
Fishing weights as ball mill media
#1
Posted 27 August 2009 - 11:14 PM
The grass is always greener on the other side; it's full of scorch marks on this side.
#2
Posted 27 August 2009 - 11:58 PM
- efitzgerald likes this
#3
Posted 28 August 2009 - 01:04 AM
#4
Posted 28 August 2009 - 12:26 PM
Pure lead is too soft, and you'll get significant wear (and contamination of your BP with Lead).
Use an alloy of lead that contains Antimony (preferred) or Tin.
I'm pretty sure fishing weights are almost pure Lead. *IF* so, I'm surprised you aren't getting significant wear, Gunzway.
- Ubehage likes this
#5
Posted 29 August 2009 - 12:13 AM
The grass is always greener on the other side; it's full of scorch marks on this side.
#6
Posted 29 August 2009 - 01:24 AM
- Albert Einstein
#7
Posted 29 August 2009 - 02:14 AM

#8
Posted 16 November 2009 - 01:49 PM
#9
Posted 16 November 2009 - 05:46 PM
But to keep on topic, i found a great deal at a yardsale a while ago. I got a container, loaded with nearly 50lbs of hardened lead fishing weights (the guy made them himself, origanaly from tire weights) so as soon as i get a chance, i'll make media with them
#10
Posted 16 November 2009 - 08:05 PM
http://www.pyrobin.c...es/dsc_9566.jpg
D
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#11
Posted 25 November 2009 - 08:29 PM
Also, for smaller jars, 00 Buck will work surprizingly well. And another idea I've got is to contact the makers of those "Hardcast" bullets & find out what their alloy is. If they won't tell me, I'll just tell them that I'll be happy to use my friend's chromatography and spectroscopy toys and find out that way. Or, alternately, ask 'em about bulk pricing and save the threats as a last resort (they also cast balls).
Yet another avenue is to check out a company by the name of Corbin (not to be confused with the motorcycle seats). They sell swaging presses and dies ranging from benchtop equipment to heavy, floor mounted setups. They also have dies for every type & caliber of bullet imaginable and, of course, round balls. They also have heavy metal powders, including Lead, Antimony and, yes, Tungsten. I don't know if Pb will alloy with W, or a Pb/Sb allot will do it with W, but if you're swaging it instead of melting, it doesn't matter. (Besides, if the W is starting to melt, the Pb & Sb are already vapor.) I've got a kilo of tungsten sitting aroud doing nothing, so maybe I should get some Pb/Sb alloy & try to keep it from segregating during casting. I've also got a 12 ton press, so maybe I should get a round ball die & try swaging some together. W is harder than Chinese arithmetic anyway, s maybe I could just use a little lead as a binder. Come to think of it, there's got to be someone who sells WC balls or cylinders out there somewhere. THAT would be the ultimate grinding media!
#12
Posted 27 November 2009 - 08:12 AM
Well, there is a noticeable wearing at the ends of the fishing weights. The ends are rounded. I will post a photo later.
#13
Posted 08 January 2010 - 06:59 PM
#14
Posted 09 January 2010 - 07:41 AM

#15
Posted 11 January 2010 - 06:10 AM
Also, if fishing weights don't work for you, marbles are easily aquired, cheap milling media. Not sure how they'd hold out in a large ballmill though.
TijM
Edited by TijM, 11 January 2010 - 06:12 AM.
#16
Posted 11 January 2010 - 10:30 AM
Dagabu: if I were you I'd watch out with steel media, as they might spark. Milling seperate chems with them shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Also, if fishing weights don't work for you, marbles are easily aquired, cheap milling media. Not sure how they'd hold out in a large ballmill though.
TijM
Not steel, stainless steel, "non-sparking", “spark reduced”, "spark-resistant" or "spark-proof" are all designators with various metals and is true with stainless steel as well. 316 S31 stainless steel balls are spark resistant and work well in ball mills.
NEVER use glass in a ball mill, you need to do some research on materials my friend, you have your materials bass akwards and are going to hurt someone or yourself.
ALL metals can spark even brass and aluminum, the methods used to get them to spark are pretty extreme and you are unlikely to make it happen but it can.
We do not use aluminum rod for grinding media, do you know why that is?
We do not use Titanuim either, why is that?
Why would glass marbles not be good to use?
Edited by dagabu, 11 January 2010 - 10:32 AM.
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#17
Posted 11 January 2010 - 11:03 AM
Good idea, Dagabu. Did you pour the lead or swage it?
Also, for smaller jars, 00 Buck will work surprizingly well. And another idea I've got is to contact the makers of those "Hardcast" bullets & find out what their alloy is. If they won't tell me, I'll just tell them that I'll be happy to use my friend's chromatography and spectroscopy toys and find out that way. Or, alternately, ask 'em about bulk pricing and save the threats as a last resort (they also cast balls).
Yet another avenue is to check out a company by the name of Corbin (not to be confused with the motorcycle seats). They sell swaging presses and dies ranging from benchtop equipment to heavy, floor mounted setups. They also have dies for every type & caliber of bullet imaginable and, of course, round balls. They also have heavy metal powders, including Lead, Antimony and, yes, Tungsten. I don't know if Pb will alloy with W, or a Pb/Sb allot will do it with W, but if you're swaging it instead of melting, it doesn't matter. (Besides, if the W is starting to melt, the Pb & Sb are already vapor.) I've got a kilo of tungsten sitting aroud doing nothing, so maybe I should get some Pb/Sb alloy & try to keep it from segregating during casting. I've also got a 12 ton press, so maybe I should get a round ball die & try swaging some together. W is harder than Chinese arithmetic anyway, s maybe I could just use a little lead as a binder. Come to think of it, there's got to be someone who sells WC balls or cylinders out there somewhere. THAT would be the ultimate grinding media!
Corbin is a little pricey for the hobbyist but I agree 100%, it would be the way to go for sure. Yafmot, I start with steel tabbed wheel weights, melt them down into ingots and let them cool slowly to room temp, establish the Brinell hardness and write it on the ingot.
I can gauge the hardness of the media based on that number knowing what percentage of tin, antimony and arsenic are normally used in wheel weights (5 percent antimony, .5 percent tin, .17 percent arsenic, and 94.3 percent lead)
I then gather enough ingots of the same Brinell to cast the media, cast, let air cool, heat treat and quench. I am looking for 34 - 36 on the Brinell scale when completed. After they are completely dried in the dryer, I swege each piece in a 4 ton arbor press to 3000 psi. This causes the pipe diameter to increase approx .005 and offers the tension of the jacket on the lead core keeping it all snug and tight.
Edited by dagabu, 11 January 2010 - 11:05 AM.
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#18
Posted 03 August 2019 - 11:45 AM
Edited by Chewychewy, 03 August 2019 - 11:48 AM.
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