Lead supply

[firestick]

Just picked up 37# of lead at the recycling/scrap yard. $31.20 with tax. Some of it is old plumbers lead but some is really soft tape on weights. Scratch easy with a regular wheel weight. Regular wheel weights are ok for bullets out of modern rifles but way to hard for Rb and mini's. I preferred mixing linotype with soft lead when I used to cast for the unmentionables.

 

[Otter]

'Bout 20 years ago bought 980# of soft sheet lead from an office remodel project. Paid $0.09 per pound. Still have about 450# in ingots ready to cast and lots of RBs and BPCR bullets ready to load. Sent a lot of them down range over the years. Sometimes it's just being in the right place at the right time.

 

[flinter1977]

Just tonight picked up 200 pounds of sheet lead off of Craigs list for 50.00 .two hour drive was worth it.

 

[Eutycus]

This may be a little harder than some would like but a few lead wheelweights softened up with a handful of pure lead fishing weights make a usable mix. Just make sure the wheelweights are lead. You're in for a nightmare if you use the zinc ones. Throw those away.

 

[Troyfairweather]

This may be a little harder than some would like but a few lead wheelweights softened up with a handful of pure lead fishing weights make a usable mix. Just make sure the wheelweights are lead. You're in for a nightmare if you use the zinc ones. Throw those away.

I nip all the ww with pliers, the zinc are easy to tell most weights say zinc now. If the lead is not to not the lead will melt and zinc won't.

 

[firestick]

The recycling place had quite a bit of lead curtain material. Looked like curtains anyways. about the same as lead apron xray techs use to use. Wonder how they reclaim that lead?

 

[McClura]

About 30 years back a good friend that is a Building contractor called and told me he was remolding an old doctors office. He said he found lead sheeting in the door and two walls. If I wanted it, come get it our of his way. I picked up about 500 lbs. of sheet lead that weekend. Back then I was involved with two good Blackpowder Clubs and took some of it to the shoots for prizes and trading material. I kept about 150lbs and melted half into small ingots for my melting pot and rolled the rest up for safe storage. One of the posters here was right when he said, "Don't have to feed or water it". It is still setting where I put it.
I just put it back in the corner of my shed and it sleeps there until needed. HAH
Mike

 

[Cap'n Ball]

Does anybody know how difficult it would be to clean up the plates from a lead-acid battery?

 

[FishDFly]

That is not a good idea at all.

 

[Lippy984]

Does anybody know how difficult it would be to clean up the plates from a lead-acid battery?

I was wondering this myself

 

[Okie Hog]

Call the roofers.

 

[mooman76]

I wouldn't recommend it either and all said and done, you might be surprised how little lead you get in the end. The stick on WWs are real soft and shops that deal with the stained glass windows, the scraps are also soft.

 

[Artie Peltier]

The sinkers can be all kinds of stuff mixed in.

Question for you or the group. I used to dive but can’t anymore. I have some of the dive weights from the belt That are lead.Do you or anyone else know if they are pure lead. They are at least 40 years old

 

[Coot]

Dive weights might be pure or might not - as a former diver myself, it only mattered if they were heavy & cheap. Try scratching them with your thumbnail. Pure lead is easy to scratch.

 

[TNGhost]

Does anybody know how difficult it would be to clean up the plates from a lead-acid battery?

I was wondering this myself

Vehicle batteries are not a good idea to mess with for the home caster. There are a lot of concerns, including acid pockets in the plates, cadmium and other dangerous heavy metals that can remain poisonous in the slag and the extra, sometimes deadly fumes they give off while molten.

Most of the lead in this country comes from recycled batteries now, but it they are better left to the professional recyclers due to the health and safety problems.

 

[TNGhost]

Question for you or the group. I used to dive but can’t anymore. I have some of the dive weights from the belt That are lead.Do you or anyone else know if they are pure lead. They are at least 40 years old

My best guess is at that age they would be lead. 40 years ago the ridiculous paranoia about lead was just beginnings ot here weren't as many "substitutes" being used. How pure, is the question. If they scratch quite easily with a finger nail than they are going to be pure enough for BP projectile purposes

 

[Artie Peltier]

My best guess is at that age they would be lead. 40 years ago the ridiculous paranoia about lead was just beginnings ot here weren't as many "substitutes" being used. How pure, is the question. If they scratch quite easily with a finger nail than they are going to be pure enough for BP projectile purposes

Thanks I’ll check it out

 

[nhmoose]

Does anybody know how difficult it would be to clean up the plates from a lead-acid battery?

Don't very dangerous

 

[Zonie]

The lead used in lead-acid batteries is far from being pure lead. It can contain tin, antimony, calcium and selenium.
Sulfuric acid has it's own dangers and the fumes given off by trying to melt the plates in the battery can attack metal and flesh. Not something to fool with as the effects could be fatal.

 

[Gun Tramp]

Lead water service lines are now usually replaced when municipal water or sewer digging occurs. This 4' length came from the nearest town; 1"o.d., 1/2" i.d., weighs 13 1/2 pounds.

I whittled the end smooth to better show the cross-section and found this piece butter soft. Watch for old telephone cable sheathed in lead around underground work, too. Same softness but one needs to separate the soldered joints.