Lead Shot for Tool Handles??

[Rob Wallace]

I'd like to get some advice on what type and size of lead shot to find to place in Hosaluk-style tool handles..... ....or if anyone knows what kind is used in Glaser handles. I have three "empty" handles that I'd like to try to add some mass and dampening to, and the handle manufacturers and tool catalogs say that "the handles can be filled with lead shot" but generally don't offer this item to add to the handles.

Not ever having been a re-loader, and last having shot skeet over 20 years ago, I don't even know where to begin when it comes to choosing what kind of shot would be best for lathe tool handles. I see there are several kinds of lead shot available, including "hardened" shot, "chilled" shot, "antimonial lead", copper-coated lead shot pellets, various pellet sizes graded by number, etc.

I assume one would use a fairly small pellet size (higher numbers?) to improve the "mass" side of things, as far as pellet packing in the confined space of the handle. What would be the effect of 'hardened' lead pellets (i.e. with ca. 2% antimony added, or with a copper "jacket" around the pellets) on the vibration dampening qualities? In practical use, would it make a difference? Can you still get "unhardened", standard lead shot? Would hardened versus unhardened pellets affect any vibration dampening qualities? Would hardened pellets cause vibration noise problems? (I have thoughts of an aluminum tube filled with hardened lead "marbles" generating lots of rattle noise while turning....!)

Any advice from those that have already been down this road before would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Rob

PS....26 days to Portland!! See some of you there! Anyone staying at the Jupiter Hotel?

 

[Hugh]

Lead shot comes in 25# bags. You may want to find a reloader and just get what you need. I do not think that it matters what kind of shot you use - copper coated (will cost more), etc. I think that the smaller size you go - you will be able to get in more weight - but I don't think the difference is going to be much. If you have a shotgun range nearby - it would be a good source of finding someone who might sell you a small amount of shot. Look under sporting clays in the phone book or shooting ranges. I think you want to pack the shot in as tight as one could. Less room for moving around. You need to wash your hands well after handling the shot (you do not want to injest it). If vibration is a problem - and you are going to keep the handle with the shot in it - you could always add something like epoxy after you add the shot. It would become a solid mass then - no noise.
Hugh

 

[grybeard]

Here is another idea for weight that i did awhile back ...a friend of mine makes his own fishing weights out of lead that he get from some of the local tire stores ...melts it down and pours into molds...I made a handle the length i wanted and drilled it with 1/2" bit and poured melted lead into the handle....worked good for weight.
Bob

 

[Steve Worcester]

...melts it down and pours into molds...I made a handle the length i wanted and drilled it with 1/2" bit and poured melted lead into the handle....worked good for weight.
Bob

The poured in weight won't dampen as much as loose shot. Poured in transfers the vibration back to handle more than the loose will disperse some of the vibration.

Can you even get lead shot anymore? I thought it was steel now?

 

[Charlie Harley]

I'm new to turning but I've been a trapshooter and reloader for 30+ years.

Any shot will do and the cheaper the better. Don't worry about hardened, chilled, plated, and all that sort of stuff. Cheap is good. Period.

Unfortunately, you're only going to need a few ounces and shot comes in 25# bags as was mentioned before. You can find it in smaller bags sometimes, but it's rare. If you lived in Cincinnati I'd get you a zip-loc full for free, but Ames, Iowa is a little far away. (Even if most of America still doesn't know the difference between Ohio and Iowa. )

I suggest getting some cheap fishing sinkers. It's the same material and for the few ounces you'll need, you're in business.

The tire weight idea is also good. They're usually free for the asking at your local repair store. They might be a bit too big to fit in the handle, but lead cuts easily with a cold chisel. I suggest staying away from trying to melt it unless you know what you're doing. There are too many ways to seriously hurt yourself.

 

[Tom Lewis]

Our local Wal-Mart sells lead shot in 25 lb bags. #6, 7 1/2 or 8 size should work fine.

 

[Bill Boehme]

If you want just a few ounces of lead, then go to the fishing section of your sporting goods store and buy some of the lead split shot weights. They are round weights of various sizes with a split so that they can be clamped onto your fishing line. Sometimes you can find it in bulk quantity (several ounces) so that the cost is not too bad.

Bill

 

[Ron Sardo]

Won't BBs work?
I've seen them in small pint size containers.

