The future of Lead availability...

mikeystew

mikeystew

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i have accumulated a couple of pails of wheelweights and plan to start casting fairly soon.

However, after several discussions i've had in the past couple days with tire shops, auto recyclers, plumbers etc... lead is being essentially eliminated from nearly everything and is in the near future going to be a practically impossible commodity to find.

So what do home bullet casters plan to do? besides hoard as much as you can now, is there any sort of backup plan? will we be forced into buying lead at over $1 per pound until even that stash runs out?
 
You're right on the money with your observations. Linotype disappeared years ago. Once or twice a year, you'll see someone post that they found some, or have a supply, but that's the very rare exception to the rule. When the linotype dryed up, we went to wheel weights, and now it's going the way of the radial engine as well. There are a few other sources, but nothing I've found quite measures up to wheel weights for hardenss.

I've got around 1000 lbs of wheel weight ingots in my garage right now, and 500ish lbs of softer stuff that's fine for making shotgun slugs and shot. I'd like to do one more 500 lb melting session, and that'll be my "ton of lead". That should keep me busy enough for many years to come.

You can always go out and buy new alloy, but man, that's an awful expensive way to go. If you look in my "melting wheel weights" thread up in the sticky section, I give a few tips on how to pry them away from the garage owners and shop managers. These days....whatever it takes.
 
it was your sticky that inspired me to get going on the cast thing actually. great work! but im pretty disappointed with how difficult it is to find lead. had i started even 5 years ago it would have been peachy. im almost thinking that i should shoot nothing but .22 for fun and start stockpiling ammunition and as much lead as i can muster for my hunting rifles. sucks!
 
blacksmithden said:
You're right on the money with your observations. Linotype disappeared years ago. Once or twice a year, you'll see someone post that they found some, or have a supply, but that's the very rare exception to the rule. When the linotype dryed up, we went to wheel weights, and now it's going the way of the radial engine as well. There are a few other sources, but nothing I've found quite measures up to wheel weights for hardenss.
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Lots of linotype to be had on eBay. I am estimating around 1000lbs up for auction right now.
 
ki11ercane said:
Lots of linotype to be had on eBay. I am estimating around 1000lbs up for auction right now.
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sadly it's $1 per pound plus shipping avg, and i'd hate to get the shipping bill for a couple hundred pounds of linotype.
Im almost thinking of organizing a group buy down the road for people in the lower mainland/vancouver island, and ordering several tonnes of lyman #2 mix from a metals distributor.
 
here in newfoundland we got a great source of all types of lead from weights used in the old fishing industry in its hayday. should be able to find lead were ever there comercial fishing or in any old fishing warf
 
what about the indoor shooting clubs
they should have lots in there back stop just waiting to get cleaned up

i take / i even would pay for 5- 6- 700 pounds
 
I have 2 1/2 tons of WW and thank goodness I had the wisdom to start scrounging 5 years ago. I have enough for myself and my kids for the rest of my life. If I was just getting into making my own bullets I would be hitting the small independent tire shops and paying to get there 5 gallon pails of WW asap.
 
Not that I want to pay it but if you consider the $1/lb that is still very cheap for making bullets. Even on the heavy side, if you're casting 350gr slugs you'll get 20 per lb. so a box of 100 will still only set you back $5. I know there are other costs (lube, gas checks if you use them) but really the overall cost of casting is VERY low. We'd all like to go back to the days of free Wheelweights but it's not to be. (I almost cry when I think of the time I saw a whole skid of Linotype for sale at a scrap yard and didn't want to pay his super high price, I think it was about $1/lb.)
 
AManWithAGun said:
I always wondered, is it practical to get lead out of backstops at shooting ranges ? How do you go about doing it ?
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talk to the club. be careful with this lead. It contains a lot of dust (some of which is lead dust) A good cartridge face mask should be used wile smelting outside.
 
I just started casting and I thought I would stop at the local tire shop for a bucket of wheel weights,and was suprised that they had some (a couple of guys that work there are shooters) . I knew that it would have steel weights in the bucket but would risk $10.00 to try it and see how much lead it contained, so far alot of steel but am getting maybe 20-30% lead.
 
I have found that a full 20l pail usually has about 110lbs if WW lead after melting, a handfull of Zinc weights and a couple dozen steel weights, at least in my area of Ontario. So probably 95% or better lead weights. These all come from independent shops.
 
How about dead car batteries ? There're, at least there used to be, lead plates in them and that's why they're so heavy. There's also sulfuric acid in them, which you can neutralize with baking soda.
 
You do not want to use battery plates. Big no-no. Have you tried your local scrap yard. Our local yard takes in huge amounts of wheels with the tires still mounted on them. He then brings in a big shear about once a month, cuts them in half, and peels off the tire. He lets me have all the wheel weights that I want out of that stack. Be surprised how many you can collect in an hour or so. You might also want to talk to some local roofers, old roof flashing is almost always pure PB.
 
Garage/yard sales can be good for finding metals, lead, tin, pewter. Tire shops. I am now just trying to lay my mitts on as much lead as possible, before it goes the way of the dodo and common sense.
 
mikeystew said:
i have accumulated a couple of pails of wheelweights and plan to start casting fairly soon.

However, after several discussions i've had in the past couple days with tire shops, auto recyclers, plumbers etc... lead is being essentially eliminated from nearly everything and is in the near future going to be a practically impossible commodity to find.

So what do home bullet casters plan to do? besides hoard as much as you can now, is there any sort of backup plan? will we be forced into buying lead at over $1 per pound until even that stash runs out?
Click to expand...

The spot I'm fishing for salmon is chock full of lead weights.
You just need dredge.
 
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