Nice little "SCORE"

[Bob in St. Louis]

A fella my wife babysits for happens to be a plumber. The other day, as he's picking up his child, he stepped into my woodworking shop (where I have the reloading stuff) and he started a conversation about the smelting/melting/casting equipment he saw. I showed him my lead reserves, both ingots and boolets, and he said if I ever wanted some free lead, just let him know.
Well, guess what.... I just happen to be in the market for some free lead! haha

A couple days later, I find a 5 gallon bucket of lead pipe he dropped off by the garage door.
About 70 pounds "raw", as it sits. That should make a bunch of ingots!

Next time I fire up the smoker, he'll have a few bags of pulled pork with his name on it!

For size reference, here's the pipes laying across my table saw.

[454PB]

Good for you! you'll want to render that down outdoors, plumbing is usually full of some nasty stuff.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Good to know, thank you!
I've got an exhaust system in the workshop specifically for lead processing, but are you saying there's something more than just rust and mineral deposits in the pipes?

[Dusty Bannister]

Yes, you will have hair, soap and who knows what else in some areas of the pipes and especially those traps with the brass lids. Start with a cold pot. Watch for the tinsel fairy as if it is damp and you put it in a hot pot, bad things can happen. You might want to melt off the solder joints as that could be about 30% tin and would be handy later when blending alloys. Nice gift and nice to show your gratitude. Dusty

[Bob in St. Louis]

Hey Dusty!
That makes sense. Thank you.
You're on my "pulled pork gratitude gift list" as well. You just aren't close enough for me to fulfill it.

[lightman]

Thats a nice Score! Good on you to remember him when you cook again. That lead pipe should be mostly soft lead and like Dusty said, those joints are soldered and will be high in tin. Good Going!

[marek313]

I'll tell you from my past you will find "everything" in those pipes and if it looks like **** well it probably is .... literally. Your pipes looks pretty clean but bang those suckers against something to make sure everything is out. When you add more I suggest you sit it on top or near the burner and let it warm up before you add.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I have melted down some lead plumbing before, good source for soft lead! Good advice on banging it around to knock loose "deposits".
I was gifted some that was from toilet plumbing. After a couple months of laying in the shed in the summer I melted it. Boy did it stink! A very pronounced urinal smell, yuck! That lot got fluxed very! I can have peace of mind with 700°F+ that it was sanitized!

[dbosman]

Those are water supply lines, and the open ends look cleanish. *I* would expect 12 lbs of dross.
Anyone else willing to guess?

[Itzdapig]

Just done 72# myself, ended up with 60# usable. I will agree its either supply or drain from fresh water, the other is generally larger diameter!

[Bob in St. Louis]

Interesting. Just for "scientific purposes", I might might re-weigh (more exactly) to see what I've got (after I bang out the poop and such...), then see what I've got after I make into cupcake ingots.
Thanks for the heads-up about the "others involved" in this case fellas!
Bob

[Hardcast416taylor]

Be extra careful when you smelt down the pipes that are bent over double or with the ends crimped shut from cutting. These stand a good chance of having trapped water moisture inside and can be a nasty surprise in a hot pot. Been there and had it happen.Robert

[Bob in St. Louis]

Ahh yes.. Thank you for the heads-up. Those pieces in particular did seem to be more "suspect" than a straight piece of pipe.
Will have to cut off those "elbows" and start things off with them (when I'm far away). haha

Oh a slightly side note, When I smelt, I'm usually outside using a propane camping stove. The "wind-shield" I've got standing up.
I'm standing at that stove "behind" it. Meaning that wind shield is between the pot and my body. I always wear safety glasses and long sleeves.