Where can you get pure lead for cheap and of known purity?

[letsmeltlead2693]

I would like to know, where I can get lead for cheap and of known purity? Rotometals is expensive, but they have pure lead, any cheaper sources?

[raingauge]

I get lead here in Billings for .75 a lb, from a scrap yard. Known purity? The best I can do is scratch it with my finger nail, I still have to melt it into ingots. The scrap is old lead pipe, sheet lead from a hospital remodel, and roofing jacks, all very close to pure, if not pure. I'm whining about paying that much, hadn't looked at Rotometals. Ouch!

[para45lda]

I did a google search and found a foundry(?) Within 100 miles of me that does sell to the public. I just went and got 500 pounds of pure. You may be able to do the same.

Wes

[shotman]

how much do you want ?

[stubshaft]

Roofers! The thin lead sheet is pure.

[AR-15 Cowboy]

Where I live its hard to find any lead, yet the good stuff. I say check the local scrap yards for pure lead and make your own concoction.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Going to pull-a-part tomorrow for free WW, just have to pay admission and have to pull the weights off the cars myself. That is hard lead. I want to get 50+ lbs of pure soft lead for $35 if that is possible. If not I am willing to pay $40 at max and I don't even want to pay $35. I want the bluish gray crystallized lead that is soft and pure.

[Down South]

Scrap yards are good places to look. I bought 1,360 lbs of radiation shield the other day for .50 lb but it was from a guy making a haul to the scrap yard. He says the scrap yard offered him 50 per lb.

[fryboy]

while i'd love to get known composition alloy for say 50 cents a pound i have to concede that if the certified pure stuff is what i want then yeah it's gonna cost me , even plumbing pipe can and will vary in composition as some had antimony alloyed into it and some didnt and without a tester there is no way to know , i sadly also have to concede that 1970 prices have left us forever and if they keep jacking up the price of energy everything else will go up accordingly but if you do find some company selling below cost best keep it a secret because once known they will get so swamped they'll have no choice but to raise the prices for the fresh metal they'll have to order in , usually in the swapping and selling section pure lead tends to run higher than ww alloy does by a wee bit , and it runs about a buck a pound [shrugz]

[Blue Hill]

Up here in the Great White North, I paid $1.50 a pound for scrap lead from a scrap yard. I'm confident that if it isn't pure, it's close. Consisted mainly of sheet lead and pipe and all of it marks easy with my thumbnail.
On the plus side, I can get all the wheel weights I want for free.

[imashooter2]

Going to pull-a-part tomorrow for free WW, just have to pay admission and have to pull the weights off the cars myself. That is hard lead. I want to get 50+ lbs of pure soft lead for $35 if that is possible. If not I am willing to pay $40 at max and I don't even want to pay $35. I want the bluish gray crystallized lead that is soft and pure.


You have unrealistic expectations. Revise either the "known purity" you expect or the price you are willing to pay.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I went to pull-a-part today. I met a plumber while I was pulling off WW off of vehicles. He said he had hundreds of pounds of lead from old plumbing joints and it was soft lead. I hope he calls because when I talked my dad got there to pick me up, and walked in the yard and gave them our house number. I hope they call so we can get some free lead. I hope this free plumbing lead works out because I want some free plumbing lead.

[imashooter2]

There's nothing wrong with free lead of any sort. ;)

[SquirrelHollow]

One of my local scrap yards / recyclers will test ("shoot") any piece of metal you are interested in. Pure lead runs $0.70-0.80 / lb. Alloys get cheaper from there. (Until the tin content brings the price back up.)

They sell based on the alloy of the piece, not just a wild guess ..."that looks like pure, doesn't it, Jim?"
Ask around. Your local yards might do the same, or be willing to do the same.

[AndyC]

I'm really curious to know how that "shoot" process actually works.

[Greg5278]

The Shooting the piece part is XRF analysis. Good yards have a Hand held Scan gun that can bounce a beam off a sample and give you the analysis. Some places will do it, ans ome will not. If you are buying quantity, I am sure they would help you out. The going sell rtae here is around $.93-1.00 per pound. Monotype is obiously a bit higher.
Greg

[idahoron]

from old plumbing joints and it was soft lead.

I hope this free plumbing lead works out because I want some free plumbing lead.

Pipes are for the most part very soft but not pure. I have a tester and I have tested a lot of different lead. Pipes are going to run between 6 and 8 BHN. Lead form the walls of a Xray room is going to run 6 to 7 BHN.

The joints on a pipe are solder and they will increase the hardness of the pipe lead if you melt them with the pipes. It is best to melt the pipes be them self's and melt joints by them self's. I keep all lead separate and test each ingot.
I used to buy ebay lead and who knows what. I got hosed so many times I got tired of it. I quit buying lead over the internet unless it is from Rotomtal. Around here local I will buy roof jacks and Xray wall lead. I don't buy Xray foils from the dentist it is hard and I get it free. Ron

[cbrick]

I would like to know, where I can get lead for cheap and of known purity? Rotometals is expensive, but they have pure lead, any cheaper sources?


You have unrealistic expectations. Revise either the "known purity" you expect or the price you are willing to pay.

Agreed, there are realities involved. Roto Metals is cheaper than many places but if your looking for "certified" pure lead you will have little choice but to go to a foundry (such as Roto Metals) that buys bulk off the international market at the current price. Buy anything but certified and your taking somebodies word that it is what he says and it probably isn't. If it was he would be getting the same price as everyone else selling certified lead.

If cheap is your most important consideration you'll have little choice but to buy scrap and gamble on what it is, just like the rest of us.

Rick

[SquirrelHollow]

I'm really curious to know how that "shoot" process actually works.