 

[Mr. Don]

Lead Shot......

DO NOT cut into a live shot shell unless you are real sure of what you are doing!!!! Just look up one of your pals that is a shotgunner or is a reloader, and get a fistfull of shot. Unless you are doing something strange or overworking your tools, and everything else (sharpening, cutting angle, etc.) is O.K., then you are looking at minor silly details.... just relax and try to take lighter cuts.............

 

[Dave Peebles]

Hi Rob,

Like Ron said below. BB's work just fine. You can find them almost anywhere. I have a couple of homemade handles using them. The idea to me is to dampen the vibration. BB's work just as well as whatever is in my Glaser handles.

Best wishes,
Dave

 

[john lucas]

If you really want lead, and it's great because it reduces vibration more than almost anything else, I would suggest Pellets if you need a small amount. You can buy them at Walmart or most hardware stores. They would be a little expensive if you wanted to make 10 handles for just one I think you,ll find the price quite reasonable. They aren't as good as shot but a lot easier to find. I did have to sign my name to buy them. Lord knows those things are dangerous.

 

[Steve Worcester]

DO NOT cut into a live shot shell unless you are real sure of what you are doing!!!! ...

Isn't that what a bandsaw is for?

 

[john lucas]

If you cut into a live shotgun shell be sure and holler "hey bubba watch this" just before the blade makes contact.

 

[Mr. Don]

Lead Shot??????????

GOLLY....I dunno...think my Timberwolf blade would take the explosion???? Might knock out a tooth or 3...do I hafta wear my safety shield and ear plugs?

 

[Sky]

Make sure you don't grab the shells full of rock salt.

 

[Sky]

I was going to suggest going to a scuba diving shop for a lead shot pouch for a soft weight belt (only a few $) , but noticed you are from Iowa. Not to many of those there. At least you might have a wood burning stove to torch your blow ups. ( I grew up in Cedar Rapids, 26 years). :cool2:

 

[Bill Boehme]

DO NOT cut into a live shot shell unless you are real sure of what you are doing!!!!

OK, got it ... I am real sure of what I am doing ... cutting into a shotgun shell with a bandsaw ... then that makes it OK ... ready Bubba, see I told you it was alright ... now, hit the power switch ... and be sure to catch all of the lead shot so they don't roll onto the floor or get sucked into the DC system. Let's cut 'er lengthwise so that we can see what the cross section looks like. Junior sez that he wants to play with the caps after we remove the shot.

 

[flyrod444]

I'm glad everyone had fun with my suggestion. I have deleted it since everyone seems to think it unwise, but using a sharp knife to cut the end off is not as dangerous as getting into your car and driving to work. Lead does not cause sparks. As far as using a power tool to do this, as Al would say on tool time "I don't think so Tim".
New suggestion, buy pellets for a pellet gun and use them.
Jack

 

[Brian Hahn]

using a sharp knife to cut the end off is not as dangerous as getting into your car and driving to work.

Well, I took apart more than one shot-shell as a kid. We wanted the powder for to make some rockets. The rockets didn't work.

Modern smokeless powder is pretty stable stuff. I've done reloading and had to dispose of some powder. I put it on a sheet of paper and burned it. It simply fizzled and burned slowly. Very disappointing after watching all those old movies with the smoking and sparking powder trail leading to the barrels of gun powder.

Primers are also pretty tough items. It takes a concentrated impact in the center to set them off.

 

[john lucas]

Brian you were luckier than I. We poured out the powder from shotgun shells and lit it with a big slow burning flash. Great fun but we ran out.
My dad had some black gunpowder so we went to my house. It had gotten a little windy so just pouring a pile wouldn't work. We dug a little hole. Well OK not so little, maybe about 6" around and 2" deep. Being the "smart" one I knew this powder burned more quickly so we dug a trench about a foot long. Hey on TV this would have take about 5 seconds to burn so we had no fear.
We cupped our hands around the match and stuck it in the powder fuse. Wooomp, one very big very quick flash with lots of smoke. When the smoke cleared we both had black faces, most of our hair was gone, eyelashes and eyebrows gone, smirky smiles gone, we knew we were in trouble.
Let me tell you, that look is really hard to hide from your mom even after we cleaned our black faces. We spent some serious time grounded after that.
Do I still play with gunpowder, well yea, some things never die. We just holler, Hey bubba watch this every time we light it.

