Another source for boolit lead

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fingers284

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I found a source for lead that I didn't even know existed , and quite frankly was a little concerned when I found it. A buddy of mine is a water/sewer employee in a neighboring city. In a conversation with him concerning the degradation of lead WW usage he said he didn't know there was even a use for old lead...he shocked me when he said he throws tons of it in the dump every year. He was talking about lead water lines that were put in the ground years ago and is still in use until he has to dig them up for one reason or another. After some research on the mater I found out that most every municipality in North America still has lead water pipes by the miles still in use...so the guys here worrying about the size of exhaust fan they are using shouldn't be (if they live in a city) concerned as every glass of water you drink comes thru a lead pipe.

Anyhow...if you know a sewer rat that works for your local town best befriend him as he probably has access to many lbs. of lead pipe a year.
 
Mostly sewer pipe but some fresh water lines out there are still lead. It would likely be pure soft lead you would need to mix with something to harden it or perfect for black powder applications.

Get your friend to let you have it all and then you can trade for other alloys and make sure it goes to better places than the dump!
Now I'll expect a percentage for the good idea.... LOL
 
I've got a decent amount of lead from old buildings in downtown Toronto including the old water feed to a building that was not being used anymore. the only problem is it's pure lead but i'll take ANY lead i can get.
 
It sure is pure from my lead tester readings. Just by coincidence I finished my homemade Cabine tree style hardness tester the same day as he gave me a small piece of the pipe and it moves the dial gauge needle 3 or 4 thou less than the Hornady muzzle loader balls I tested and 5-6 thou less than the sample of roofing lead I have here that is supposed to be pure lead as well. The lead pipe weighs in at very close to 2 lbs per ft so won't take many feet to make a worth while smelting batch.
My tester moves the dial .030 with the water pipe, .035-38 with muzzle balls, .036-30 roofing lead, .055-59 COWW, and .066-70 for Bullet Barn hard cast (I Think they advertise their lead alloy as being around 24-26 brinel). was very easy to build and anybody with a drill press and a bunch of drill bits could build one in a day. A foot of flat 1/2 x 2" bar and a couple old bolts with a smooth section between the head & threads will make most of it, the only expense most will have is the dial gauge ($15 on sale this month at P A ). Factory built from the States is close to $200 Can. with shipping.
 
vagrantviking said:
Mostly sewer pipe but some fresh water lines out there are still lead. It would likely be pure soft lead you would need to mix with something to harden it or perfect for black powder applications.

Get your friend to let you have it all and then you can trade for other alloys and make sure it goes to better places than the dump!
Now I'll expect a percentage for the good idea.... LOL
Click to expand...

Actually it's the other way around, I know of no lead pipe sewers, all Concrete-asbestos that I know of. From what I could gather from a google search virtually every commercial or household water service installed from the main line to meter before 1973 (Canada & U.S.) is all lead, anything installed or repaired after that has to be "unleaded". I just found it very strange after all the hoopla over leaded paint and gas that the lead drinking water pipes haven't mandated to be changed.
 
That's interesting. Mostly only seen lead in joints but my first hand experience is limited. Wooden water mains are still in service some places too.
The decline of the Roman Empire has been partially blamed on lead water lines and dishes and I always thought that was a little tenuous but there are tests of remains that say it did happen.
With water continuously flowing and preventing oxidation the actual lead exposure to individuals would be really low but it makes you think.
 
Not many lead services left in the ground but if Dog up a few in the years gone by. Lots of lead in old sewer pipes though. And lots of concrete asbestos pipes in the ground. They have zero health risks though as it's not airborne
 
Years ago I knew a guy who worked for a city waterworks street crew, and another who had his ditch-witch small trencher contracted with AGT phone system here when they were going to fibre-optic systems and he was removing old lead-sheathed cables.
I also knew a compositor/typesetter with the old Calgary Albertan newspaper when they were shutting down and getting rid of their linotype.
The odd bottle of rye worked wonders in keeping my pure lead and linotype supply replenished for 2 or 3 lifetimes of casting.
 
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