Lead salvaging

containment vessel for radioactive isotopes at cancer clinics and hospitals. speak very courteously to hospital operations manager.
 
My son brought home some Bell underwater cable. I has about 3/16 lead lining in it but would be a huge pain to strip the heavy steel casing off to get at the lead.
Seams ridiculous to build copper cable like this but what do I know.
 
Riven said:
My son brought home some Bell underwater cable. I has about 3/16 lead lining in it but would be a huge pain to strip the heavy steel casing off to get at the lead.
Seams ridiculous to build copper cable like this but what do I know.
Click to expand...

If it has copper conductors then it makes more sense stipping it for the copper than the lead.
 
Hi guys, I’m moving and have 4 coffee cans full of tire weights. If you are close enough to Markham, ON. You can come to collect them from my front porch. PM me for addy. Or else I will put them on Exchange forum for FREE.
 
I want to strip the lead but will take it all to the scrap yard.
Too much work for this one.
Have 1000lbs or more...
If I was retired with lots of time I probably would strip the copper and lead out.
d4zu3Gj.jpeg
 
Copper is right around $4 a pound right now. I spent a couple of hours stripping some old checked welding cable I had around the shop and was shocked to see $900 on my pay ticket!
You can see why the crack heads are all over this stuff!
FYI, aluminum $.75 a pound, stainless $.30lb, lead $.25lb
On the west coast. Ymmv
 
Riven said:
I want to strip the lead but will take it all to the scrap yard.
Too much work for this one.
Have 1000lbs or more...
If I was retired with lots of time I probably would strip the copper and lead out.
d4zu3Gj.jpeg
Click to expand...

cut it into lengths short enough to sit in your pot and melt the lead out. you will get a better return on the copper value without the lead too.
 
I find that tire weights are more and more steel and zinc these days. watch how much you pay for a pail of weights if you have to buy them.
I use to put ads on kijiji offering twice what the scrap yard would pay, this got me an assortment of lead from plumbers and scrappers.
 
The girlfriend wanted to go for a walk along the beach so I took her to the beach. Ended up finding a boat kneel. Ended up coming back the next day and digging it out. An old fellow seen what I was doing and I ended up paying $100 for him and his tractor to pick it up and put it on the truck. About 1500 lbs. I also ended up buying some copper wire from him.
 
bertn said:
as long as you keep the temp below the zinc melting temperature you are good.
then you can scoop the zinc and steel ones off the top, no need for sorting the weights.
Click to expand...

That is why i melt with a coleman camp stove. I have it converted to heat with propane. The single burner is not enough to melt the zinc. It takes a while to heat a big cast iron pot but at least i will never contaminate lol
 
A thermometer in the right range for lead is good to have. Lets you make sure you don't get too hot for the zinc.

Carefully observing the temperature at melting can give some idea of the composition.
Being consistent with the temperature will also give less variation on bullet weight and diameter when casting as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom