Re: lead keel
Posted:
Tue Oct 04, 2016 2:52 pmby ddemasie
Wow - the bags with the handles look really nice.
Re: lead keel
Posted:
Mon Nov 07, 2016 12:23 pmby varuna
I got my lead the traditional route - used tire weights for free from tire shop. Lot of sorting, LOT of work, but it worked. I filled lead to the top on forward aft compartments on keel. Check my blog for details and video:
http://varuna.us/melting-lead-for-the-centerboard/http://varuna.us/melting-lead-for-the-keel/http://varuna.us/final-lead-melt-for-the-keel/
Re: lead keel
Posted:
Wed Nov 09, 2016 4:10 pmby truenorth
Believe it or not, you don't actually have to pre-sort very much. Lead has a much lower melting temperature (622 deg F) than steel (2,600 deg f) and iron (~2,100 deg F). As the lead melts, you can scoop out the non-melted weights and trash (stickers, etc), then add more weights until you have enough to make a pour. This went much faster than pre-sorting. Have a safe fireproof bucket to dump the non-melted weights. I used a clay flower vase; clay has a firing temperature of ~2,000 deg F. I bought the cast iron skillet, stainless steel straining spoon, and clay firepot for about $5 at a local thrift store.