I've made brake rotors out of Lead, Aluminium, and Copper.

In this video, I make Brake Rotors from scratch auto of Lead, Aluminium, and Copper alloy. I chose these metals because they are very different one to each other.
It was relatively easy to cast Lead and aluminum. The tricky part was to cast copper because of its height melting point ​(1084.62 °C, ​1984.32 °F).
I didn't know what to expect when I tested the brake disc made of copper alloy. I thought it would melt, but it didn't.
For the Rotor made from aluminum, I melted cans made from aluminum alloy Al 3004 / Al 5182 and some Grounding wire Al5052. I was not surprised that it is brittle and breaks into pieces subjected to massive forces.
Lead is very soft and highly malleable. It made a spectacular show in our video; because of the friction, the Disk started melting, spurting like a stream, and solidified instantly before falling to the ground.
Rotors Weigh:
- Original cast iron 3,9 kg/8.5lb
- Lead 8,2kg/18lb
- Aluminium 1,7kg/3.7lb
- Copper 5,6 kg/12.3lb
The moral of the story: Don't make brake Rotors out of Lead :)
Enjoy!
» contact us at [e-mail], carhax.com, carhax-video-submission.com
WARNING: This video is only for entertainment purposes. If you rely on the information portrayed in this video, you assume responsibility for the results. Have fun, but always think ahead, and remember that every project you try is at YOUR OWN RISK.

[@AffordBindEquipment]

the real heroes in this whole thing are the wheel bearings. How they lasted through all this without the grease boiling out and grinding to a halt is amazing.

[@BrotherWitch]

Can't boil fluid that isn't there. 🤣

[@stemartin6671]

No weight load on them

[@gillespriod5509]

The real Heroes are the axles joints, the diff-gearbox and the head gasket

[@kylesmith2604]

@@gillespriod5509 gearbox went boom… no hero to me. How dare a CVT not handle a 200km/h brake check with no road resistance smh😤😤😤

[@AffordBindEquipment]

@@stemartin6671 I was thinking more of the red hot rotors directly attached to those bearings.

[@Zgronar]

The gearbox blew up, and they have a *spare one just laying around* absolute legends

[@Carhax]

We have a used spare parts shop nearby 😀 lucky us

[@zBrainlezz]

Can we just appreciate their willingness to grenade a gearbox for the sake of content? Edit: nevermind, they basically toasted the entire car

[@gillespriod5509]

Well, i have alot of spare gearboxes since my job is repairing cars, they are easy to sell so i keep all the stuff of the cars people decide to scrap, Also you can buy good ones at the scrapper for cheap, nothing strange this shop used one to have fun

[@skybirdprojects5489]

Diff blew it looks like cause he has one wheel on the ground

[@zacharykelly7434]

@@skybirdprojects5489 I was thinking as soon as he started that diffs don't like that lol

[@pingpong517]

I like videos of people actually doing what the title says instead of yapping for 15min and then the last 2min of the video is the actual thing

[@neoleonor7140]

Mark Rober be like Backyard Scientist be like Nilered be like

[@nathanjames1089]

The answer to what would happen if your brake rotors were a bit softer or more brittle. Love how the lead tore out and shook the whole suspension. This is the video the world needs.

[@anthonyreed4222]

I think machining the rotors first would help a lot

[@Apollo-Computers]

yea im surprised they werent balanced as well :D

[@fleimlehner]

did you not see the lead one? mans was basically maching that shit

[@gofres]

I did think the same. Throw them on a lathe first to balance them. Poor shock was going crazy.

[@ML-gn9jk]

no lathe?

[@tomokokuroki2506]

I think that's what he was doing lol

[@phdtobe]

Gotta appreciate how your team was willing to expose themselves to a bangload of lead dust for that last experiment with the lead rotor! 🤗

[@piyh3962]

Hope nobody is trying to conceive in the next 2 years

[@paulycodes2boss688]

That's what I was thinking😂

[@robwells5753]

You walk down the city streets inhaling brake pad dust all your life wtf the difference mate

[@RR-qn1ro]

@@robwells5753 they're not made of lead though

[@doodlecaboodle9298]

@@robwells5753 the difference is it's not lead 💀

[@crankboost]

No words to describe videography and the hard work required without passion and determination its impossible

[@charlied5324]

I am willing to bet that this person has never been bored in their life. I'm not sure why this was so entertaining. It just was. Thanks.

