Need Source for Lead

[Ed Gallop]

I've cast several hundred pounds of lead I bought on Ebay in 50 or so pounds at a time. A few days ago I started on a batch I bought about a year ago and believe it was contaminated with zinc. I couldn't get the mold to fill out properly so put the batch aside and started on a batch of pure soft lead. I couldn't get those molds to fill out properly either. That is when I suspected zinc in the previous batch that may still be in the pot. I tried cleaning the pot with gun cleaning brushes in a drill, then added fine steel wool to the brush, even turned the heat so high it caused the steel wool to get red hot. No matter how hard I tried, there is a hard residue that will not come off. I think I ruined my Production Pot with contaminated lead. I learned how to remove zinc from lead but can't find how to get it off the pot. Picture below.

Is there a safer place to buy lead than Ebay? I'd be glad to pay more if needed. Don't want a repeat performance. Ed.

22581

[Muddy Creek Sam]

PM Sent.

Sam :D

[fryboy]

roto metals ( one of our vendor sponsors ) is havin a few percentages of for the holidays ( 10 or 15 i forget atm ) they always have lead and alloys of decent quality ,true a bit pricier than some on evil bay but ....( think they beat midway by a bunch-especially in quantity ) wish i could afford a pallet or few of certain ones ( especially the tin and high antimonial )

and then u have our own-the captian ( miss kathie)

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=76601

k did a lil searchin for the rotometal post ( i know it's around here somewhere ...) but i did find this

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=85003

[deltaenterprizes]

The Captain has good lead and has some for sale now.
Go to the drug store and get some powdered sulphur and use it as a flux and it will react with the zinc and remove it from the mixture.

[fredj338]

If yo do NOT want to put sulpher in your pot, possibley a small amount of lead or ww & flux w/wood stick & sawdust on high heat, 800+. Maybe it will bind enough that you can pull the zinc out. Bummer, one reason I never buy smelted alloy from an unknown source.

[EDK]

Beg, borrow or steal some tin and add about 2% to the suspect alloy before you get rid of it. It really helps fill-out with a cranky mould. Raising the temperature and making sure the melt is up to temp would probably help also.

Try using sawdust as a flux. My experience with sawdust salvaged from the saws at work has really been good....costs nothing and I don't have near the amount of dross wasted as with other methods.

I get my metal from my semi-retired brother. He pays for his share of the motel bill in lead when we go to the Quigley black powder rifle shoot. SWMBO and the mail lady said some bad things about him Friday...3 flat rate boxes with about 180 pounds of ingots...the girls were PO'd!

:cbpour: :redneck: :Fire:

[mroliver77]

Ed,
I sandblasted my pot when this happened. It was good as new. GTood time to lap the rod seat in also.
Jay

[JIMinPHX]

Bird shot is a pretty reliable source of lead. New stuff goes for about $35/25lbs. Recovered stuff can sometimes be found cheaper.

Plumber's lead can be had from most any plumbing supply house & many hardware stores.

As has been said, - Rotometals

Also, - The Antimony Man

You can always pay top dollar & buy from Midway.

Industrial supply places like McMaster Carr sell various certified alloys of lead, but not at bargain prices.

You can always troll the scrap yards & tire shops looking for wheel weights & then sort them yourself.

You can ask roofers to save salvaged lead flashing for you.

You can find lead pipes in old houses that are being torn down.

I think that covers most of the sources that I am aware of.

[Ed Gallop]

I came to the right place and am ordering from a member of this forum. Also got a good tip on cleaning the pot. Thanks for the responses. Ed.

[zomby woof]

If that's a LEE pot, you can get replacement parts pretty cheap. I think the liner for the 10 LB is only $8.

[Ed Gallop]

I didn't know that. Just made the order. $8.00 for the pot, $3.00 for the rod valve, and only $4.00 shipping. Can't beat that. Problems solved. Thanks!

[qajaq59]

When we first moved here I called a bunch of the plumbers and one of them (another caster) put me on to the local recycle yard. They sell me the lead for whatever the commodities market is at the time. Usually a pretty good price.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Back 15+ years ago, I happened onto the mother load of what must have been nearly pure lead.

Working at Washington State University, I happen to go past the field house where the origional sky lights were being replaced by new and hi-tech panels.

The sky lights ran both sides of the roof, probably about 3/4 of the length.

One of the contractors happened to be on the ground when I went by, so I ask him if the stuff coming off the roof was what I thought it was. He ask what I thought it was, to which I replied lead.

Yep! I ask if anyone had spoken for it and his reply was, "Take all you want, eat all you take."

I got close to 5 tons of that flashing lead and If I had only known then what I know now, I would still have a bunch of it!

Oh well, at least a few thousand lbs. went to a bullet maker in Montana.

If I had it now, I could make BOOLITS for my 45/70. [smilie=w:

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[qajaq59]

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot, if any of us knew then what we know now, we'd not only have lead. We'd have money too!! LOL

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Boy, did you call that correctly!!!!

Has a lot to do with hind sight being 20/20.

Living as close to a couple universities as I did, the "greenies" would probably still be twitching if they knew I had tons of scrap lead laying in my gravel driveway.

It's one of those what they don't know don't hurt me things!:mrgreen::mrgreen:

Keep em coming!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot