Pure Soft Lead for Hand Casting

[Semisane]

I'm with B P Maniac. Get to know a local roofer. They pull old lead roof jacks all of the time and are usually happy to give them to you. It's pure and soft, but a bit nasty to turn into ingots.

Here's one of my scores.

The ingots are about 1.5 lbs. each. Total clean lead is a bit over 70 lbs.

 

[Semisane]

Jacob, that ten pounds of pure soft lead from TOW would cost you almost $50 with shipping to SC. That's about the same price per pound for the five-pound pure lead ingots from your local Ace hardware.

 

[Howard Pippin]

I saw a guy doing a video with a classic looking mold over a camp fire to cast a couple balls, he had a pouch of lead showing how someone might cast a couple balls back in the day. I found it interesting and would like to add something similar to my collection. I'm not trying to go full out into casting, I have a ladle and was wondering other places to purchase lead which alot of people have shared and I'm very thankful for them sharing. Where you got the idea I'm going hunting is what I'm wondering. Maybe you just troll people's discussions and look for ways to try to make yourself look smarter then them, idk, maybe your trying to tell me not to go hunting without ammo, idk, maybe you're thinking about hunting all the time. Idk. Thanks I guess, don't go hunting and trying to cast balls at the same time, got you.

Several years ago, I was interested in trying the same thing that you are now, and I had a fellow, placing an order with Dixie, order me a simple mold for 50 caliber round ball. The darn thing looked like a big pair of tin snips, made out of rough cast-iron or cast steel. It took several years before I got Interested in using this crude looking mold, so I chopped the handles off, ground the stems round so they would fit a piece of wood. Tried it at home, and the darned mold worked real good. Made nice balls. No sprue cutter, but an old pair of dikes were good to nip off the sprue. Of course I waited till I was too old to pursue my desire to just field trek.
Equipment required was not very much, A big old soup spoon with the handle cut down, would work for a ladle and not be too heavy. Now if I was looking for some lead, I'd go to any tire shop and get a few wheel weights, and cut them up with a hack saw or something and use those for lead. Wheel weights are the hardest form of lead I have ever tested besides printer's lead, but they work real fine for round balls. Be sure the wheel weights are not zinc, though I have never run across any but I know they are made. If I was younger, I would take this stuff and go hunting for deer, or just trekking, sleep outside, and cook over a nice wood fire, cast a few round balls, And perhaps hunt just a little. but I'm over 80 and it ain't going to happen. If you can do it, do it when you can.
Squint

 

[pmccoywss]

If you have any stained glass stores or artists nearby, they often have small pieces of "lead came" in a box. Usually free or very cheap.

 

[Jacobcp23]

Several years ago, I was interested in trying the same thing that you are now, and I had a fellow, placing an order with Dixie, order me a simple mold for 50 caliber round ball. The darn thing looked like a big pair of tin snips, made out of rough cast-iron or cast steel. It took several years before I got Interested in using this crude looking mold, so I chopped the handles off, ground the stems round so they would fit a piece of wood. Tried it at home, and the darned mold worked real good. Made nice balls. No sprue cutter, but an old pair of dikes were good to nip off the sprue. Of course I waited till I was too old to pursue my desire to just field trek.
Equipment required was not very much, A big old soup spoon with the handle cut down, would work for a ladle and not be too heavy. Now if I was looking for some lead, I'd go to any tire shop and get a few wheel weights, and cut them up with a hack saw or something and use those for lead. Wheel weights are the hardest form of lead I have ever tested besides printer's lead, but they work real fine for round balls. Be sure the wheel weights are not zinc, though I have never run across any but I know they are made. If I was younger, I would take this stuff and go hunting for deer, or just trekking, sleep outside, and cook over a nice wood fire, cast a few round balls, And perhaps hunt just a little. but I'm over 80 and it ain't going to happen. If you can do it, do it when you can.
Squint

Squint,

Thank you sharing this. Sound like alot of fun to me and that's very interesting the mold you came up with. I've heard alot about the wheel weight idea and will give them a try. And I'll take your advice and try to out and enjoy the landscape as much as I can while I'm still in my mid thirty's. I have three young sons I'm trying to get outside more and off the video game, I don't want them melting lead but I'm going to try to show them stuff in the history of muzzleloading. Some of the older style molds are pretty expensive but I'm slowly adding to my collection of things. I find everything with muzzleloading very interesting and I wish I would have gotten into it sooner.

