are you making a box for the hero Kent Kryptonite rock? I've always wanted one!

hydin said:
:D

Much appreciated detective work!

The lead sheet is pretty much dead on for what I need, at a price I can live with, and who can turn down uranium?!?!?!

Thanks man!
Chris
Click to expand...
hydin said:
:D

Much appreciated detective work!

The lead sheet is pretty much dead on for what I need, at a price I can live with, and who can turn down uranium?!?!?!

Thanks man!
Chris
Click to expand...
 
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