[@thelespauldude3283]

Can we just take a minute to appreciate that editing? Solid 10/10 Edit: put the disks on a lathe to make them smooth and perfectly round, would probably make a big difference

[@MrTuts4life]

And then spin them on a ceramic/high quality bearing to find the heaviest points to remove some material and balance it, that lead one was fucked haha

[@TedSchoenling]

machine them so they are perfectly flat as well...

[@cameroncarsdocspitcrew.2972]

WHY WOULD WE WANNA SEE AN EDIT?. I I THINK ITS SATISFYING TO JUST WATCH HIM CHUCK THE MAT IN THE FLAME CUP ON 2:18!.

[@cameroncarsdocspitcrew.2972]

AND HAMMER HOLES IN THE RED SAND AND SMOOTHEN IT AFTER 1:53!.

[@ho0t0w1]

drill and slot them while you're at it 🤣

[@wornoutwrench8128]

That was fun. I will admit, I figured the copper would last the longest but I though there would be more damage to it.

[@medvidekmisa]

yeah, they lasted pretty damn long if you ask me, if youre in a lets say some postapocalyptic environment unable to melt steel, this would be an alternative for some decent breaking :D

[@victoresnox7832]

Can also re-melt and recast as well

[@BlarginBro]

Copper work hardens that’s probably why

[@DARKredDOLLAR]

Wish they had times lasted and steel brakes for comparison. So we have a picture of how many copper brakes we need to cast to last as long as steels.

[@christophermorin9036]

If the copper rotor had the cooling vanes that a standard steel rotor does, and maybe even some slots in the rotor, it would probably have done even better in cooling itself.

[@forestranger312]

Great video brings back so many memories of my early engineering years thank you. Just one point if I may the first sand you put into the frame should always be sieved through a fine mesh. This will ensure that the surface is as smooth as it can be. The parting powder the same, I used to keep mine in a hessian sack and pat it over the mould using my hand this gave a finer covering again it helps ensuring the surface stays as smooth as possible reducing machining to a minimum.

[@patty109109]

The lead did not disappoint. Absolutely ridiculous. Love it !

[@thijs_kramer]

Making quality content as always man! this'll blow up mark my words!

[@Ghodum]

Absolutely insane seeing just how soft lead really is, it stretched right off the bolts!

[@Ghodum]

@enriqueamaya3883 brother what

[@andyguyuk1]

Why do you think they use it as flashing on buildings , it's easily shaped by hand and hammer,

[@skillsnprocess897]

To be honest , your team is doing such a brilliant work , Hats of to you guyz, really apriciated your work , nicely done bro 🙂

[@AHTechnik07]

Had to put eye protection on just to watch this ....one of the best KZbin videos of all time

[@CatalinBraicauCo]

Am I the only one who has the impression that at any moment something can pop into my eyes?

[@jontrammell7377]

Well I'm already wearing safety glasses, so...

[@Ifinishedyoutube]

This is why I have glasses instead of contacts. I also make sure to get high strength plexiglass or whatever composite they happen to have that year.

[@CarefulWithThatAxeEugene]

I put my hand up when that piece flew off the aluminum lol.

[@M60E3G]

Safety squints

[@donaldmaxie9742]

Nope

[@RexSkittles]

The amount of work that went into this video is impressive!! I’m blown away!

[@TheBozz346]

just some guys got bored and wanted to mess with something.

[@xindikaay3578]

The way the check engine light was on, bro it was just crazy and next, you know kaboom 💥🧨🧨🧨🧨♨️♨️♨️

[@Anil88482]

Copper has turned out to be the strongest.

