Ballast lead source

[gnappi]

I found sailboat keel ballast for $2 per 20 pound block. If that stuff is even reasonably hard, ten cents a pound is the best I've seen in a while.

Knowing the variability of keel weight, I plan on visiting them this week and if they allow me to sort it I'll be using my thumbnail hardness tester I've always used (A thumbnail is harder than a pencil) and bring home a few hundred or maybe even thousand pounds. Once again I may have to say sorry to my Silverado

[P Flados]

Rent a trailer.

[JM7.7x58]

I’m mixing my sail boat keel with pewter to make a ghetto version of 20:1. It is working just fine in 38 special and low node 30-06 plain base loads.

That’s cheap. Ten cents a pound, Wow! Get a bunch.

JM

[kevin c]

Maybe test it for zinc? If it's used just as ballast weight, contamination in the lead is no big deal. Some contaminants are more problematic for casters.

A few drops of muriatic acid might save a lot of aggravation.

[gnappi]

I’m mixing my sail boat keel with pewter to make a ghetto version of 20:1. It is working just fine in 38 special and low node 30-06 plain base loads.

That’s cheap. Ten cents a pound, Wow! Get a bunch.

JM

That begs another question, how to tell pewter from other light metals? I go to thrift shops and see lots of bits and bobs made of light grey metal but I cannot tell if it's aluminum, pewter or something else and some pieces have inscribed on them "Not for food" or some such. Oh, and generally it's not cheap.

[GregLaROCHE]

Sailboat keels can vary. Some that were incased in fiberglass can be close to pure lead. Those that were attached externally, tend to be a harder alloy to protect from occasional impacts.

[JM7.7x58]

That begs another question, how to tell pewter from other light metals? I go to thrift shops and see lots of bits and bobs made of light grey metal but I cannot tell if it's aluminum, pewter or something else and some pieces have inscribed on them "Not for food" or some such. Oh, and generally it's not cheap.

If it’s marked pewter, etain, zinn, estano, or tinn, then I buy it. I try to keep my cost down around $5.00 a pound. I then melt it all in twenty pound batches, if there is anything really weird in the mix it gets diluted. Then it gets even more diluted when it is added to make the 20:1.

I’m lucky that I have a thrift store about three blocks away. On Thursdays they have their 25% off sale for the last two hours of the day. Oh, and Movie style popcorn is 50 cents. So every week I go pewter hunting after work on Thursdays. If I get skunked, at least I get a walk in and a bag of popcorn!
JM

[15meter]

That begs another question, how to tell pewter from other light metals? I go to thrift shops and see lots of bits and bobs made of light grey metal but I cannot tell if it's aluminum, pewter or something else and some pieces have inscribed on them "Not for food" or some such. Oh, and generally it's not cheap.

There is a whole thread on identification of pewter (78 pages!). That's the place to start. Try using the search function, you can find a stunning amount of information.

Once you learn how to search, you'll most likely have more information than you thought possible.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Re-phrase the question, that may get you what you need.

And as for thrift shop pewter, prices can be all over the place, I got lucky and found a couple that price it dirt cheap.

I've picked up 125+ lbs. over the last few of years for an average cost of less than $1.50/lbs.

With the house arrest they put us under, I lost the last 6 months of scrounging or I'd probably have another 20-30 pounds.

[owejia]

I found sailboat keel ballast for $2 per 20 pound block. If that stuff is even reasonably hard, ten cents a pound is the best I've seen in a while.

Knowing the variability of keel weight, I plan on visiting them this week and if they allow me to sort it I'll be using my thumbnail hardness tester I've always used (A thumbnail is harder than a pencil) and bring home a few hundred or maybe even thousand pounds. Once again I may have to say sorry to my Silverado

The keel I bought years ago weighed 1644# and was pb 98.29%, sb 1.29% and still have a couple hundred pounds left. Have many thousands of pc bullets cast and ready to load for when too old to cast anymore. Paid .25 per # for the solid keel. Used the finger nail test on it when first saw it at the scrap yard. Have done business with this scrap yard for years and told my friend to consider it sold and would be back in a few days with my flat bed truck to pick it up. When opportunity knocks better answer the door!!!!

[lightman]

Good Luck with your sailboat keel. Hope its an alloy that you can use.

As far as Perter goes, there is a good thread about pewter hallmarks that very educational. Well worth the time to read and very helpful.