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Thread: Lead and type metal prices?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy MarkK's Avatar
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    Lead and type metal prices?

    Good evening gents,

    What are fair prices for lead pipe and linotype/spacers metal? Looking at a future trade.

    Mark
    Last edited by MarkK; 04-02-2018 at 12:55 AM.
    When you want to fool the world, tell the truth. Otto von Bismarck

  2. #2
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    I try to stay under 50¢ per pound for the pipe and under $1.00 a pound for the Linotype/spacers.

    Linotype has sold for apr. $3.00 a pound on this forum and pure lead a little over $1.00 cleaned/fluxed and in ingots.

    If I'm running low I'll pay more.

    I bought a large quantity of monotype for 80¢ a pound a while back
    Last edited by Grmps; 04-02-2018 at 01:42 PM.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Like Grmps said, You can buy soft lead or wheel weight ingots here for a dollar a pound plus shipping and type for between two and three dollars a pound. If I buy in larger quantities I would expect to pay less and would expect to pay less for the raw material.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Interesting. The scrap yards here pay less for hard/allowed lead.
    QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by jdfoxinc View Post
    Interesting. The scrap yards here pay less for hard/allowed lead.
    Hard allowed lead is really "unknown" lead, no idea what the alloy is, with wires and steel clips etc. which makes it less desirable per pound to the foundry than plain soft lead. Thus price per pound is lower at scrap yard. Far as I am concerned the "deals" are to be found in the hard lead when useful items get dropped in them. Roll of solder because of the metal roll or counter weights of lead alloy.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  6. #6
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    Linotype $2 a pound can be found.

    Linotype spacers are a pot luck as to alloy so $1.50 max for me.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by MaryB View Post
    Linotype $2 a pound can be found.

    Linotype spacers are a pot luck as to alloy so $1.50 max for me.
    Yep, that too can be found. Just not as often as I would like, not by a lot. Thing is I pay almost as much for plain lead scrap as the soft stuff sells for in S&S forum but can get COWW's or good alloy for less. How is this for a range. From around 5% tin spacers to 6/18/ Sn/Sb alloy or 1.5 x linotype. Same price for both in different batches. Melt all of the spacers into one batch and get the batch tested is the only thing that makes any sense. Otherwise you don't know what you have, or what you are buying or selling.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  8. #8
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    There a couple boxes of unsmelted type metal on evilbay right now(can't post ebay links here so have to search for printers lead if you are interested). Prices running ~$2 pound + shipping in a flat rate box.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by MaryB View Post
    There a couple boxes of unsmelted type metal on evilbay right now(can't post ebay links here so have to search for printers lead if you are interested). Prices running ~$2 pound + shipping in a flat rate box.
    That is my biggest complaint about ebay, the shipping. Too many sellers have the most outrageous price for shipping. Flat rate box is good but I have seen modest sized items that would go in med. flat rate with $35 shipping. Arrrgh! Saw $25 shipping once on a Lee whack-a-mole loader. Thought about asking wouldn't it be cheaper to rent a congressman and have them bring it to me personally on a government jet?

    Little of the good stuff goes a long way. Good tip for someone who is in the market. I'm looking in scrap yard bins and barn sales where I can get it at scrap prices. Yes as a matter of fact I am cheap. But I can afford to be a bit choosy due to all the scrounging I have done over time which allows building up a decent inventory on hand. I started out never passing up "good" alloy. Until I had enough to be able to look for a deal. My wife's biggest concern is I'll find a great price on a huge pile of lead that I just "have to" buy.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    I got a guy that work on big truck tires, I pay 10 for a half full 5 gallon bucket. Last bucket gave me 43lbs on ingots. I'm guessing that a good price. I'm up to 500+ pounds. I keep getting what I can before Maryland laws change

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by evoevil View Post
    I got a guy that work on big truck tires, I pay 10 for a half full 5 gallon bucket. Last bucket gave me 43lbs on ingots. I'm guessing that a good price. I'm up to 500+ pounds. I keep getting what I can before Maryland laws change
    Thats a good price! Love those big weights.

  12. #12
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    Tired of cheap prices with exorbitant shipping. I click lowest price and shipping or go down on the left and click free shipping.

  13. #13
    Boolit Mold Bulldog71's Avatar
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    Recently had a local metal scrap yard go belly up on me that was my short lived source for lead wheel weights. I had to resort to visiting a couple local tire shops and was told "I got a guy" answer so got desperate and looked on fleabay. What a mistake with prices as high as the sky per pound for lead plus shipping. Guess my search will continue for reliable and reasonable sources of lead.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy MarkK's Avatar
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    OK. $0.50 for scrap lead pipe and $2-3 for Lino. Thanks!
    When you want to fool the world, tell the truth. Otto von Bismarck

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bulldog71 View Post
    Recently had a local metal scrap yard go belly up on me that was my short lived source for lead wheel weights. I had to resort to visiting a couple local tire shops and was told "I got a guy" answer so got desperate and looked on fleabay. What a mistake with prices as high as the sky per pound for lead plus shipping. Guess my search will continue for reliable and reasonable sources of lead.
    Look in Swapping and Selling on here.

  16. #16
    Boolit Mold Bulldog71's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dondiego View Post
    Look in Swapping and Selling on here.
    Thank you for the suggestion don. I guess I just took the price of .60 a pound for granted at that old scrap yard but it actually came in at .80 after culling the zinc and steel weights out. Still not bad of a price to me.

  17. #17
    Boolit Mold Bulldog71's Avatar
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    I have yet to find any lead for $1.00 a pound plus shipping here or anywhere on the net. I have found lead (range, ww, or undisclosed type) on ebay and online retailers from between $1.40 - $1.55 per pound shipped. RMR being the $1.54 price per pound shipped with member discount.
    I have recently seen and passed on some Foundry Type lead scrap priced at 2.15 per pound on ebay but I'm sure there will be more posted for sale from $2.00 on up per pound. My search continues.

  18. #18
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    I can get pure for $1.10 @ pound, but no Linotype.
    Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!

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  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Got lucky. Just got a 2/3 bucket of COWW/60# for a "contribution" of $5
    Have a couple three local garages that I stop at here and there and pick up such.
    beltfed/arnie

  20. #20
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    Have to remember what you buy from swapping and selling is often in nice clean ingots which are of greater value than bucket of WW's or assorted scrap from a scrap yard. Even nice lead scrap has to be fetched, and usually fuel + time is involved in making it into fluxed usable ingots. So when one compares .60 per pound for mixed WW's that have clips or zinc weight included vs. 1.00 per pound for clean ingots it just makes sense to factor in the value added the seller is providing. Start casting vs. start sorting and skimming and fluxing to make ingots so you can cast.

    Same with type metal. If it has been sorted to remove spacers etc. so that it in only linotype strips or mono type is in the order that adds value. Have seen what a "raw" box of type looks like. Almost enough to make one miss the bucket of WW's from the tire shop full of tobacco chewers. Almost!
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

    Feedback page http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...light=RogerDat

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
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LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check