Author Topic: X-ray room lead question  (Read 10131 times)

Offline Darrin McDonal

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X-ray room lead question
« on: December 05, 2008, 12:39:16 AM »
A buddy of mine just called me and said they were scrapping lead ( about 500 lbs) from a remodeled xray room. Would it safe or does it absorb the radiation? I told him as far as I know it deflects it, not absorbs it.
Any input?
Apprentice Gunsmith
Colonial Williamsburg
Owner of Frontier Flintlocks

Offline Gene Carrell

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2008, 12:46:27 AM »
Radiation shielding lead is probably as good and clean lead you are ging to find. Near pure and dead soft.
Gene

Offline Darrin McDonal

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2008, 12:50:52 AM »
Sweet! I'll tell him to grab as much as possible.
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Offline Dphariss

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2008, 12:57:24 AM »
Sweet! I'll tell him to grab as much as possible.

Its good stuff.
I had some isotope containers at one time and could find no reason not to use them, I did some research, so I cast them up.

Dan
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Offline Roger Fisher

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2008, 03:26:07 AM »
Get it!

Harnic

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2008, 03:43:34 AM »
I had the same deal 30 years ago & it was by far the best, purest lead I've ever cast balls from.  Grab it!  Lead blocks radiation, it doesn't absorb it.
« Last Edit: December 05, 2008, 03:44:48 AM by Harnic »

Offline b bogart

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #6 on: December 05, 2008, 04:41:50 AM »
You may have to remove the glue that attaches it to the drywall it comes off from. I just melt it once to clean it, then again to cast it. It is nice and soft.
bruce

Offline Scott Bumpus

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2008, 04:46:01 AM »
Naw don't listen to them, that stuff is real dangerous!!  Let me know were it is and i will go get that bad stuff outa there for ya!! ;D ;D ;D
YOU CAN ONLY BE LOST IF YOU GIVE A @!*% WHERE THE $#*! YOU ARE!!

Offline alex e.

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #8 on: December 05, 2008, 05:42:29 AM »
I was given some this summer.Casts up well & makes good bullets. :)

Alex....
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Offline Jerry V Lape

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #9 on: December 05, 2008, 06:27:59 AM »
The lead is safe to use for casting balls.  However lead does absorb the xray radiation.  It produces nothing harmful in doing so, dissappating the energy of the xray as heat and light and a few subatomic particles kicked out of the lead atom's structure with harmless short trajectories again mostly being absorb in the lead.   

Offline Darrin McDonal

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #10 on: December 05, 2008, 06:40:39 AM »
Thanks for the input!! Thats what I thought, so now to get ahold of him again and find out what happened. As my luck usually goes I have a feeling it got away. I hope not.
Apprentice Gunsmith
Colonial Williamsburg
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Offline Long John

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2008, 06:12:23 PM »
Set your mind at ease.  Shielding lead does NOT become radioactive as a result of use.

Best Regards,

John Cholin, P.E.

Offline Robby

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #12 on: December 05, 2008, 06:37:29 PM »
Darrin, I asked the same question a few months ago and got pretty much the same answers. It casts up nice and is pure lead soft. It seems to require more fluxing to get all the stuff that was clinging to it, I thing glue. So far, I still have all my hair and have not been asked to play the lead role in a Japanese sci-fi film, I'm pretty sure its ok.
molon labe
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Offline Darrin McDonal

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #13 on: December 05, 2008, 07:59:30 PM »
I wouldnt be surprised if it did have  layer of glue on it.
What kind of flux works good on it and whats the best way to reduse it in volume because I would guess it is a large heavy folded up thing? An axe?
Apprentice Gunsmith
Colonial Williamsburg
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William Worth

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #14 on: December 05, 2008, 08:16:11 PM »
I've used roofing/flashing lead which I expect is the same stuff, 1/8" X 3' X 3' weighs 25 lbs.  I use tin snips and cut it into strips that I can roll up and go into a pot nicely.

I've been using Alox for flux.

William Worth

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #15 on: December 05, 2008, 08:22:15 PM »
How safe are lead bricks that have been used as radionucleide shielding?  Usually these are; 3/4" X app. 4" X 6".

Offline Robby

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #16 on: December 05, 2008, 10:22:58 PM »
Darrin, I used bees wax for flux when I melted it down the first time in a large cast iron pot, ladled it off into another large cast iron ladle to make ingots about two lb.'s each. When I put it in the casting pot I flux again. When I got the lead, it was rolled up like a jelly roll. I compressed it down with a sledge hammer on a clean concrete floor. Then I took a splitting wedge, an ax, sharpened them, pounded them almost through with a five lb. hand maul into chunks that would fit my pot, roughly 8"x8". I used a propane burner outside. It all went pretty smooth, once I got into the swing, so to speak.
molon labe
We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. A. Lincoln

Offline b bogart

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #17 on: December 06, 2008, 12:28:58 AM »
I flux with beeswax, and i cut it up with tin snips. Robby has the melting process!
My .02 worth
Bruce

Offline Darrin McDonal

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #18 on: December 06, 2008, 01:13:13 AM »
Well that sounds like a pretty logical way to reduce its bulk. I wish I had an ingot mold. I'll have to add lib it there.
Apprentice Gunsmith
Colonial Williamsburg
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Offline Scott Bumpus

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #19 on: December 06, 2008, 02:26:27 AM »
muffin pans make great ingots and they ae cheap at wally  world.
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Offline Jerry V Lape

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #20 on: December 06, 2008, 07:07:27 PM »
William Worth, not enough information.  Need to know strength and  isotope being shielded or what strength and type emission  being shielded.  Much easier if you could borrow a scintilator/geiger counter and see whether the lead had significant radioactive emissions above the normal background emissions.  Your local fire department should have a geiger counter in their hazmat equipment.  I wouldn't expect the lead bricks to present a problem or you shouldn't be able to get them -but stranger things have happened.   
« Last Edit: December 06, 2008, 07:12:01 PM by Jerry V Lape »

Daryl

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #21 on: December 06, 2008, 10:34:58 PM »
Well that sounds like a pretty logical way to reduce its bulk. I wish I had an ingot mold. I'll have to add lib it there.

 A Tiger Torch attachment for a 20 pound propane bottle is the method I use for melting large quatities of lead. The torch head is laid on a sheet of steel, with bricks on each side and about 15" from the end of the torch.  The large lead pot set on top of the side bricks at the end of the tunnel so the flame's blast is directed up against it's base. This system will melt 60 to 100 pounds of lead depending on pot size in just a few minutes.  If you are uncertain what a'tiger torch' is, I'll photogragh mine for you.

Offline Darrin McDonal

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Re: X-ray room lead question
« Reply #22 on: December 07, 2008, 05:54:49 AM »
Yes  sure shoot off a picture of it cause I'm not sure what it is. Who sells them also?
Thanks Daryl
Apprentice Gunsmith
Colonial Williamsburg
Owner of Frontier Flintlocks