Author Topic: Making Lead Wire (Read 1200 times)

talon · « **on:** August 06, 2003, 08:26:47 AM »

Today I discovered that if you heat the CSP Wire Making Die Body and a few lead billets in the kitchen oven to about 120 degrees, that getting started squirting out .185 wire is a snap. In the past, I just tried making the wire at room temp, and the press would stall out. Once you get started with a few warm( ie, 120o) billets and the body, the die body heats up to quite a bit hotter, and the process then is as normal as making larger sized wire. I suppose the same effect can be had by making larger diameter wire for awhile, until the die body gets hot, then switch to the smaller diameter dies. Of course, you must use as pure a lead as you can find. Heating the die holder does have it's limits.

Donna · « **Reply #1 on:** August 07, 2003, 11:41:56 AM »

Hello Talon and all,

I herd that a small increase in temperature can greatly decrease the pressure required to force the lead through the lead wire die. Well, I guess that’s true. :wink: Thank talon.

Donna

Cat Whisperer · « **Reply #2 on:** August 07, 2003, 02:41:27 PM »

Two questions regarding die/lead temperature when extruding wire:

1. Does the diameter change with the temperatures?

2. Is the amount of change either significant or relevant?

talon · « **Reply #3 on:** August 07, 2003, 04:57:35 PM »

To be specific I use an old CSP-2H electro-hydrolic press with a LED-1-H extruder kit. I don't have any way of measuring the temperature of the die body except by feel. After about 15 billets are converted into .185" d wire it's too hot to hold on to. It's not much cooler, as I remember, when making .360"d wire. I've never measured the wire just as it comes out... it's very hot, hot enough to burn you if you aren't careful. The cold wire does measure what the die is rated for +/- .001". What can effect diameters, too, is just how pure the lead is. I know this as when I cast bullets using wheelweights, there's not much of a shrinkage in the sprue, but using pure lead there is visable shrinkage. But, as I've mentioned, trying to get lead ALLOY to flow from the LED-1-H is a real problem, and I think impossible at the small wire diameters no matter how much you preheat it. I'm speaking in practical terms within the limits of my press. Commercial lead wire makers can bring lots more swaging pressure to bare, and may even use heat controled die bodies. I have some of their really tough alloy wire to indicate that.

Leftoverdj · « **Reply #4 on:** August 08, 2003, 08:10:19 AM »

Wouldn't need an oven in my shop in August, just turn the fan off.