635 replies to this topic

[boris_73]

ill check my nearest fishing shop sometime this week and buy them ill have a nice cheap good media

[broadsword]

Im not sure about fishing weights because they are not lead now so i am not sure if they will spark or not. I doubt they will but personally i wouldnt risk it! And they also have a layer of plasticy/rubber stuff that could well rub off into your BP!

[Pretty green flames]

Im not sure about fishing weights because they are not lead now so i am not sure if they will spark or not. I doubt they will but personally i wouldnt risk it! And they also have a layer of plasticy/rubber stuff that could well rub off into your BP!

That's true.
But only some of them have a layer of rubber around them not all of them.

[italteen3]

IN Lloyd's book on ball milling he said the smaller the media the shorter the mill time. This is not without many exceptions. First the smaller the media the less weight is has therefor less effective. So I believe, havent read it in a month or two, he mentions not to use anything much smaller then 1/2" but recomends the 1/2" media as they are heavy enough and provide more contact points then larger media.

Fishing weights may be cheap and easily accessed but I would consider contamination. They may not be hardened and after multiple times of use dent and eventually wear off into your BP. Not always true of all fishing weights but something I would consider.

Like Phoenix said I would consider brass rod. I have because I have found one source for hardened lead media which was outrageously priced. I am on the same page as Phoenix so sawing up Brass media is the route I will be taking.

[Pretty green flames]

but .......is brass media non sparking.
Cuz we wouldnt want any sparks in the ball mill

[skipjack]

what about copperbars? they also should be non-sparking, right?


like italteen3 pointed out, cutting the bars into pieces actually should make some decent millingmedia. at least its worth a try, in my opinion.

Edited by skipjack, 17 December 2004 - 09:37 AM.

[Pretty green flames]

But copper is not heavy enough so i think it would make poor milling media

But as you pointed out it's worth a try

[Creepin_pyro]

A common method is to use copper tubing which has been filled with molten lead. This sorts out the weight problem. I'm pretty sure milling media and sparking properties of metals have been discussed to death, though.

[Jerronimo]

Yes leadfilled copperpipe works.
The only problem is that they don't last very long, rooferslead was my only leadsource and together with the soft copper pipe, they deformed rather quickly.

In a couple of weeks I will start making new media, I now have a source for linotype printinglead .
This type of lead is hard enough by itself so I won't need the copper tubing.

[BurlHorse]

I've just finished My BallMill  ,Thanks To BurlHorses earlier Post,I followed his advice and  Got the 4 Rubbers rollers from the Ebay Auction. at $4.50 each .The only concern about the rollers are that they bend slightly when i put a fully charged Drum on them?...

Ball Mill in action
      The bearings were $9.00 for a set .I tried getting bearings here in the UK but the cheapest i could find were ?11 each !!!.Most expensive part was the 8" Pulley Cost ?20 the 1 3/4" pulley was ?5 .The Large 2800 rpm motor is 1 hp 240v Air cooled found it knocking about my gargage..i Used Exhaust clamps to hold the bearings down Cost about ?2.50..I geared up the mill to run at 80rpm with a full load of media (30 lbs lead/antimony .690 " Diameter) .....
.....

The Big Blue Drum is fantastic i got if From the usa and its worth every penny its outside Diameter is 9 1/2"  .Inside  its Hexaganol shaped rubber lined about 7 1/2" across,so lift bars are not needed..The drum is sealed with wing nuts and a large rubber/steel lid totaly leak proof!... I've only just put it into service today so not made any BP with it But i reckon it should Make about 2 lb Of BP..per load...I got about 15lb of willow charcoal to mill so got a bizzy few days ahead of me ....Thanks Burlhorse for the Tips

Very Nice Job Sas, The solution to the problem for me was to add a small Bearing under the middle of the 2 rollers, which I have since removed as I made a longer milling Jar that runs the length of the Bars.....which negated any dipping in the center however I guess I neglected that part of the post, or the follow up, sorry bud, Also My Rollers are suspended Higher than yours, so I would say, Looking at the Marks on the Rollers, Cut the rollers to 3/4 of the length they are now (Hacksaw and a vice), , Use a (Cautiously) razor knife to cut away/expose the aluminum rod about 3/4 of an inch, don't scratch the aluminum, and steel wool it with very fine steel wool to clean it up a little and move your Clamps/bearings, your drum will be centered closer to the bearings and they will take the brunt of the weight, total time to employ this mod should be about an hour. (TIP: if the rubber ever starts to get slippery a quick rub lengthwise with some medium steel wool will bring the traction back! If it ever starts to dry up or Crack, Go to your Local TV repair Store and ask for some Rubber Conditioner/Restorer, Great stuff, usually used on Cassette deck Capstans or reel to reels!)

Your design is Good and I am glad to have been of at least partial service, Cheers my brother,

Stay green,

Regards,

Bear

[BurlHorse]

It works I do it all the time.

For a little while............Keep us Posted.....

Stay Green....Bear

[s2525]

Hi i was wondering will straight lead be fine as in the type of lead used in fishing weights?

[adamw]

For making the balls - yes, but hardening it with Antimony is preferred. To fill copper tubes - yes. But even concrete will do (joking - you should'nt use concrete because of the possibilty of it making grit)

[broadsword]

I know first hand that filling copper pipe with molten lead works! Its is what i use! The lead is very easy to melt. But the only 'chore' (if you can call it that!) was when i cut mine up into useable sizes it doesnt make a clean cut like any hard metal would so you have to use a hammer to make it all neat!
But all-in-all i would say it was worth the effort and it was basically free! I used spare roofing lead i found laying around in the garage and some old copper pipe!

[Pretty green flames]

YAY finally....after 2 long weeks my ball mill arrived......YAY

now let's make some decent BP