Lead Ingots For Resale Market Question...

ki11ercane

ki11ercane

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I am considering purchasing lead ingots for resale. The lead in question is 99% pure soft lead, not made from wheel weights. Basically I want to sell a completed product packaged in one or two pound ingots ready to smelt for a market that doesn't want to scrounge, dip for clips or zinc balls, worry about impurity content, etc. Simply buy, smelt, harden to desired level, cast, and shoot. The lead ingots would be in central Canada (my location) so shipping would be centralized throughout the rest of Canada.

Do reloaders who buy lead for casting ever consider this, or does the majority of people who cast lead do the steps necessary to come to an end product on their own? (buy scrap lead, wheels weights, etc. locally, etc.)

Overall, I am just trying to see if there is a need to be filled.

Thanks!
 
I'm interested to hear the answers also,as around Feb I want
to buy a reloading kit and I was thinking about wheel weights
today.
 
Killer: I use alot of lead as I am in the bullet casting business. The "pure lead" you have would be of interest to folks who cast for M.L. and Bp cartridge, other folks prefer something harder. I use a fair bit of pure lead as I don't use wheelweights, I use pure lead, tin, and add Linotype and/or monotype to harden. I have never had much problem getting pure lead from scrap yards and other sources, right now my shortage is the very hard "print metals". I don't believe the market is there for pure lead(IMHO), especially with the very expensive shipping charges. Very hard BHN 19 or more, "print metals", Tin, are more in demand and would still be in demand even with shipping rates. IMHO!!!!
 
ben hunchak said:
Killer: I use alot of lead as I am in the bullet casting business. The "pure lead" you have would be of interest to folks who cast for M.L. and Bp cartridge, other folks prefer something harder. I use a fair bit of pure lead as I don't use wheelweights, I use pure lead, tin, and add Linotype and/or monotype to harden. I have never had much problem getting pure lead from scrap yards and other sources, right now my shortage is the very hard "print metals". I don't believe the market is there for pure lead(IMHO), especially with the very expensive shipping charges. Very hard BHN 19 or more, "print metals", Tin, are more in demand and would still be in demand even with shipping rates. IMHO!!!!
Click to expand...

Tin ingots are also a possibility too. There is also a possibility for lead that is composed of tin, antimony, and arsenic. The BHN reading of this alloy would be 13.6.

I was presuming people buy or want pure lead and mix other metals in it to reach the desired hardness they want.
 
I tried to peddle pure tin for $10/lb shipped and offered quantity discounts and only sold about 30 lbs. I got the sense that even if it was $5/lb shipped little would have moved.

I don't think the CGN market is that large, as most guys use wheelweight or scrapyard lead and have sources.

For those who do buy elsewhere, assayed bullet alloys are freely available from at least two sources, so there is competition. You'll have to undercut them by a long-shot.
 
There was a caster named Ken Mollohan, who came up with a formula which became known as Mollohan's Mix. It was a lead/tin/antimony alloy and when mixed with a certain amount of wheel weights, the result was Lyman No. 2 alloy.
A caster could make up a large amount of strong alloy using local available wheel weights, and not have to pay for shipping a large amount of alloy. That might be an idea that would have more appeal.
 
Thanks guys for the input so far. It really helps. Personally I thought there was a need for pure lead for casting. I am planning right now to start carrying Bullet Barn projectiles here in Central Canada (it's nice to be in the middle of the country it makes shipping so uniform across Canada, and there is only one tax except for Manitoba) and I thought carrying lead ingots would compliment selling the projectiles.
 
Killer, I see you haven't got shooters/reloaders figured out. They don't want to buy anything!
They want to scrounge, then tell every other shooter how cheap they got their bullets. We (oops, I meant them other guys) will cast our (I mean their) bullets, and get about twenty two cents an hour for the effort, as compared to buying completed, ready to shoot, cast bullets.
Oh Ben, I still have some linotype and of course I didn't scrounge it. I just bought coffee for a fellow that used to work in a printing room, when they still used the stuff.
 
Hey legion, what mixure of lead alloy are those boat ballasts made of? And which company was this from?
 
