uncrichie Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) Wolverine, my ballmill secure with vacuum, although there is always that little chance it could be opened, I will make sure to tighten it up and stop being lazy about it, about the bunker, I am thinking of building one. Don't ever use steel media... believe me, it can be very dangerous. use only non spark material such as ceramic, brass filled with lead, or lead. I saw photos on this forum of the brass tubing filled with lead for milling media. Can copper tubing be safely substituted for the brass? Copper tubing may be more accessable for most people. Edited November 11, 2013 by uncrichie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice_maniac Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 (edited) Copper consider to be safe and non-sparking material, but also a soft metal, which makes it less durable than brass.Brass is much more harder and by combining with the lead filling, you get heavy yet hard and durable media. By the way, the dia of my brass tube is 1.5cm (about 0.6''), I got the lead from metal scrap yard, cost me almost nothing. Edited November 12, 2013 by ice_maniac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobosan Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 (edited) <bump> Pyrocreations has lead media on sale. Shipping will most likely be high. http://www.pyrodirect.com/Item/100-2050-100 edit: ooops, it's Pyrodirect. Edited November 27, 2013 by Bobosan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marks265 Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 <bump> Pyrocreations has lead media on sale. Shipping will most likely be high. http://www.pyrodirect.com/Item/100-2050-100 Have Kevin do the USPS flat rate box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle66 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I built a mill with a 1 gallon jar I made from Sponenburgh's design. The media is 30# of .500 ball I cast from scrap wheel weights It wasn't difficult, and even considering the cost of the mold, it was much cheaper than buying that much media. You can get the mold here: http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1202/3/LEE-500-DC/LEE-500-DC This company is very reliable, with prompt and inexpensive shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdeputy Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 How long did it take you to cast enough balls for a 1 gallon jar? Has anyone cast long cylinders of lead and cut them into smaller cylinders to use for media? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I've tried to cast longer cylinders of lead. I would only recommend that if you have a power saw to cut the rods up. I cast in 3/4" x ~6" rods. I used pieces of copper tubing with aluminum tape over one end. To get the rods out you need to lubricate the inside of the copper. I did some with the lubricant and some without. I was 4/4 at getting the rods out of the lubricated ones, and 1/3 of the dry tubes. I used a solution of vaseline in toluene, but any solvent will work. After pouring the lead and letting it solidify, I quenched them in water to cool them off faster. You can release the rods of lead by inserting a wooden dowel into one end and ramming them against the ground or a bench to force the lead out. It takes a little muscle, but if lubricated, they should come out. I tried cutting the rods of lead with a hacksaw by hand. Even with linotype the lead is almost too soft as it just gums up the blades and lubricates it too much. After cutting a couple by hand I just gave up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle66 Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 Casting 30# took me ~5-6 hours, in 2 sessions. Not counting bathroom breaks and adding more lead to the melt. BTW, here's a report on Track of the Wolf's service. Just before midnight last Monday, (Jan 20, 2014) I placed an order with them for a different mold and a couple of other things. I got it in today's (Jan 23) mail. $5.95 shipping. This is not unusual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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