[@MikeDCWeld]

The failure on the lead rotor was amazing! The copper actually looked like it could be a viable option. I would be quite interested to see a video where you cast a full set of copper rotors (with some machining to insure they're properly sized and balanced) and test them for performance, reliability, and longevity against standard rotors.

[@stespin]

With the small drawback that 4 of those in solid copper would probably cost more than the car 🤣

[@MikeDCWeld]

@@stespin it wouldn't be the first time someone spent more on mods than on the car itself!

[@user-ce1vp4hi6j]

мідь зітреться в 2- 4 рази швидше і коштує дорожче а у всьому іншому вона краще за сталь (за станлариний сплав дисків)

[@emmanuelnwaogu5011]

Unless you want to burn your tires. Copper is a good heat conductor.

[@Yora21]

I am curious about bronze. Brass would be idiotic, because it's used specifically for metal on metal sliding with low friction. Actually, that makes me curious about brass as well.

[@ThePeca1988]

These are pretty nice option when you are broken down on the side of the road in need of a new disk, but happen to have have access to the materials, a furnace, the stuff for the mold, and all the tools needed to make it work, possibly a lathe too, then this is absolutely a lifesaver solution so you can limp home and get a new disk. Especially how sticky the aluminium becomes when heated up, you wont even need to press the pedal after a few miles😂

[@shaunpaulcroft]

Even better if you have a Forge, CNC machine and heat-treatment furnace in the boot as well. Would still be faster than waiting for the fucking RAC tow truck.

[@ThePeca1988]

@@shaunpaulcroft hahahaha, great point aswell 😂

[@JordanManfrey]

i was overcome with a warm exuberant joy when you used the bullet time sweep sfx

[@frankens43]

wow.. I love the detail in the first step... the cast making.. then skipping rather repeating the boring sections (not boring but repeated).. makes the video much more enjoyable. and the floor remained spotless...

[@jwalster9412]

6:39 "hey dude do you smell clutch.. what do you mean this is an auto?"

[@RamenHutt]

The lead expanding and using the caliper as a lathe was hilarious. Also i was extremely impressed by the performance of the copper rotor.

[@challis65]

I don't think I've ever seen so much time, effort and money spent on something so ridiculous. Well done! I enjoyed every minute of it! 😃👍

[@therazerman12]

It would be cool to see you get the sets of rotors machined to avoid parallelism/runout and try this experiment again!

[@D_Wave]

9:12 the fire makes it perfect for a album cover bro

[@Askejm]

It is interesting to see how the properties of the different metals are. You can see the aluminium easily solidifies when pouring, but creates very little slag and a far more clean pour than the lead

[@Damienkai111]

6:45 *car starts peeing on the floor cuz he cannot stand it*

[@DROK278]

This was so cool and that was a lot of work and time making this video and I appreciate it! 👍👍

[@reaction9449]

This was really cool to watch. Thank you and anyone else who helped make it happen!

[@LizinhoTM]

7:10 NOW YOU BECOME A MEME

[@danek_hren]

How?

[@dvk578]

Lol, I am glad he used the proper cris-cross pattern when tightening the lug nuts down on his homemade rotors before testing them to destruction. Safety first!

[@michalpour5434]

The total best part of this was the gearbox removal and install followed by test drive 😀

[@reallifeproductions9776]

Well we know if he ever becomes a big rotor company he'd definitely have the best quality control process

[@markreddin2194]

FAQ: How much destructive testing do we do? Answer : Yes

[@Udvaros]

Imaginative, spectacular, instructive - and sometimes funny. Thank you for the experience!

[@taftancastingchannel]

It was really interesting, I enjoyed it, and don't be bored because I know you worked hard and spent a lot of time 👍🏼

[@satsuma-qr7ml]

8:55 customer states: "brakes get a little hot"

[@mob1235]

your brake discs look amazing, but we can see how hard it is to produce them perfectly even without imbalances

[@jameshisself9324]

Even real ones are not even, they are supposed to be machined to make them even and true. This was a very poor attempt.

[@jwljwljwwwwl]

@@jameshisself9324 100% agree, this vid was the dumbest thing I've seen in a long time. It proves nothing.

