Rookie looking for advice on lead purchase

[OneBagNomad]

I started reloading earlier this year and have an interest in giving casting a try but I'm having difficulty finding wheel weights. I hit up about 20 small tire shops, auto shops, and scrap dealers today and the almost universal response was that the EPA would crawl down their necks if they sold them to an individual. I finally found a scrap dealer that will sell me lead wheel weights for $0.60/lb and lead flashing for $0.70/lb. I think I got my hopes up reading all of the accounts of people walking away with full 5-gallon buckets for $20. However, even at $0.60/lb, casting would be saving me quite a bit of money by my calculations. I understand the going rate for WW and other lead varies from area to area but I'm eager to get started and can't find any traditional sources that will play ball. With the (possibly exaggerated) threat of lead WW going dodo and everyone running scared from the EPA man, should I jump on the $0.60/lb, hoard as much as I can get, and count myself lucky?

[lwknight]

If you can get lead under a dollar per pound its a good buy. WWs are a different story. Large weights yeild a higher percentage of useable lead than small weights. The zinc can be sorted out and sold back to the scrapper at a lower price of course.
I think that you would not get hurt at 60 cents for mixed WWs.

[kbstenberg]

I agree. Most of my lead comes locally but that is drying up. I would jump on either of the types of lead. Most casters use some form of WW an soft mix. I would go half of hard and half of soft lead.
I checked last weekend an a salvage yard said they would sell for 95cents a pound. I walked. But at 60cents I would have bought.

[jsizemore]

Your other option is to have none. That won't get you much.

Figure your ww return will be about 80% so that puts the cost of your ww ingots at $.75/lb before the cost of lp gas.

After you get a stash then you can work on price and expanding your territory.

[Echo]

A member here 'The captain' sells alloy for a very reasonable price. I'm satisfied with her product.

[Gtek]

What ever floats your boat! Less than a buck you are doing good. PLUS, if you like fire and burning things, like melting things, like to make things, how can you go wrong. May / probably keeps a couple of us out of the big house by soothing all those dark things inside. Gtek

[badbob454]

seconds on ''the captain'' she has a great feedback on her lead

[OneBagNomad]

Thanks for all the input. Think I'm going to grab up those WW and try to get started.

[rbertalotto]

Welcome!

I just started casting a few months ago myself.......Quite a learning curve as there are millions of opinions on everything to do with this hobby.

My advise is to remove as many "unknown" variables as you can at first. And the biggest unknown is what the heck is in that bucket of wheel weights!

I buy all my lead from Roto Metals. Amazing folks to work with and an advertiser on this board. Their metals are perfect. You know EXACTLY what you are casting with. Now you can drive yourself crazy with temperature, molds, bottom pour vs laddel, flux, sizing and the absolute mystery of lube! (BTW, I removed another variable by buying my lube from White Label Sales here on this site)

All this said, my friend drove his tow truck over here the other day and dropped off a couple tons of wheel weights! So one of these days when it is a whole bunch cooler it looks like I'll heat up the turkey fryer and start casting ingots!

Have fun....It's a blast!

[OneBagNomad]

Welcome!

I just started casting a few months ago myself.......Quite a learning curve as there are millions of opinions on everything to do with this hobby.

My advise is to remove as many "unknown" variables as you can at first. And the biggest unknown is what the heck is in that bucket of wheel weights!

I buy all my lead from Roto Metals. Amazing folks to work with and an advertiser on this board. Their metals are perfect. You know EXACTLY what you are casting with. Now you can drive yourself crazy with temperature, molds, bottom pour vs laddel, flux, sizing and the absolute mystery of lube! (BTW, I removed another variable by buying my lube from White Label Sales here on this site)

All this said, my friend drove his tow truck over here the other day and dropped off a couple tons of wheel weights! So one of these days when it is a whole bunch cooler it looks like I'll heat up the turkey fryer and start casting ingots!

Have fun....It's a blast!

You make a good point. Maybe buying some known alloy to ease the learning curve while I find sources for wheel weights is the way to go.

[Jim_Fleming]

Real quick guys....

Try eBay.

I mean NO discourtesy, but I gotta run, break time almost over.

Try eBay, tons and tons available. Not cheap, but AVAILABLE!