You will also note that Bullet Barn bullets are BHN 25(very hard) as that is what works best in casting machines, lube used is considered "shipping lube", of more benefit in shipping(less mess), then in shooting. A magazine resently tested alloy hardness for both expansion and brittleness and found BHN 19 to be the hardest mix that could expand and not shatter due to brittleness. In cases of BP use or Cowboy Action shooting, mixes should be much softer and different lubes should be used. I think there may be a market for lead ingots that are alloyed in various mixes from pure lead up to some of the harder mixes, as most folks may not have to resources to harden alloys to certain predetermined levels.
As an aside, the "naval lead" that i have used over the years has always been pure lead or pretty close to it!
 
ben hunchak said:
You will also note that Bullet Barn bullets are BHN 25(very hard) as that is what works best in casting machines, lube used is considered "shipping lube", of more benefit in shipping(less mess), then in shooting. A magazine resently tested alloy hardness for both expansion and brittleness and found BHN 19 to be the hardest mix that could expand and not shatter due to brittleness. In cases of BP use or Cowboy Action shooting, mixes should be much softer and different lubes should be used. I think there may be a market for lead ingots that are alloyed in various mixes from pure lead up to some of the harder mixes, as most folks may not have to resources to harden alloys to certain predetermined levels.
As an aside, the "naval lead" that i have used over the years has always been pure lead or pretty close to it!
Click to expand...

So in your example, you're simply taking your pure lead, melting, pouring, casting, then shooting it? You're not adding anything to it to harden it?

Isn't pure lead around the BHN 5 rating?
 
I've got about 750 lbs of lead alloy out in my garage right now that I use for rifle and pistol bullets, so I'm set for quite a while. If a few buckets of wheel weights come my way, there will be room for them in the garage. Although we talk a lot about bullet casting from time to time here on CGN, I think we're a pretty small niche market. Like H4831 said in a much more polite way......we're a bunch of cheap bastards ! :D There...I said it LOL !!

Yes, scrounging wheel weights and melting everything down is a pain, but it's only something you have to do every few years if you keep the cupboard full of ingots. Just toss half a pail of wheel weights here.....half a pail there.....and once you have 5 or so, pull out the gear and make an afternoon out of it. At the very least, it gets the neighbours attention when the smoke starts rolling :D
 
Although we talk a lot about bullet casting from time to time here on CGN, I think we're a pretty small niche market. Like H4831 said in a much more polite way......we're a bunch of cheap bastards ! :D There...I said it LOL !!

^^^^:D I disagree! :D

We're GREEN! Not Cheap!
We're saving the planet by recycling!
Think of the children!! LOL
I'm currently trying to find a way to un-dent my primers and refill them.LOL

:D (glad to see you escaped out of bantario, were casting EVIL BULLETS in your back yard and letting the neighbours know it, is likely going to get you a visit by ETF) :D
 
Do a search for castboolits.com in the exchange there are lots of folks selling lead. So there is a market for ingots. In the states they have flat rate boxes. So they can ship 50Lbs of lead for 8 Bucks. Here it would be like 40 Bucks.

I thought about selling some of my ingots once. With what I figured people would be willing to pay it did not seem to be worth it to me. I do not know what you are paying for lead. My cost in acquiring the 450lbs of ingots was about 30 bucks.
 
I for one would like to buy some ingots but only if pre mixed and poured to specific hardnesses. I am thinking about casting for my self as I acquired a lead pot and molds sizer lubricator etc in a previous deal. However I dont have the experience to start mixing lead tin antimony etc at this point nor the time or location. Some casting I can do in my company shop on a weekend (BOSS SAID SO) but for the amount I would need and the number of people like me out there You would need to have ingots ready to go and then who knows when somebody would place an order or how often. I am guessing 30-50lbs would last me a year. Dont know if thats going to be enough to keep a small part time business afloat but convenience may whelm some people over .
 
Pure lead is around BHN 5 and wheel weights are around BHN 8, I add tin and Linotype in varying amounts to pure lead, until I get the desired hardness. For ML...pure lead, Black Powder cartridge...30-1(Lead-tin), Cowboy action BHN 10, Hunting Ammo(Hi-vel) BHN 19, Bench Rest/target....BHN 19 and up.
 
Castboolits.com is a huge resource to the casting community. Lots of experimenting with alloys & lubes. Check it out, I think you'll agree.
 
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