Half Ton of Lead?

[Mal Paso]

When I was getting back up to speed casting after the fire I bought a pallet of lead. My postman is nuts and 60 pound boxes don't make things better. Also I wanted to get er done and have 1 single batch to work with. Rotometals had 3-4% Antimony Lead similar to Wheel Weights, by the half ton, on sale with free shipping. I ordered a pallet and enough tin to sweeten it. Here is what it looked like. I did have to pick it up at the freight yard where they put it in the truck. I've been casting with it for a year and it's been nice.

I got an email from Ryan at Rotometals yesterday saying he got a good price on 10 tons and has half ton pallets on sale. I'm set but I thought I'd pass it along. https://www.rotometals.com/pallet-an...ight-included/

No slight to those in Swapping and Selling, they can be a better deal but if you want to get er done, this works. He is a Cast Boolits sponsor too.

[bangerjim]

You are set for at least a month! HA....ha!

[Hanzy4200]

Lot a lead! I'm surprised it's that expensive. I can buy clean lead at my local yard for $.60 a lb. They don't always have it, but they often do. If I'm nearby I poke around. Couple weeks ago I found 3 partial 40/60 solder bars. I think they are old Rotometal bars. Came to over 4 lbs. Yard owner said "just take it man". Scored around 25 lbs of 40-60 solder drippings about 2 years ago for $15.

[popper]

Antimony all lead from Roto is good stuff but sb % varies.

[OS OK]

How sweet is 1,000 pounds of lead at your fingertips?

If my math is right...that's 35,000 - 200 grain boolits....all'Ya have'ta do is mak'em, load'em & shoot'em!

Just think, if you make a target backstop to recover that lead...you'd have a multi-lifespan supply.

[GregLaROCHE]

Is that picture of the total 1000 pounds?

[kevin c]

I think it is; those ingots look smaller than the nearly 60# versions I've seen from Rotometals before, maybe 30 odd pounds? And there are 29 of them plus a partial.

Mal, it's a bit far from where you are, but Rotometals has a depot in San Leandro. I bought a thousand pound lot of alloy from them and picked it up myself; they discount the price to me for the shipping saved. Took two trips and my old sedan was not happy.

[fcvan]

Last year, the range at work was cleaned after 30 years, resulting in 22 tons recovered. The original berm was a mess, the new berm was re-made using more mining friendly materials. I was there for my annual re-qualification and was told by the range staff. My first response was "And you didn't call me?" The look on their faces was priceless "Sorry Van." I had cast and powder coated for all of these guys. Oh wll, have to re-qual this month, I might take my sifting gear.

Mal, good on you. How did the mail delivery make the grade on your driveway?

[Mal Paso]

Is that picture of the total 1000 pounds?

Yes, I just ripped off the stretch wrap.

I think it is; those ingots look smaller than the nearly 60# versions I've seen from Rotometals before, maybe 30 odd pounds? And there are 29 of them plus a partial.

Mal, it's a bit far from where you are, but Rotometals has a depot in San Leandro. I bought a thousand pound lot of alloy from them and picked it up myself; they discount the price to me for the shipping saved. Took two trips and my old sedan was not happy.

I thought about it but the traffic was like LA then. Rotometals is great with freight though. I think they buy enough to get a good deal. I found Hardball at $1600/1000# from the mill but shipping was another $1600 and I didn't really want hardball. I used Rotometals when I started but went to scrapyards when I needed volume. The scrap yard here doesn't like selling anymore. I berm mined 1-2,000 lbs but that isn't available now. I didn't remember Rotometals for pallets of lead, just ingots. I checked them out after talking to the mill and saw the pallet. I thought, didn't they just have a sale? and there's another one this weekend, so I ordered.

26,973 Boolits for me but I have a trap in the works next trip to the metal supply. I'll still lose some at the range but it may be a lifetime supply.

[44Blam]

This thread has me thinking... I typically shoot about 15 bhn boolits in pretty much everything. I'm thinking I could get 1/2 ton of hardball lead and be good for a couple years.

And then reality set in. If I have 1/2 ton of lead laying around I'll probably shoot more. So... If I buy 1/2 ton it'll last about a year....or 6 months.

[kevin c]

I talked with somebody at RM, maybe one of the owners or at least management. Apparently they are a big enough company that they can cut deals on freight by rail. He was telling me that it's worth their while to reprocess their dross for the metal content, and they ship it from their various locations around CONUS to San Leandro to do it.

By way of comparison, the local radiopharmacy I get scrapped isotope containers from says it's not worth while to reuse them. Part of the calculation is return shipping cost (the radioactive materials come from cyclotrons and breeder reactors that aren't local), but part is also storage, inspection, removing and relabeling, etc.

[rototerrier]

I don't know what I'd do if I had 1000lbs of lead... I might start panicking.

[jimb16]

I've still got around 1500# of prepared metal in ingots in the garage. But I soot a lot of skeet as well as cast bullets, so it doesn't last me quite as long. Still, at my age, I think I'll have enough for a good long time.

[bruce381]

HI Jim, Bruce here from old carbine forum do you make your own shot?

[lar45]

That's a great looking pallet!
I'm about ready to give up on WW , my last bucket yeilded a little over 25# of Ingots

[OS OK]

If I only had some room in the lead container...I'd get in on one or these group buys!

(jejeee hahahaaa)

[chickenpot]

If I only had some room in the lead container...I'd get in on one or these group buys!

(jejeee hahahaaa)

hot diggity.. did you go straight to Doe Run for that haul??

[OS OK]

I only wish it were mine ... I discovered this pic. accidentally and just kept the address...it's such a beautiful thing...only us ole'RabbitHolers can appreciate.

[joebaja]

I've been contemplating doing exactly the same thing for exactly the same reason. We casters sure do take advantage of the USPS's "if it fits, it ships" slogan. I know I can find lead cheaper, sometimes free, but the time saved mining the berms or sorting wheel weights, amortized over a half ton kinda seems like it's worth it.

[44Blam]

I've been contemplating doing exactly the same thing for exactly the same reason. We casters sure do take advantage of the USPS's "if it fits, it ships" slogan. I know I can find lead cheaper, sometimes free, but the time saved mining the berms or sorting wheel weights, amortized over a half ton kinda seems like it's worth it.

Yeah - I'm paying a little over $1 for lead and then a little over $2 for linotype. I cannot regularly get either but I buy when I find it. Instead, I could just buy 1000 lbs of harball (this is what I try for anyway) for a little over $2 and be able to get it fairly easily... I'm living in Kommiefornia and lead is evil here. So, I think I'll keep casting on my stash, but if I get low I think I'll hit them up.