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[bslim]

When I first started casting, I spent days visiting all of the tire shops in my area. With a population of 900,00 there are quite a few of them. Most just told me they have other people taking them or company policy states they have a contract with a scrap dealer. Disheartening at first, but I did run across a couple of them who now save ww's for me and I also found some wrecking yards that had lots stacked in 5 gal pails and didn't think they were worth much. I did thank them before I drove away. Keep looking my friend, it does take a while to build up relationships and your sources. Nice hobby and it gives me an excuse to go touring around.

[10 ga]

I have a regular route or parts thereof that I check about every 3-5 months. It has tire shops, auto junkyards, auto/truck repair shops, scrap yards, radiator shop and a stained glass shop. All have some scrap, not every trip, that I trade/buy/gifted etc... In some of the junkyards and repair shops I have to gather my own but it's worth it, I carry a WW tool and small wire/boltcutters in the PU toolbox all the time. Lately I have gotten a run of battery cable ends, usually soft lead. I also look for any metal scrap I can lay my hands on. Then I have scrap to sell in the yards and $ to buy the lead. Course I only go to yards where I can get lead. Amazing what pulling up with a bunch of parted out scrapped ACs and Reefer units and such can do to a request to buy lead. Last month I sold my stock of disc and drum brakes. Got $.09# for 1800# of the scrap steel/iron and had that was enough to get all the WWs they had, 266# at $.50# and have $29 cash for gas and beer. It was a good day! 10

[Jim_Fleming]

Nomad, these gents have it right. Go their way first. You'd be surprised what a six pack of Mountain Dew can lubricate ... if you know them, make it Coors Light.

EBay as last resort.

Jim

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[jakharath]

My local scrap yard sells lead for 70 cents per pounds and wheel weights for 60 cents per pound.

Is there anything I should look for when buying lead?

How do I tell the difference between hard and soft leads?

Thanks!!

[Swede44mag]

The stick on Wheel Weights are soft lead.
The clip on Wheel Weights are either (FE)Steel, Lead mixed with tin and antimony of an unknown quantity or (Zn)Zinc.
I pick out all the stick on Wheel Weights put them in one bucket for muzzleloader shooting.
Since the (FE) or steel weights won't melt I put them in the pot with whatever is left.
Melt on a low temperature and skim off the dross (clips and zinc) you end up with usable boolit shooting/casting lead.

You can take a magnet and separate all the (FE) Steel weights but it takes up a lot of time.

It is not all that hard to do but getting them in the first place is the problem I have several friends trying to locate lead for me.

I don't tell the places I go to anymore that I am going to cast boolits they look at me like I am a criminal.
I tell them I am making fishing sinkers or lead to put in the truck durring the winter for weight.
I do make sinkers and the lead weight in the truck is for target shooting or deer hunting so I am not lying to them.

[rbertalotto]

Is there any concern about putting foreign stuff that might be in WW melt down your nice barrels?

And there is a new post on a bad experience with E-Bay alloy.

I suggest be careful.........unless its an old barrel and it's not important. But I have a very expensive Badger barrel on one of my guns and pristene barrels on all the other. I want to know what I'm putting down these tubes. I trust a company like Roto Metals more than I trust myself.

When and if I melt down those WWs I have, they will be used in older handguns that I don't really care about the barrels or utmost accuracy.

[mongo]

Dont forget about the indoor ranges in your area. It dont hurt to ask, Some places are happy you are cleaning up a little for them. Free is always better and all the lead has made its way at least once ,down the barrel already. Just be sure to flux and skim well. Tommy

[williamwaco]

[QUOTE=OneBagNomad;1366431]


I finally found a scrap dealer that will sell me lead wheel weights for $0.60/lb and lead flashing for $0.70/lb.

QUOTE]

That is a fantastic price!

RUN, do not walk.

Get over there and get all that stuff you can pay for.

[Sonnypie]

I gathered together all the odd ball lead I had in old ocean fishing weights up to 8 ouncers and melted down a furnace full, added some solder I had for the tin, and cast up a bunch of cup ingots of mystery metal. :groner:

Then decided to get serious and ordered Lyman #2 from Rotometals. 35 pounds got me into the free shipping.

Now I have several hundred boolits cast up and know what I am starting out with when I load them up. 90-5-5 with Hornady 7070 GC, @ .308" dia.
Then all I need to focus on is the powder and primers.

For me, I like knowing what is in the furnace, and what is in my loads.

