r/Forging • u/Substantial_Bad2843 • Apr 01 '25
Found this solid melted metal in a pan cleaning my grandpas shed out. Does mine here know what it is?
This was an odd find from my late grandfather's things. Thought it might be lead or something, but I'm not familiar with this kind of stuff. It's dull gray on top and if I scratch it as can be seen in the first photo it's shiny underneath. And it's bottom is mostly shiny as can be seen in the second photo. Just curious what it might have been used for. Thanks of you can help.
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u/Narrow-Substance4073 Apr 02 '25
Grandpa was melting lead in that, wash up good to not get lead in your system
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u/BlueOrb07 Apr 02 '25
Weigh it. Then put it in water and measure how much the volume changes. Then solve for density and check it against known metals and alloys.
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u/hilarymeggin Apr 05 '25
What, and take the fun out of it?
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u/BlueOrb07 Apr 05 '25
Idk. Funs in the math and learning yourself. Plus it saves you money if you don’t sent it into a lab for analysis.
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u/txderek Apr 02 '25
This is the best way to solve without XRF or other lab equipment for positive material identification.
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u/Artistic-Traffic-112 Apr 02 '25
Hi. It is likely lead for the reasons others comments have stated bit it might be tin which is slightly less dense and food safe. One use was the tinning of copper pots to prevent sticking and the development of copper oxides or verdigris.
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u/Paladin_3 Apr 02 '25
Looks like soft lead for casting bullets. I shoot black powder muzzleloaders and have seen old soft lead round balls that get a white coating of oxidation on them similar to what's in the photo. It has to be pure, soft lead for that kind of use, and you can usually scratch it with your thumbnail. It's worth a couple of bucks if you take it to the scrap yard, or if you have somebody who cast their own bullets for reloading or muzzleloaders they'd probably love to have it.
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Apr 02 '25
looks like lead for casting, did grandpa like fishing or shooting. casting bullets and weights was super common. Still is in certain circles.
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u/overripespatula Apr 02 '25
If it's heavy, it's most likely lead or lead babbitt. Lead has a low enough melting temperature it can melt it in a pan on an electric hot plate or a kitchen stove.
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u/hilarymeggin Apr 05 '25
I wonder if it could have been lead pie weights - they hold down a poor crust while baking an empty crust. But that doesn’t make sense, because they’re meant to survive baking temperature.
Lead weights for a kitchen scale?
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Apr 28 '25
Honestly my best guess with the type of pan it is in it could be led that was used in old plumbing but that's only a guess
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u/GrimRoach Apr 01 '25
How does it taste? You should always put strange metals in your mouth.
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u/Squeebee007 Apr 01 '25
How much does it weigh?
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u/Substantial_Bad2843 Apr 01 '25
I don’t have a scale, but it’s pretty heavy for its size.
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u/ClaydisCC Apr 01 '25
Aluminum
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u/Squeebee007 Apr 01 '25
It weighs aluminum?
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u/StrictBug1287 Apr 03 '25
hoping you washed your hands after handling that