[@mrxnoname93]

@@jameshisself9324 I don't think they had the intention of creating perfect discs. They just had to be good enough to fit. Nothing more.

[@jameshisself9324]

@@mrxnoname93 I see that is what they thought, and apparently you as well.

[@AndresSalazarAutos]

Rotors are turned to make them balanced

[@MinusIsDeceased]

Greatly entertaining video held together with fantastic editing! Now, magnesium.

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

And titanium

[@the_changed_ones]

Why is it so satisfying to hear him turn on the propane and light the match and throw it in lighting the propane

[@SexyTexas]

I like how he finishes them off nicely with that grinder wheel he rigged up to his car

[@beautifulsmall]

Nice bit of casting. That was fascinating to see materials pushed to their limits. Hands on with different materials is so important to understand their differencies.

[@ediefreddie5438]

You should try to get them surfaced. It would be an interesting process to see and would prob make them last a lot longer in the test. I feel like the break pads possibly going over the low spots and crashing into high spots might have caused premature wear.

[@mikeznel6048]

Think vents in the rotar itself would be a good idea, like rotate that do more than 50% of the braking all have.

[@dilmaster3]

premature wear? they EXPLODED xD

[@zachintheb0x818]

We call these self clearancing rotors

[@5150_Designs]

@@mikeznel6048 I don't think the vents would be cast-able

[@danielhomant2832]

@@5150_Designs tricky, but could be done. Set wood dowels into the cast would do it, but getting it to be balanced is the tricky part.

[@earlemorgan5068]

It's so pleasing to watch this. You're what I hoped to be.

[@neveryawn]

Thats such an awesome way to light the crucible, dropping a lit match down.

[@IMAGE_NT_HEADERS]

You guys have some balls to finely disperse lead powder in your working space

[@blanchimont5587]

yeah considering how toxic it is i am really surprised many others haven't pointed this out lmao

[@billyd7628]

balls? more like stupidity.

[@shoechew]

It'll be fine.

[@Swiftsparten]

You know I never once wondered what other metals could be used as a rotor. Thanks for answering a question I never thought to ask 10/10. I wonder what other questions are just waiting to be answered.

[@gearoiddom]

One of the craziest videos I've seen on youtube. Love it.

[@stephenmurray6522]

Sweet let's all get lead discs, really enjoyed watching that more please

[@endoi]

me: just a little off the top my barber: 4:51

[@Drink_the_cool-aid]

Love the dedication to the cause. They had a spare gearbox on deck ready. Cool to see. Copper held up pretty well for the circumstance .

[@mrbootknockr5802]

got sick of the video after a few minutes, but you put so much work in I sat here and watched till the end, good job

[@psps6623]

The cat, the jump cuts and the editing made me chuckle :D

[@freeman2399]

5:20 Copper 9:30 Aluminum 12:00 Lead

[@jackjaworski9175]

Super interesting idea! I would have expected the aluminum to last the longest, but look what we learned! Love to see more stuff like this!

[@matthewmorgan582]

Copper lasted because it work hardens.

[@DaDaDo661]

@@matthewmorgan582 and dumps heat faster

[@bdbeckstrand]

All I see is someone destroying the pad, rotor, and caliper? Why lock the brakes?

[@bensmith4563]

A better aluminum alloy might have lasted better looked like aluminum wire and cans were used had he cast the rotor with the tranny they wrecked it might have worked better

[@jordanzacher7289]

​@@bdbeckstrand you must have missed the part with the flashing check engine light or when the transmission decided to blow

[@vect0rk0var85]

you are so good at this keep going man

[@jaybomb5022]

Would be cool to see these rotors on a brake lathe first, might get some cool results that way.

[@JoshNormandy]

Dude, this is next level content!! 👏🏻

[@TheAnnoyingBoss]

Titanium brake rotors.

[@monkeseeaction21987]

I absolutely busted out laughing when the transmission was replaced in like 3 seconds.

[@wadz668]

Knowing leads low melting point, I really enjoyed the lead rotor!

