theperfessor
04-27-2008, 10:31 PM
My semester is over in two weeks and I have 3+ months off, so I decided to stock up on WWs and brew up some alloy. Oops, old source is on return credit contract to trade in old WWs for new at a discount. No other sources of WWs, so I called three different scrap yards.
One had no lead, the second doesn't resell, the third said they had some to sell a $.75/lb. Went there and decided to bite the bullet so to speak and bought 1,000 lbs. Told guys in shop what I was doing with lead and they got interested in the idea. Went to get cash (no checks or charge cards) while the guys loaded it up. Told them no battery plates but I'd take WWs, lead sheet, etc.
They put in in a 4' x 4' box on a wood skid. It turned out to be mostly lead sheets about 18" square with a downspout in the middle. Must have run over the pile with the forklift 'cause I spent two days untangling the stuff to unload it. Ended up with the pile you see here - about 850 lbs of lightly oxidized lead and 150 lbs of WWs.
Going back next week after I get paid and get some more since I noticed they had some other interesting lead artifacts. Will take dozen donuts, six pack of soft drinks, 100 260 gr 45 LC bullets for guy there that wants to try some in his Marlin, and my contact information. That way they might watch out for things like lino and bar solder and call me.
Went to flea market this weekend, got there late, folks starting to clean up. Wife noticed two ear-of-corn cast iron cornbread molds on table. Guy wanted $5 for both. The ever-practical wife asked if he had any more. Said he'd check truck. We ended up with 6 cornbread molds for $20. She's keeping the one on the right, I'm getting other 5, can cast 35 ingots at a time, probably 50 lbs a pour.
Bro-in-law is going to come over in a couple weeks w/50 lb plumbers pot and we're going start the 2008 smelting season.
Sources drying up, may be paying too much, but I don't think its going to get any cheaper in the near future. So I teach an extra class or spend a couple weekends doing some consulting or subcontracting some machine work. I get to shoot the rest of the time without worrying about my bullet supply.
One had no lead, the second doesn't resell, the third said they had some to sell a $.75/lb. Went there and decided to bite the bullet so to speak and bought 1,000 lbs. Told guys in shop what I was doing with lead and they got interested in the idea. Went to get cash (no checks or charge cards) while the guys loaded it up. Told them no battery plates but I'd take WWs, lead sheet, etc.
They put in in a 4' x 4' box on a wood skid. It turned out to be mostly lead sheets about 18" square with a downspout in the middle. Must have run over the pile with the forklift 'cause I spent two days untangling the stuff to unload it. Ended up with the pile you see here - about 850 lbs of lightly oxidized lead and 150 lbs of WWs.
Going back next week after I get paid and get some more since I noticed they had some other interesting lead artifacts. Will take dozen donuts, six pack of soft drinks, 100 260 gr 45 LC bullets for guy there that wants to try some in his Marlin, and my contact information. That way they might watch out for things like lino and bar solder and call me.
Went to flea market this weekend, got there late, folks starting to clean up. Wife noticed two ear-of-corn cast iron cornbread molds on table. Guy wanted $5 for both. The ever-practical wife asked if he had any more. Said he'd check truck. We ended up with 6 cornbread molds for $20. She's keeping the one on the right, I'm getting other 5, can cast 35 ingots at a time, probably 50 lbs a pour.
Bro-in-law is going to come over in a couple weeks w/50 lb plumbers pot and we're going start the 2008 smelting season.
Sources drying up, may be paying too much, but I don't think its going to get any cheaper in the near future. So I teach an extra class or spend a couple weekends doing some consulting or subcontracting some machine work. I get to shoot the rest of the time without worrying about my bullet supply.