-Jacob

 

[Jacobcp23]

I'm with B P Maniac. Get to know a local roofer. They pull old lead roof jacks all of the time and are usually happy to give them to you. It's pure and soft, but a bit nasty to turn into ingots.

Here's one of my scores.

View attachment 140207
View attachment 140208
View attachment 140209View attachment 140210
The ingots are about 1.5 lbs. each. Total clean lead is a bit over 70 lbs.
View attachment 140211

Thank you for sharing the photos. That's nice.

 

[Jacobcp23]

Thank you everyone for sharing, alot of good information and ideas here and even good advice on being stupid while hunting. But I've ran across an item and I'm just going to ask. If it's a stupid idea I'm sure someone will let me know. I've seen these scuba weight bags online with lead shot in them. And I was looking for a small amount to start with and was wondering, Has anyone on here bought one of those, cut it open and tried that lead out?

 

[Notchy Bob]

Ruxton described trappers casting bullets around the campfire, and there are several descriptions of trappers, and some surviving artifacts, indicating bullet moulds were routinely carried on the shoulder strap or bandolier of the shot pouch. John Kirk Townsend described casting balls over a small fire the morning of a deer hunt, using an old spoon for a ladle. Numerous period accounts describe retrieving fired bullets, to be melted and recast or simply reused, if not too badly misshapen. Of course they cast bullets out of doors, with minimal equipment!

Mountain men and hunters may not have been in the habit of carrying lead bars in their shot pouches, but we have specific references to them carrying extra lead in their “possible sacks,” which were larger containers carried on the pack animals or wagons, and left in camp.

I think the OP is on the right track. If he wants to carry some bits of lead and a simple bag mould and cast some balls out in the woods, I think he ought to do it. The only thing I would disagree with is not letting the boys in on it. Some of my very early memories are of watching and even helping my dad cast bullets with a simple pot and dipper, and his old beat-up Coleman stove. I burned my fingers on hot bullets, too, but the fingers recovered and I learned to pay attention when Dad told me not to do something!

Realistically, put some safety glasses on them, keep them upwind of the lead pot, and get the boys involved. Outdoors is the perfect place for optimal ventilation. I don’t mean to be flippant, but my dad was a shooter, and I had a lot of lead exposure when I was a kid. I’m now 68, still here and reasonably healthy, and a perpetual embarrassment to my wife and grandchildren. Just use common sense and reasonable precautions and the boys will be fine.

Check out Buffalo Arms. Last time I looked, they had small quantities of pure lead for sale at reasonable cost. If you don’t mind using a slightly harder alloy, check with your local cowboy action group and ask if you can pick up some lead from their range. Those fellows shoot low velocity loads at steel targets, and they shoot with abandon. You can quite literally pick the lead up off the ground. I’ve picked up five pounds in ten minutes at our range.

My internet is down for the afternoon. That happens a lot in north Florida. Anyway, I’m in the back yard pecking on the iPhone or I would post some links. Google “Buffalo arms lead ingots” and see what pops up.

I think you ought to get out and cast some bullets. And bring the boys with you.

Notchy Bob

 

[Timber Wolf]

For what you want I second a previous poster who receommended just going to HD or Lowes and buying a new lead plumbing boot. They are in the roofing material section and easily cut with snipes or scored with a knife. Fold or roll or stack small pieces. Would be ideal for dropping a piece in a ladle over a camp fire. I have a few used boots I have saved back from my pot just in case I wanted some sheet lead for something. Might need to make some up to have for next years Vous’.

 

[Ranch 13]

For pure lead and or alloyed blends, Buffalo Arms, and John Walters are both my preference. Buffalo Arms is most times lower priced than Rotometals even when Roto is having one of their special sales.
John Walters ( the same guy as Walters Wads) prices quite often will be lower than BACO.
If you live in an area where there are roofers, plumbers and stained glass getting a couple of pounds from them just to try your hand at casting is a good suggestion.
Wheel weights available today are not the same as the wheel weights we could get 20 years ago. Today's clip on wheel weights are a duke's mixture of who knows what, and the only reliably soft lead are the stick on's they use on aluminum rims.