I might get a buck shot mold for the "mystery" metal. :-)

YMMV

[Jim_Fleming]

I just scored 185 lbs. for $160. 50 lbs will be shipped, 135 I have to pick up tomorrow. Mostly softer lead. I need it for swaging.

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[fredj338]

I With the (possibly exaggerated) threat of lead WW going dodo and everyone running scared from the EPA man, should I jump on the $0.60/lb, hoard as much as I can get, and count myself lucky?
Well, if you think it's an exaggeration, then don't buy the lead @ 60c/# but I can tell you form direct Kommifronia exp, once they put a stop to lead ww in your state or acorss the country, it all dries up in 2-3yrs (about the life of a set of tires). In todays "green" movement, lead ww are going bye, bye nationwide sooner than later. With the largest car/tire market in the nation (Kalif) banning them in 2010, it's just a matter of time. Euro & Jap cars have banned them for some 5-6yrs now. So me, I would get it cheap where I can, free if possible & stack it deep. I don't drive around wasting gas money looking, but always ask when in a shop that may have lead scrap around. I just scored some 40# for free @ my dentist. He had some old lead foils in a box & a roll of sheet lead form his x-ray room remodel a coupel years ago. Just sitting in the closet there for the asking.:wink:

[Jim_Fleming]

Hear! Hear!

Well said, Fred.




Well, if you think it's an exaggeration, then don't buy the lead @ 60c/# but I can tell you form direct Kommifronia exp, once they put a stop to lead ww in your state or acorss the country, it all dries up in 2-3yrs (about the life of a set of tires). In todays "green" movement, lead ww are going bye, bye nationwide sooner than later. With the largest car/tire market in the nation (Kalif) banning them in 20110, it's just a matter of time. Euro & Jap cars have banned them for some 5-6yrs now. So me, I would get it cheap where I can, free if possible & stack it deep. I don't drive around wasting gas money looking, but always ask when in a shop that may have lead scrap around. I just scored some 40# for free @ my dentist. He had some old lead foils in a box & a roll of sheet lead form his x-ray room remodel a coupel years ago. Just sitting in the closet there for the asking.:wink:

[garym1a2]

I would not pay more than about 50% for truck wheel weights (Hi yeild). Above that its easier to just buy smelted Igots. You can get these for about $1 per pound.

If you have your own target range. Setup a back stop and recover your lead and you can use it over and over.

[fredj338]

I would not pay more than about 50% for truck wheel weights (Hi yeild). Above that its easier to just buy smelted Igots. You can get these for about $1 per pound.

If you have your own target range. Setup a back stop and recover your lead and you can use it over and over.

I have a retired friend back east that does that in his basement. He still collects lead when ever possible @ tire shops & has tons. So he kindly sends me a 65# lead care package every few months so I can spend more time castng & shooting instead of looking for lead out here.:happy dance:

[Shoot_for_fun]

Careful where you do your smelting at as most States Department of Enviromental Quality wants to know what you are doing with the dross. Remember the old saying out of sight out of mind.

[Jim_Fleming]

SFF, interesting you should say that!

I've written elsewhere that I recycle my steel and zinc contaminated dross into the recycled metals hoppers that my company has. They get the few pennies from the paltry few pounds of dross I get.

I just rendered down about 500 or pounds of wheel weights, my work yielded about 420+ pounds of clean lead. I find it interesting and painful, how much loss there is. I paid $0.50/lb. for those infernal contaminants!




Careful where you do your smelting at as most States Department of Enviromental Quality wants to know what you are doing with the dross. Remember the old saying out of sight out of mind.



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[MikeS]

... I understand the going rate for WW and other lead varies from area to area but I'm eager to get started and can't find any traditional sources that will play ball. With the (possibly exaggerated) threat of lead WW going dodo and everyone running scared from the EPA man, should I jump on the $0.60/lb, hoard as much as I can get, and count myself lucky?

No, I would stay as far away from that stuff as possible. It's hazardous, dangerous, and could get you in lots of legal problems!

Now where EXACTLY is this scrap dealer?
:kidding:

Back to reality... At those prices I would grab as much of it as you can! I'm not sure, but the answer of not selling to the public is SO universal that I wonder if FL hasn't followed CA's lead, and made an EPA license a requirement for handling scrap lead?

[OneBagNomad]

No, I would stay as far away from that stuff as possible. It's hazardous, dangerous, and could get you in lots of legal problems!