[@rohanatorgaming0903]

7:02 R.I.P gearbox cover

[@hksoundpro]

Lotus Elise S1 used an aluminum /SiC matrix brake disc. It was not carried through to later production cars. Copper would work-harden with repeated braking, but could easily be annealed if quenched when hot. I was hoping to see the lead liquify, but the hub tore out first. Great video! More please.

[@coreyibbitson7940]

Quenching something does the opposite of annealing....

[@BIGGlep]

For steel yes, for soft metals it softens them (aluminum and copper alloys)

[@hksoundpro]

@@coreyibbitson7940 take a piece of solid copper wire, bend it repeatedly. Eventually it will harden and break at the bend. If you stop bending before it breaks, then heat it up until the colors swirl and immediately quench it, it will anneal beautifully and become pliable once again. Old machinist showed me that trick 50 years ago. Also good to know if you're hammering sheet copper into shape on a shot bag.

[@eddiedemartini9961]

I was scared at all the lead dust in the air

[@Deckzwabber]

I believe you don't even need to quench copper, just the heat does the annealing

[@x8axe8x]

This was more entertaining than I thought it would be

[@southfloridatechnicaltrain2589]

Its amazing when you run simulations testing brakes to failure how well they hold up.

[@gouthamshastry4193]

Ngl you deserve this guy's, amazing editing, amazing quality, the sheer dedication, the amount of hardwork..... crazy video completely worth it, Iam not gonna skip ads on this video I promise. 👍

[@savagestand]

9:07 perfect thumbnail for this video 😎👍

[@Kevin-zy2xz]

Im going to start bringing my warped rotors to this fella.

[@michaelmichalski4588]

So thats why they dont nake drums out of lead. 😂

[@barkinmarmot2946]

10:37 To my mechanic: "New rotors? Nah, I got plenty of mileage left on these rotors."

[@BuddWolf]

I had a customer with a disc rotor like 10:23. Big chunks bitten off.😳🤣

[@ChapmanWW]

I see so many people worried sanding lead paint on KZbin, and then you guys are over here throwing lead confetti all over the shop! Fascinating video 😂

[@woolfy101]

You know your invested when you let all the ads run. A new standard in cocking about. Big up the callipers, bearings, gearbox, arch linings and pads. Not a bad day in the office then.

[@ThePickleSlicer]

I really admire your work!

[@Barncat01]

Awesome video!! Very good idea! The shavings flying off the lead rotor was crazy!!! I was really surprised how long the copper one held up lol I figured once it for red hot the calliper would just squeeze it to thin to even grab the pads lol very interesting and entertaining!

[@hummppffkrt1692]

The aluminium pour was absolutely perfect

[@kdrgaming3344]

It's awesome to see solid metal literally on fire.

[@VinnyMartello]

I was surprised at how well the copper rotor held up.

[@danielmahon1589]

copper would do well in a test like this with its high thermal conductivity the longevity would be questonable though and the cost is the final nail in the coffin

[@shadymaint1]

The lead one would go up on the wall in the shop. Excellent display of carnage.

[@ffandrewd2986]

0:17 this scratches my brain nicely

[@AffariSbullonati]

Passione ed arte si incontrano con una professionalità incredibile ❤

[@darylm.9432]

That was the most entertaining thing ive seen in a while. Well done!

[@OfficiallySnek]

13:03 Ummmm snow! **Lick**

[@jogidonni6855]

9:18 The forbidden frisbee

[@burntpyromaniac]

Oh my god.

[@kes7774]

Wow, there's going to be a ton of dust, my lungs hurt just watching😱 I never thought they'd go to the extent of sand casting copper, aluminum and lead to replicate brake rotors. These are things that an average hobbyist would never try, as they would take too much time and effort. But they actually did it. Nicely done! "Achieving these things silently" - it's been a while since I've seen the true essence of a KZbinr.😂

[@Carhax]

If the video reaches 100k likes, I will go and drive this Kia on NÜRBURGRING 😀

[@pmrsfr]

Has mine already :)

[@harait]

with lead rotors :D

[@diecast164andmore9]

It's at 151k....see you soon! 😉👍👍

[@harait]

@@diecast164andmore9 its at 4.5 k

[@diecast164andmore9]

@@harait 🤦‍♂️ I was looking at VIEWS... you are correct...my bad! And a little wishful thinking I guess.. 😉

[@speedandstyletony]

Copper did fairly well. Bronze would do better and is actually used for brakes in some applications(like a wench). The aluminum and lead did exactly as I figured.

