Acquiring scrap lead for casting - current state of affairs

[Okie Hog]

Call the local local roofer, most will give the stuff away.

 

[pchwcf50110]

I have yet to find any lead that "isn't worth it". If it is too hard for rifle round balls, it will work for smooth bores and cartridge bullets. If I had to pay top dollar for all the lead I use, I would just as well buy ready made balls and bullets.

I have often thought the same thing. I have been lucky that I started collecting scrap wheel weights/soft lead back in the late '80's early '90's when it was free.

 

[10acres]

I guess I need to start collecting lead. I don't shoot enough right now to cast my own and I have not had a problem finding round balls locally for around $.15 a piece or less. I will have to start casting my own when I get more time.

 

[user 49399]

With wheel weight lead I'm very careful not to use zinc. With a little practice it is easy to tell what is soft and what is not. If I can bend it or scratch it with my fingers I’ll use it. The three in top photo are soft lead. Note the fingernail scratches. The one in bottom photo is zinc and will be discarded.

 

[Whitworth]

Thanks for that picture of the old style clip on made of Zinc, I thought only stick-on ones were Zinc.

 

[Powderburn]

Don't old auto batteries have lead in them? If so is it soft or hard? Couldn't a body use it once acid is neutralized?

 

[user 49399]

Don't old auto batteries have lead in them? If so is it soft or hard? Couldn't a body use it once acid is neutralized?

Too much trouble and too hazardous for me. Just not worth it.

 

[user 49399]

Thanks for that picture of the old style clip on made of Zinc, I thought only stick-on ones were Zinc.

Some of the stick on ones are, but some are good soft lead.

 

[Boatncamp]

Scored a few pounds of lead piping a few years ago when my brother built a new house. There was a lead water line running across the property from a spring on the hill that had gone to a barn that had long disappeared. There was lots of corrosion but it melted down nice and the corrosion of course floats to the surface to cleaned off.
My cousin was president of a sportsman club that shot trap and skeet nearly every night. A few years ago a company came in a mined the fields for the lead. They made a lot of money from it. Were able to make some nice improvements to the club for "free".
My daughter-in-law works for the government of a mid-west state and for many years was a part of their lead education team so she was kept abreast of all of the changes in the laws. I think about 8 years ago she said that huge changes were made to lead mining in the United States which basically made the mining of it cost prohibitive. That is one reason why you see more and more lead free bullets being made for modern firearms.
I would suggest that you get your lead and stock pile it as the price is liable to continue to raise, especially with the current change in political climate.

Woody

 

[Whitworth]

There are no more lead smelters in the USA. All lead is now from recycled or foreign sources.

 

[fireman1]

There are no more lead smelters in the USA. All lead is now from recycled or foreign sources.

Which is so dumb. We got rid of them here in hte US to "save the environment". Like China, India etc are soooo much be better about protecting the environment.

 

[Zonie]

Don't old auto batteries have lead in them? If so is it soft or hard? Couldn't a body use it once acid is neutralized?

The plates in lead/acid batteries contains lead, tin, calcium, selenium, antimony and arsenic which makes it a poor choice as a material for making bullets or roundballs. Add to this, much of the lead in the plates of an old, wore out battery has combined with sulfur from the acid forming lead sulfate. Lead sulfate does not melt at the casting temperatures we use when we are casting bullets. It's a hard crystalline material with a melting temperature over 1,980°F.

When you combine all of these facts, messing with the plates in a lead/acid battery to get something to cast bullets or round balls out of makes little sense.

 

[mooman76]

Not to mention I did it years back and you get surprisingly little lead out of it, all said and done.

 

[VA Guy]

I looked into the battery thing a while back when i had a few junk ones to get rid of... definitely not worth it.

The parts stores will give you something like $10 for a junk battery; seems to me that putting that towards clean stuff from Roto metals is the better deal by far.

 

[nhmoose]

Home Depot carries lead roof flashing in the roofing dept. nice and soft and clean.

 

[JHB]

The plates in lead/acid batteries contains lead, tin, calcium, selenium, antimony and arsenic which makes it a poor choice as a material for making bullets or roundballs. Add to this, much of the lead in the plates of an old, wore out battery has combined with sulfur from the acid forming lead sulfate. Lead sulfate does not melt at the casting temperatures we use when we are casting bullets. It's a hard crystalline material with a melting temperature over 1,980°F.

When you combine all of these facts, messing with the plates in a lead/acid battery to get something to cast bullets or round balls out of makes little sense.

I will just add a note if the wind changes and you breathe the fumes you will never know it. Just make sure your life insurance is paid up your widow will most likely need it.
Battery lead is nothing to play with that is one nasty toxic stew you get when heated.

 

[Powderburn]

Well gentlemen
thanks for all the knowledge I do appreciate your time. Guess the batteries go to scrap.

 

[Hawken]

Which is so dumb. We got rid of them here in hte US to "save the environment".

"We" did no such thing, the objective has long been the de-industrialization of America. Think Watermelon. Green on the outside. Red on the inside.

 

[Col. Batguano]

You can cut the posts off of batteries and those will be ok, but it's a fair amount of work for precious little yield.

 

[torpedo]

I have found that you can pretty much tell if lead is soft enough by clanking some together, should make a dull thud sound. Anything else will have tinny ring to it.