Now where EXACTLY is this scrap dealer?
:kidding:

Back to reality... At those prices I would grab as much of it as you can! I'm not sure, but the answer of not selling to the public is SO universal that I wonder if FL hasn't followed CA's lead, and made an EPA license a requirement for handling scrap lead?

Whatever the EPA is doing to discourage people from selling me lead, it's working. I persevered and kept hitting the tire shops and finally found a few that would give up the wheel weights but that vast majority are not risking it. The ratio of places willing to sell me lead to the ones who weren't was about 1:20. One of the places dug around in a pile of junk for about 5 minutes before pulling out a five gallon bucket full that looked like it had been there forever; that bucket turned out to be almost entirely lead, only a few steel and zinc weights in it so maybe it really had been there forever.

[t_dickinson]

1 in 20 is about what I went throught when calling tire shops around my neck of the woods.

I almost gave up until one of them finally said "sure". I pay him .30/lb for about 300 lbs every 6 weeks.

That got me fired up so I got back on the phone and found another source that yields about half that for the same price but the buckets are over 95% lead.

I then called all the radiator shops and found that most are out of the solder biz BUT I stayed at it. One guy will GIVE me about 80 lbs of 60/40 floor drippings every 6 months and I give him a 20 for lunch.

I have a guy on back-up that will sell solder for .60/lb but I haven't needed him.

I thought all that was good enough so I didn't get greedy - I stopped.

I keep the guys happy with pizza when I do my pick-ups. I'm not bragging and I feel bad for you guys in dry spots. What I'm saying is that it is out there.

DON'T GIVE UP. Keep calling and keep getting the door slammed in your face. Sooner or later you will find someone decent. I kept a log of all the places I called, who I spoke to and whether I got a no, maybe, or yes. I then followed up on the maybe and yes call. I write down the dates I visit and how much I bring in so I know how often I need to go to keep their buckets from spilling over.

The pizza is for the workers. Don't forget them. The boss is taking the cash and they get nada so feed em lunch and they won't be so quick to take the weights for themselves or rat out the boss.

Let the EPA and scrappers soak up all the lead. What will they do with it? They have to use it somehow. So we won't be picking up wheel weights anymore. It will come another way.

[Sonnypie]

Do you know that a 50 cal, 630 grain boolit takes 1.44 ounces of lead? (Sans the copper jacket)

Dad Burn it! That's only 11 boolits per pound. :holysheep

Must... get... more... lead...

[JDUBS]

I was paying .25/lb last year, then my guy went up to .60/lb for WW. Totally bummed out, but at least its not market. I think lead is a little over $1/lb now.

[OneBagNomad]

I was paying .25/lb last year, then my guy went up to .60/lb for WW. Totally bummed out, but at least its not market. I think lead is a little over $1/lb now.

Yeah, I think the "little guy" is still the best bet in getting lead at a decent price. I had one big-time scrap dealer (the person answering the phones couldn't tell me anything and they had a salesman call me) act like they were doing me a favor by offering to sell me WWs for $1.50/lb.

[Clinebo]

I tried several tire stores without any luck.So went on E-bay and found some for a good price. One word of caution if any of you go the E-bay route. Smaller amounts seem to arrive in good shape.But larger weights can get pretty torn up in transit, if not packaged really well. Also try to find a seller near to you. Shipping a heavy box of lead from one end of the country to the other spells trouble. I have a couple of sellers who I'll be buying from again that are close and are bullet casters themselves, so know what we are looking for. One even offers ingots in different hardness'. Tested it and it was right on. Willing to discount for repeat business without posting an auction helps too.

[Clinebo]

Here is an example of shipping gone bad. The box in the center came missing 4 ingots. It looks like it was run over by a forktruck or something. Had a tear in the side but some caring postal worker had put some rubber bands over it.

[Jim_Fleming]

Perhaps you've got a point there Clinebo, 70 lbs might be a Tad much for the packaging itself, and the 50 lb range might be more in line with the capabilities of the boxes?

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[bumpo628]

Perhaps you've got a point there Clinebo, 70 lbs might be a Tad much for the packaging itself, and the 50 lb range might be more in line with the capabilities of the boxes?

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I put 60+ lbs of lead in a tyvek bag (from the USPS), in a medium flat rate box, tape it, then put that box in another medium flat rate box, and finally tape the hell out of that. It made it across the county in good shape.