Old lead

[pilgrim]

I didn't do It all by my self, the turner helped me, giving me hints and tips ;-)

[Steve C]

Sorry to reopen an old post, but this looks like the most relevant discussion. In hunting for suitable lead for a lead castle here in the US, my two most promising options right now are sheet lead (to roll concentrically), or lead shot. I am looking to use a standard US 1 gallon paint can (195mm h x 168mm d) as an outer shell. Lead shot is most commonly found alloyed with 5% antimony for hardness. Small lead shot (number 9, which is 0.08 inches / 2.032mm) would seem to be a good compromise between shielding and ease of assembly. I don't want be having to smelt my own lead, for many different reasons. However, would the antimony cause any issues either with reactivity or a marked lack of shielding?

[pilgrim]

Hi Steve, I don't think 5% antimony could be an issue for shielding, but in addition to that you should also consider the density of the lead shot, the "fill factor".
I think that a rolled sheet lead is a more compact solution, to have best shielding with the same space.
I would strongly discourage you to melt lead by your own, but if you find someone that could melt it for you in rings (in a professional way), I think it will be the best solution.

[cicastol]

Antimony will add another fluorescence line around 26keV in the background spectra, adding copper liner you could attenuate much of this line at cost of slight increase in backscatter.