Pure lead pricing

[t_dickinson]

What do you guys pay for pure lead? I have access to 800lbs of 99.5% pure. I'm thinking if I buy enough at a good price I could sell some and make enough to offset my cost.

I don't really need it all but would like to have some for the future.

[mold maker]

In the future that lead will be like gold. It's an investment. The end of free WWs and all other lead is at hand. If you can get it at a good price, you can sell it now at around a buck a pound. I can see double that in a couple years.
If what you have is in original (content marked) form, it will be premium priced.

[t_dickinson]

What should I offer?

He bought it for a commercial job and says he has paperwork to prove the composition. Would assay be the proper term?

[468]

Assay is the proper term. Ask him what he wants. You can always offer lower.

I just bought almost a ton. Was prepared to pay 3 times more than the seller asked. Ya never know...

[Cranium]

In the future that lead will be like gold. It's an investment. The end of free WWs and all other lead is at hand. If you can get it at a good price, you can sell it now at around a buck a pound. I can see double that in a couple years.
If what you have is in original (content marked) form, it will be premium priced.

People thought the same thing about Silver.....but last month it lost 30% of its value in just 2 weeks.

Current worldwide usage of lead is 10 million tons. Production of lead is currently greater than 10 million tons. It will not go away any time soon.

You can speculate that lead prices will go up but indicators are that it will actually go down because of the surplus.

So be careful about using lead as an investment.

[jmsj]

I would find out what the scrap yards are paying in your area and go from there.
Good Luck, jmsj

[H.Callahan]

People thought the same thing about Silver.....but last month it lost 30% of its value in just 2 weeks

Well, at least we can affordl be ready when the werewolves attack!

[smilie=1:[smilie=1:

[fredj338]

SOmewhere around 50c/# is the going rate most palces for buying scrap lead. I have to agree, based on current retail prices of lead, it isn't likely to get cheaper going forward. Just look at the Kitco market price for lead above.
I used to get most of my casting alloy free. Now they don't even use lead ww in many states.:cry:

[t_dickinson]

I called him last night and he was at $1.00/lb. No meat left on the bone as an investment and I still get lots of WW cheap.

Thanks guys.

[Defcon-One]

Another thing to consider. Almost all Lead ming is tied to Zinc mining which means as Zinc production goes up, so does Lead production. It is basically a by product of Zinc mining to some degree.

So, if all wheel weights go to Zinc eventually, then there will be less demand for Lead (No lead wheel weights) and a greater supply of Lead due to the Lead that is no longer going into wheel weights plus the Lead produced from the increased production of Zinc for wheel weights.

That means that the price of Lead may actually go down!

This is coming from a guy who bought 100 ounces of Silver at $45, and now is holding it at $36-$37. I'm not worried, because I started buying at $10/oz. so overall I am OK, but I'm not buying more Silver right now either.

Besides, I have a use for the lead. Cast Boolits! The Silver will just sit there unless I want to make jewelry or we are invaded by a ton of Werewolves (Silver Bullets!).

[mold maker]

Every body said I was nuts to pay $200.-$400./oz (top price) for gold. Todays deflated price is $1545.00.
WW are only temporarily being make of zinc. Haven't you noticed the increase of Fe weights? They pass all standards, and are 80% cheaper to make. The zinc weights were never intended for more than a temporary way to convert away from lead with the same casting methods, until the iron weight production could fill the need. Zinc and Lead are virtually the same price, while iron is less than 10% their cost. Most imported cars come with iron weights.
We need to quit paying attention to the knee jerk reactions to spot metal pricing. It's the trend over at least a year that tells the tale. All metal pricing is in fluxuation right now, but over the last year they have all risen, due to the deflated dollar. That isn't going to change any time soon.
Your dollar in the bank is loosing more value than the piddley interest paid, every day.
Lead, to the small (you and me) consumer, is going to be prohibatively more expensive, and the free sources are dwindeling fast. If you get the chance to aquire it without breaking the bank, it's a wise investment. Those that say otherwise will be the first ones knocking down your door, when they realize they are out.
We may see powder and primers priced by the lb of lead, right along side the dollar.

[bumpo628]

I called him last night and he was at $1.00/lb. No meat left on the bone as an investment and I still get lots of WW cheap.

Thanks guys.

Find out what all of the scrap yards around are paying and offer him just over the highest one.

At $1 per lb, you have no reason to buy it from him and he won't get that much at the scrap yard. For that much, you can get boolit-ready material here on this site delivered. His lead doesn't have any tin or antimony and it is likely too large to fit in your melting pot. You will have to expend some fuel or work to get it down into pot sized chunks.