Stash Is Building Slowly

[mrbillbus]

As i have read the threads here on other folk's lead score, I noticed a common theme. Let people know you are looking. Not waiting for that to kick in I started with some berm mining to get started.

Then my brother told me he hard "hard lead" that he couldn't use. It is wheel weights that he tried to use for "wrap" decoys weights. Two times around the duck's neck and the bending caused them to snap in half. Could I "find a use for them" he asked!

My niece's husband works for a chrysler dealer. Hmmm, thinks I.
"Hey, do you access to the wheel weights in the tire shop?"
"Sure I can get wheel weights" he says. "What are you going to do with them?"
"Make boolits," says I. "How much does the dealership charge?"
"25 cents a pound".
First bucket delivered this week.

Friend stops by to help with my cable modem wireless router. I mention Lee products he tells me that he had just bought a Lee pot to melt lead. ???
"What do you need melted lead for?"
"Weight for Awana Grand Prix Cars" (think pinewood derby)
"Where did you get lead?"
"From the guys in the tire bay." (duh, he is the lan admin for a 7 store car dealership)
"Can you get more and how much?"
"I'm sure I can. I check it out for you."
His need is for thin flat lead. Hmm, my brother has that decoy weight mold. "Sure you can borrow it, I'll drop it off Sunday". says little brother.

The back scratching and problem solving seems to be working. The trickle has potential to build into a steady stream.

Now to go find more buckets ...

Bill

[10 ga]

Buckets for "ore". I use milk crates filled "in place" for the ingots. I have overfilled 4 crates, put on a layer of 3/4 plywood and on the way to filling another 4 crates. Pluse 5 buckets of ww and a pile of "ore". Well gotta go scrap 3 refrig units and break down a big cultipacker, all for trade at the scrap yard. They paying $.09 for mixed steel/iron $.20 for mixed steel and Al, and $.33 for AL and a bunch more for Cu and brass. I figure I've got 2K of steel/iron and the rest is probably equal in the $. Having to pay .$50 for lead so I should be able to get 4 to 5C of lead for the effort. Lots of smelting will be upcoming. Now if it will quit raining. Best, 10 ga

[zuke]

And that's how team work,work's!

[RayinNH]

Think of it as saving humanity one wheelweight at a time :mrgreen:...Ray

[cabezaverde]

Got a buddy who just came into about 100 lbs of mono and foundry type. He only makes decoy weights and was going to use it for that. :shock:

We will be swapping even for some "mystery metal" I have.

[fredj338]

We are the ultimate recyclers! Hoard away, it's not going to get easier going forward.

[WILCO]

Hoard away, it's not going to get easier going forward.

That's for sure.

[Jal5]

A friend of mine in Hong Kong about 10 yrs ago told me how they were thinking about money and the coming Chinese takeover of their country: Get all you can, and can all you get. I think that applies to lead for our use- get it while you can and stash it all away. Joe

[mrbillbus]

I was given some more lead this week. Different source but only a one time deal. He bought his house from a friend that reloaded and 10 years later the stuff was still in his way. About 22 pounds of lead in ingot form and a box of 2500 once fired 9mm brass.

Bill

[Alan in Vermont]

I try to mine the berms every time I go to the range. Doesn't always work because other shooters keep showing up. Tomorrow I'm going up early so can take advantage of the range being closed Wed. for maintenance. I'm part of that so the (devious) plan is to go early and mine, then get on the tractor and bushhog some of the "rough" along the sides. If I mine for a couple and mow for a couple all well be well. I can generally pull about 60 lbs in an easy hour. Only snafu is that if it rains within a couple days before I get there it's not easy sifting. May be some rain tonight, I'm hoping not as there is a steady south wind drying the berms today.

Helping as much as I can with maintenance is my way of brown-nosing my way into getting to clean the indoor range. It's only about 6 stations and is used only two nights a week during the winter, BUT what I'm hearing is that it hasn't been cleaned for 5-6 years. That might be as much as 1,000 lbs. Suckup, suckup BIG time!