where do you get your lead?

K

Kryogen

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where do you get your lead for casting?

all tire shops around have sold all their lead already, so I'll only be able to find some before winter.

Any other sources?
 
the wrench said:
try scrap yards.
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Yes, the scrap yard man is a clasic midleman, buys scrap lead for 15c/lb and that scrap by miracle changes into gold worth 80c/lb and that includes steel, zink, rubber, plastic and other trash.
By the time you melt that trash into usable w-w ingots the total price including propane, equipment, vehicle gas and time involved is darn close to $2/lb.
Scrap yard source? No, thank you....
 
At least your scrap yard sells scrap lead. I called mine and they said due to Ontario environmental laws it has to go to a "green certified" disposal/recycling company (or so they told me on the phone, I have my doubts). They then said they can bring in refined ingots for me at $5/lbs.

I get a few pounds a month from my friend who works at a small auto shop but otherwise I pay $2/lbs for lead shot from gun stores means for reloading target load and just melt that down. Still much cheaper than buying bullets.
 
metal recycling buys lead for 35 cents and sells for 60 cents.
In a case of total inability to buy lead, I would buy at that price, but it's probably a ton of mixed WW that are half iron, and at 60 cents, it's not really worth the hassle in the market price right now.
I think 20 cents per pound of mixed WW nowadays is fair, that,s 30$ a 5 gallon, 40% of the weight being scrap iron that's worth 5 cents a pound.....
last batch was 120 pounds lead, 90 pounds scrap (that's 4.50$ worth of scrap for 90 pounds), it cost me at least 5$ gas to go there.
WW are half lead, half crap. With the job involved, paying 20 cents a pound seems reasonable for pickup.
 
what kind of shop

(2 years ago I could have gotten a free 300 pounds block of lead and I ended up sending it to scrapyard because I didnt smelt.)
shame.
 
I just got 100lbs of pure lead from a house/restaurant for free because I pulled it out of the ground. But it's to soft so I had to buy 6lbs of 95/5 solder for $70. So that combined with my last lead purchase of 65lbs for $45. I'm $125 for 190lbs of lead. (i added 25lbs of harder lead to the soft)
 
I get my lead wherever I can.
I get soft lead from the local recycler when they have it.
I also pick range lead and sort it by type before melting it into ingots. I also do occasional hardness tests to see what I am working with.
All of my friends know I cast and they scrounge all sorts of lead for me as well, and I try to return the favour with discounted prices for my cast bullets.
I have a couple hundred pounds of wheel weight ingots, but I try to conserve them as I don't think they will be easily replaced.
 
Do you guys smash jacketed bullets before smelting? To prevent presure buildup inside the bullet?
Range lead could be good but i will have to pay for it per pound. How much are lead bullets scrap worth?
 
Kryogen said:
Do you guys smash jacketed bullets before smelting? To prevent presure buildup inside the bullet?
Range lead could be good but i will have to pay for it per pound. How much are lead bullets scrap worth?
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I smash the jacketed bullets that are not already torn open.
I have had them quirt at me like clams and one exploded in the pot when I foolishly added cold scrap to a pot of already molten lead. It was not pleasant.

I now only add more bullet scrap to a cold pot and then put a lid on while re-heating.

Fuel is expensive but skin grafts and eye sight are even more valuable.
 
LUTNIT said:
At least your scrap yard sells scrap lead. I called mine and they said due to Ontario environmental laws it has to go to a "green certified" disposal/recycling company (or so they told me on the phone, I have my doubts). They then said they can bring in refined ingots for me at $5/lbs.

I get a few pounds a month from my friend who works at a small auto shop but otherwise I pay $2/lbs for lead shot from gun stores means for reloading target load and just melt that down. Still much cheaper than buying bullets.
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Lead shot can be a little soft so you may want to add a little tin to the pot before casting. I'm in Ottawa too, where is this place that's offering refined ingots at $5/lb? I may need a few.
 
I just cast another 100 pounds of ingots :p Getting addictive, I'm going in another town tonight and I am buying some more 5 gallons on WW for 20$ a full 5 gallon ^^
 
Apparently sailboat keels have lead in them. Be careful about hidden water pockets if smelting that stuff though. No idea where the sailboat scrap yards are but there must be old ones somewhere.
 
flyinlead said:
Apparently sailboat keels have lead in them. Be careful about hidden water pockets if smelting that stuff though. No idea where the sailboat scrap yards are but there must be old ones somewhere.
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Sailboat keels can be lead, Wheel Weights and anything else that is easy to melt like Zinc, or any combination. Best to check the hardness and or even melt a small sample to check the melt point to verify its not zinc or Lead contaminated with Zinc.
 
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