385 hours on the hobbs - learned how to smelt lead today

I decided to try to fill the two previous drilled holes in my lead counterweight so I could start over and redrill them after my replacement parts arrive from Vans hopefully tomorrow. To do this I had to melt some lead and pour it back into the holes that I drilled the other night.

My wife's side of the family always has Thanksgiving te week prior to the official holiday, and this year it was at my house. So lucky for me this meant that I had my pick of tin cans to choose from for melting the lead. I chose a small can of olives, washed it clean, dried it thoroughly, and then pondered how best to try to accomplish this, since I had never done anything like this before.

I started by stripping off the paper around the can, then bending a pour spout in the top of the can so that I could direct the molten lead to the correct point and not make a total mess. Then I tried inserting some of the drill strands that I had saved from the first counterweight that I fabricated for the right elevator. I put the scraps in the can, the can in a pot, and the pot on the stove, and turned on the heat. This did not work so well.The lead only half melted and would not get to a state where it could be poured.

I guess I should cover the other part of the preparation. I wrapped aluminum foil around the counterweight, leaving only the holes on one side exposed where the molten lead would be poured. I then took one of my dogs water bowls, filled it with dirt, and placed the couterweight inside the bowl on the dirt. This is supposed to act as a foundation for the mold, and also to help disperse the heat. I then took a set of locking pliers, donned some heavy leather work gloves, and attached the locking pliers to the edge of the can on the opposite side of the pour spout.

So now I had to figure out what to use to heat the lead? I also figured that I was going to need a bit more lead than just the scraps that I had collected. So I remembered that I a propane welding/soldering torch, and I also remembered that I still had the large slab of lead that was trimmed away from the right side counterweight. So I threw the slab in the can adn lit the torch and started heating things up. This did the trick. The lead melted after a minute or so of direct heat on the bottom of the can. I quickly poured it on the counterweight in the dog dish. Man it comes out fast!. So I had to do some trimming to remove the excess, but all that ook was a coping saw and a few cuts to break it free.

Now my only concern is that the lead has definitely filled the old holes, but it does not seem like it attached itself to the existing lead that surrounded the holes. So in essence all I may have done is to pour a couple of plugs to fill each of the holes, and I am not sure how this will work out when I try to redrill them. Oh well, I guess I wil find out - hopefully tomorrow. If it does not work, then my options are to make a mold of the entire counterweight and repour the whole thing, or order a new counterweight for 17 bucks plus a large amount for shipping due to the weight.

I spent other time today working on the parts for the frame and studying the plans for the Wings. Match drilled the elevator ribs to the spars, and countersunk the designated rivet holes per the plans. Will make final decisions/measurements for the Wing jig tomorrow.