bearhawkproject.com Matt Kunkel's Bearhawk Build Log

Cast Elevator Counterbalances

Today I cast the lead counterbalances into the elevator.  I used a steel plate on the bottom of the ribs to create sort of a bowl to pour the lead into.  I used some high temp rtv to create a gap seal and clamped the plate in place.  It's amazing how thin lead is when melted.  Is about the same viscosity of water with a much much greater mass, a-lot like mercury.  I still had some leakage but learned to pour a little in the bottom, let it set up, pour a little more, etc until I had a nice base to pour the rest onto (with no leaks).

I made a smelting pot from on old metal coffee can, and used a white gas camp stove as a heat source.  The lead shot melted surprisingly fast, I used a blow torch to help speed things up and to help flow the lead back under the flanges on the elevator.  Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of the melting/pouring process since I did it alone and had to work very fast.