Lead - deal or no deal?

[Coot]

Ok, I am getting free lead from a local glass shop that does stained glass repair. The only problem is that they only do but so much work with lead & my two buddies & I can shoot it almost as fast as they toss it.
Hearing that scrap prices are down, I called 5 local scrap dealers. Two do not deal with lead. One only sells carload lots. One is out for now (says he often has lead - but can't guess at future prices) & the 5th one has 270 lbs at 40 cents a pound. Is this a stock up price or a pass on it for now price?

 

[Otter]

40 cents per pound is a good price considering what it has been in the recent past. I was paying 40 cents per pound at scrap yards 11 years ago when I first started casting.

 

[Carolina Longhunter]

The price of lead has increased 300% in the last year, so 40 cents a pound is a very good deal. Keep in mind that all lead is not created equal. Some is more pure than other, and lead from batteries is bad news; stay away from it.

 

[cowpoke1955]

I bought 60 lbs. of roofer's (sheet) lead for 80 cents per pound about six months ago from a local recycler. I would say 40 cents is a very good price.

 

[jtmattison]

If you are getting good soft lead $.40 per pound is a good deal.

A great source for near pure lead is old telephone cable. If you can find some local phone cable guys in a manhole stop and ask them if they have a scrap yard. You might be able to get it free. If you live near a military base try to get a number for the communications people and find the cable shop. They could be another source of free lead.

I'm lucky to be an Air Force Wire Dawg and I have about 600 pounds of free cable lead ready for casting.

HD

 

[bob308]

as i posted afew days ago.

find out what the yards are paying for lead. if it .10 put an add in the paper buying lead .20 let the people bring it to you. if the yards are charging .40 they are not paying more then .10-15.

i did that years ago melted it down into 1 lb. ingots and sold it for .50 a ingot.


one thing to rember about lead once you have it you don't have to feed it or pay taxes on it. it just lays there till you need it. so you can nevr have too much.

 

[peashooterJoe]

Looks like lead is coming down since China has increased lead production. Good news for us, time to start stock piling again.. PeashooterJoe

 

[Raider2000]

I'd jump on that deal real quick.

When I do buy it from the supplier of our Wheel Weights I usually pay 55-60 cents a pound for used Adhesive Wheel Weights.

 

[Len Graves]

The lead caming used in stained glass is usually quite pure. I think your $.40 is a good price. I have used that type of lead and it is convenient to melt.

 

[bwhoffman]

Deal.

 

[Pigman]

I had some lead from a stained glass project that was broken. I tried to melt it and it would not melt. What could it be?

 

[musketman]

& the 5th one has 270 lbs at 40 cents a pound. Is this a stock up price or a pass on it for now price?

I calculate that comes to $108.00, now a .490 round ball (for example only) weighs 177 grains and there are 7000 grains per pound.

270 pounds of lead = 1,890,000 grains

1,890,000 grain of lead = 10,678 (rounded up) 50 caliber roundballs (.490 dia, 177 grain)

Track of the Wolf (example) sells handcasted .490 round balls for $9.80 per 100

That means 10,678 round balls can be packaged into 106 full boxes of 100 count handcast .490 balls

106 boxes (if TOTW bought) cost you $1,038.80 (plus shipping and handling)

You save $930.80 by buying the 270 pounds of lead. (excluding melting cost and labor) :thumbsup:

 

[Coot]

240 lbs of used roofing lead ($96 cash = no tax) are now sitting under my porch. Nice & soft, about 1/16" thick crumpled-up sheets & not much dirt or tar on it. The 'missing' 30 lbs turned out to be a foot or so of water in the bottom of the barrel where the scrap dealer had stored the lead!

 

[Idaho Ron]

the 5th one has 270 lbs at 40 cents a pound. Is this a stock up price or a pass on it for now price?

NO DEAL!
The problem is, is it soft lead? I bought lead on EBAY and it was the hardest lead I have. Pure is 5 BHN and the ebay lead I got that was "pure soft lead" was 22 BHN.
If you don't have a hardness tester I would pass. Ron

 

[bebloomster]

If it was me... I would buy it all. But I cast a LOT of round ball for sale at local rondezvous events.

 

[Little Wattsy]

BUY IT!