[@derektrieglaff9103]

Winch. A wench is a 14th century service maid in medieval times.

[@jobnoy]

Mmm… wench awghghhgg…

[@Bonerfyed]

@@derektrieglaff9103 A good looking wench always got the blood flowing in my happy places. Lol

[@hossamta2deer925]

Love your work ❤️

[@Luke_Kuznetsov]

damn this kia has had a lot of stuff done do it yet it still lives

[@dwergmaster]

Absolute legends, making a gearbox replacement look as easy as if it were a brake rotor

[@thewatchersofthewood3530]

Whoa! Production quality excellent!

[@GMXR7]

Damn thats a lot of work bro

[@lonelymtbrider3369]

Gotta love the punching sound at 2:16😂

[@BiffTech05]

I love how beautifully machined and well balanced they were... Surprising how well the copper held up. The aluminium didn't surprise me at all, the joys of cast ally, machined billet would hold up better but still be a terrible choice for brake rotors, for hopefully obvious reasons. That lead one though, I mean, it's demise was obvious but I was not expecting it to turn into a shave ice machine.

[@limprooster3253]

GM used to use Aluminum brake drums on Camaros and a few other cars. They worked pretty well actually. They just wore about twice as fast, but they were also really light

[@alexandru256]

first video i've seen from this channel, but after min 10:00 when i've seen that u have no regard for saftey , and even if u cracked the "disk" u kept going , u ma frend have got another subscriber ! +1

[@DroidzandBrix]

Oh, man, this little green Kia has endured soo much torture and it’s still going!

[@toilet_cleaner_man]

Bro straight up made King of Random rotors.

[@yeahok115sure]

Copper surprised me honestly. It seem to transfer the heat pretty good. Like to see a stock steel rotor vs copper maybe slotted copper

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

Well copper is a better conductor obviously.

[@inventor121]

copper is a really good conductor of heat meaning you oil will carry away less heat but it also means that the copper is more susceptible to deforming under the thermal load. I'd like to see them try this with inconel.

[@Avetho]

@@inventor121 Well, Inconel is already used in top-end performance stainless steel rotors, it's stronger than other stainless alloys at high temperatures and has better corrosion resistance, but they tend to be weaker then other stainless alloys when cold so they should be given a warmup lap first on an intense track day. The drawback is that Inconel is very expensive. Roughly $58.95 per pound for Inconel-718 that's been annealed, and can be bought at a minimum size from what I can tell of 1 inch diameter and 12 inches long for 660 bucks. Its not cheap, and it also melts at 1430 degrees Celsius, so good luck melting that down to re-cast it. The better option would be to order a 12x12 plate of 0.375" annealed Inconel-718 for about 1300 bucks and turn it down to a 12 inch rotor. An old 90s Honda Civic has 9 inch rotors, the newer mid-'10s Ford Focus has 13 inch rotors up front, but these rotors are vented and over 10mm thick anyways, and 0.375" is 9.525mm thick so they're a bit skinny for brake rotors anyways. And even then you'd have to make it a 2-piece rotor and bolt it to the bell that holds it to the wheel hub. At least then he'd be free to test the rotor material to the -braking lol- breaking point and put a new rotor on the bell once the old one atomizes itself XD

[@PriMsWaRlorD]

Well coppers good with electricity so that may be why

[@AB-80X]

Normal brake discs are not steel, they are cast iron. Also, not only would you end up with a disc that would wear a lot faster, you'd end up with a heavier disc. Why would you want that? Plenty of pads out there that can deal with the heat.