 

[Pilgrim]

I am well pleased with Rotometals also.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I'm with B P Maniac. Get to know a local roofer. They pull old lead roof jacks all of the time and are usually happy to give them to you. It's pure and soft, but a bit nasty to turn into ingots.

Here's one of my scores.

View attachment 140207
View attachment 140208
View attachment 140209View attachment 140210
The ingots are about 1.5 lbs. each. Total clean lead is a bit over 70 lbs.
View attachment 140211

You have a nice casting outfit there, @Semisane . Is that an old barbecue spoon I see there? And a home-made ingot mould welded up out of angle iron? Good stuff!

I have some lead yet from cable sheathing given to me years ago, and I bought a box fun of soft lead ingots from @Justin.44 here on the forum, but that is an impressive heap o'lead in your photo. You paid the right price for it, too.

Notchy Bob

 

[Daveboone]

I hate to say this, but for 1.50 a lb delivered I just bought 67 lbs of nice clean soft lead scraps off ebay. I hope to buy anothr lot in the near future. My wife was miffed at me because she needed to bring it in from the curb once delivered. WTH? I didint complain about bringing in the place matts she ordered.

 

[SDSmlf]

Talk to roofers in your area.
These are usually FREE just for the asking:

View attachment 140128

I found it easier to remove the wheel weights from the tire rather than tossing the rim and tire into the melting pot….

 

[Red Owl]

There is a certain amount of work cleaning up old lead. If you are shooting 36 caliber, etc. you get a lot of balls per pound and the cost of just buying lead might not seem so bad.

 

[Jacobcp23]

I have 36 cal revolver 1851 navy Pietta. I plan on buying a rifle and the more I look at rifles I'm starting to think I will most likely go with 50 cal. I'll have to do a new post and get everyone's opinion on that topic later.

Thank you everyone for the comments, suggestions, and info. There's alot of great information here.

-Jacob

 

[hanshi]

I used to have near 100 lbs of the roofing lead and it is indeed great stuff. X-ray lead shielding is great and very clean. I suppose I had about 400 lbs all told but couldn't bring it with me when we moved. It broke my heart when my wife sold it.

 

[Eterry]

I have 36 cal revolver 1851 navy Pietta. I plan on buying a rifle and the more I look at rifles I'm starting to think I will most likely go with 50 cal. I'll have to do a new post and get everyone's opinion on that topic later.

Thank you everyone for the comments, suggestions, and info. There's alot of great information here.

-Jacob

Jacob, welcome to the forum. No one has mentioned this so here goes. If your casting for a revolver you need pure soft lead. Wheel weights are rarely soft. Usually a mix of other metals which will work for smoothbore or even patched rifle bullets, but not at all for a revolver.

I have a friendly plumber who gives me the lead from old bathtubs, it works great.

Btw, there's references of mountain men trading "plews" for lead and they lived in foot, so they would cast bullets in the field. I read the autobiography of William Finaulty who was a professional hunter in the 1840s who bought lead by the 100lb to carry on his expedition. The long hunters couldn't stop at Walmart and get more balls, so they cast them on the spot.

Good luck, keep shooting.

 

[ord sgt]

If you have any stained glass stores or artists nearby, they often have small pieces of "lead came" in a box. Usually free or very cheap.

I tried that once. They asked me what I intended to do with it. Make roundball, says I. Sorry, no sale says them. ###*!! anti gun people.

 

[Reno]

I just want to weigh in with my two cents. With inflation that is about 18 cents. With a muzzleloader i was brought up that pure lead must be used. Yes there are sources for pure used lead.
I look at it this way. You have put hundreds and perhaps thousands of dollars into a firearm and then some find the cheapest route you can go for projectiles. Does that make sense? It is about the shooting and it is about shooting the best you can with a firearm.
I use pure lead when I cast and I buy it. Yes it is expensive but I know exactly what I am melting and casting.

Wheel weights have changed a lot over the years. In my opinion they never were suitable for muzzleloading.

At least price pure lead and weigh the difference when using in one of your investments.