 

[flyrod444]

I never have liked working with black powder. It can be very unstable. Heard of a guy dropping a flask of 4f black powder, the fine powder they use in priming a flintlock, and it blew up. Lucky for him the flask was small and made of plastic so he avoided any injuries.
Jack

 

[Captain Eddie]

Hold my beer and watch this!

These are the last great words heard from most rednecks, just before...
I have a prior history as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal technician for Uncle Sam's Flying Circus (USAF). Whatever you do, don't cut into ammo. Buy BB's from the sportings goods section, mooch some, steal some, but don't cut into ammo.
I had to help find the fingers of a guy in Ann Arbor Michigan who did this to salvage the lead, Spilled powder, created an explosive atmosphere, detonated it and two fingers left his hand at a tremendous rate. (I found one stuck on top of a rafter 24' away) I have also investigated 3rd degree burn cases of kids burning off powder. This left me with one lasting impression, don't cut into ammo.
I don't care how good or lucky you may feel. It's just woodturning. Why take the chance, it's just woodturning. I love it as much as any man around, but it's just woodturning.
If you can't find it anywhere else, contact me and I'll get it for you and send it to you.

 

[Vernon Oberle]

Share

I bought a 25# bag and my buddy and I have used it it several handles and I have also used it to wieght candle sticks. If you belong to a club see if several persons would like to share the cost, they may have been looking for some also.

 

[Rob Wallace]

THANKS Everyone!

Thanks to all who have posted advice, comments, and humor (Yup, Bubba!) about which shot to look for. Our local Walmart doesn't sell it, but I'm visiting a gun shop later today which has a variety of shot available. I'll buy a 25# bag and sell it to members of our turning club in small amounts if guys need some.

This forum never ceases to amaze me - nearly 800 views on this topic, and suggestions and lessons on shot, diving belts, cutting open (or not) shotgun shells to harvest inexpensive pellets (...and which bandsaw blade to use before saying "watch this!"), to advice from an ordinance expert on how to not remove one's fingers and assorted body parts violently. All this from a simple question!

I am looking forward to meeting many of you in Portland, and hope that we can get together during the 'On-line Forums Meeting' on Friday evening, June 29th.

Many thanks,

Rob

 

[bonsaipeter]

Lead Shot Dampening

Steve Worcester's comment about loose shot giving better vibrational dampening than a solid mass is indeed correct. If the shot is loosely packed into the handle the pellets actually beat against each other converting the vibrational energy into a very small amount of heat. The amount of heat generated I doubt is enough for you to even detect, so don't worry about the handle getting warm, let alone getting hot. This energy conversion process can not occur if the lead is melted and poured into the handle as a solid mass. For the same reasoning solidifying the lead shot with epoxy is also not a good idea.

A good way to "loosely" pack shot into a handle is to hold it upright and pour in the shot until it is completely filled. Tamp it down by bouncing it a few times on a solid bench top until it no longer packs down. You may have to add more shot and repeat the packing process until it no longer packs down. Once completey filled and packed, remove enough of the shot so that when the retaining plug is inserted there will be approximately a 1/4" gap between that top of the packed shot and the bottom of the plug. In use the shot will "loosen" by filling the 1/4" gap and act as an effective vibration dampener.

 

[woodwish]

I started reading this thread kind of late but found it interesting. Capt. Eddie really gave some clear, although graphic, advice in his reply above. Living deep in Redneckland the line about "hold my beer and watch this" always leads to some funny and great stories, usually suming up in comparing the different local ER's (this will include which ones allow you bring in your cooler while awaiting the doctor). Even though I was cold sober (dang it) I recently had one of those experiences that lead to many snickers while in the trauma room and leading into surgery. I thought they were checking my memory when they kept asking me to tell them what happened, only later did I find out they thought it was funnier for me to tell the story instead of hearing it second-hand.

I have learned my lesson, no projects remain on my to-do list that involve the use of a ladder for any reason Time for another pain pill

 

[Sky]

I was roughing out a couple Rosewood umbrella stands today and about half way through I remembered this thread. Got out an extra scuba soft lead shot filled weight I had laying around. Filled one handle with shot, resumed turning and like it so much I had to stop and fill ALL my hollow handles. The difference in vibration is amazing.