XRF hand-held analyzers:
http://www.niton.com/Metal-and-Alloy-Analysis/Products.aspx?sflang=en


.

[letsmeltlead2693]

I live in Nashville. Any of you that live near or in Nashville, know of any scrap yards that sell scrap lead? That would really help me out. I will go for the cheap price over the pure lead price.

[Moonman]

If you need CERTIFIED, it's just not available everywhere and you'll pay for CERTIFIED METALS at places like Rotometals.

[fryboy]

umm compared to midway rotometals IS cheap :shock:

[41 mag fan]

What about someplace like Bradford Supply??? I'm guess lead babbits is real close to pure.

[cbrick]

I'm guess lead babbits is real close to pure.

No, babbit is anything but pure and there are huge variations in babbit depending on it's intended use. Here is a great article by our very own Felix on babbit.

http://www.lasc.us/FelixBabbitbulletAlloy.htm

Rick

[Sonnypie]

I'd like to get $1 a gallon gas again..... :violin:

[AndyC]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the info re XRF, guys - never heard of this before, and I'm feeling all Captain Kirk-ish now :)

[Defcon-One]

You have unrealistic expectations. Revise either the "known purity" you expect or the price you are willing to pay.

I agree with the above statement and would make the point that you really don't need Certified lead for boolet casting!

The best way to get known content is to use Isotope Lead which is controlled very closely as to content. It is not pure though.



:lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the info re XRF, guys - never heard of this before, and I'm feeling all Captain Kirk-ish now :)

Andy: I did not see a price mentioned, so I'll ad that info. They start at around $30,000 per unit. I had a quote done by Niton once and was very surprised at the price!

Captain Kirk used some really cool stuff, but it was all payed for by the United Federation of Planets, right? Unfortunately, we've gotta buy our own toys!

[Down South]

I agree with the above statement and would make the point that you really don't need Certified lead for boolet casting!

The best way to get known content is to use Isotope Lead which is controlled very closely as to content. It is not pure though.




Andy: I did not see a price mentioned, so I'll ad that info. They start at around $30,000 per unit. I had a quote done by Niton once and was very surprised at the price!

Captain Kirk used some really cool stuff, but it was all payed for by the United Federation of Planets, right? Unfortunately, we've gotta buy our own toys!

Nawwwwwwwww, there is plenty of lead out there with known composition. Pure is not hard to find if you know where to look.

[imashooter2]

Nawwwwwwwww, there is plenty of lead out there with known composition. Pure is not hard to find if you know where to look.

So share your knowledge...

[astroskg]

try your local machine shop.

i don't know what you are looking for in the Lead type but most machine shops that have worked Lead jobs have buckets of chips most would be thrilled to get rid of. the occasional aluminum or steel chip in the buckets float to the top when melted and you end up with a bunch of lead usually around 99% pure, i have gotten over 1K lbs from my local machine shop for the cost of a couple 12 packs of soda. and a few afternoons of melting mixed with some rotometal super hard it makes great boolets

[Moonman]

astroskg,

It must be the city you're from and the government radioactive work done there but I was in a machine shop for 40 years and never had a LEAD material job to make or machine.

[Defcon-One]

Astroskg:

Another flaw in your plan, the guy wants certified PURE LEAD and you are talking...


....usually around 99% pure....

That does not quite make it what he wants, does it!

[AndyC]

Well, Rotometals' lead ingot are 99.9% pure.... for the loss of that 0.9%, the Scot in me says to take the free "pure" lead over $2.19/lb every day of the week :D

[Defcon-One]

Where can you get pure lead for cheap and of known purity?

As I said earlier, I'd go with Stick-On wheel weight lead. That is close enough to PURE LEAD for me and better than you need for most bullets. It is cheap too, which was his other desired characteristic.

I'd prefer to use ISOTOPE Lead (which is a perfect mix), Clip-On wheel weights (which are pretty good) or any other Lead that I could get and alloy as required for that matter.

A couple of 12 packs of soda isn't really FREE, is it, but it isn't bad either. Personally, I'd take FREE, certified, almost anything.

But he set the conditions, the guy wants PURE LEAD of "Known Purity"! That's why people are talking here about PURE LEAD and not 99% or 98% or 92% PB.

********

AndyC: There's not much Lead Alloy that I'd pay over $2.00 a pound for, except maybe known content Solder and Lyman #2!

[AndyC]

Hear hear - totally agree :D

I think the issue was obviously: known pure lead + cheap = ain't gonna happen easily at all (and if it does happen, I ain't gonna be tellin'!)

[Multigunner]

The softest lead I've found at a scrap yard was the lead used to construct stained glass windows.

This stuff was a bit odd looking, narrown cylidrical rods with a gutter down each side where the glass fitted in, and globs of some sort of much harder solder like substance where each rod intersected with others.
Lots of slivers of broken glass stuck in the gutters as well, but I guess all that floated to the top when I skimmed it.
I used this stuff for round ball .36.

Don't know if there was any alloying material but it certainly didn't affect hardness, though it may have added structural strength in some other way.

[leadmetal]

Gravita India Ltd can be your best option for all your specific needs whether your are using it for Lead Acid battery, X-ray room, roofing and flashing, Oil & Gas Industry, Power, Solar, Ship building, PVC stablizers or appliances. Check out the detailed specifications of pure lead at http://www.gravitaindia.com/products/refinedlead/

I'm sure your query will be solved out here as i'm also the bulk buyer from this particular company. Quality and Price are Excellent.

[ProfGAB101]

try your local machine shop.

i don't know what you are looking for in the Lead type but most machine shops that have worked Lead jobs have buckets of chips most would be thrilled to get rid of. the occasional aluminum or steel chip in the buckets float to the top when melted and you end up with a bunch of lead usually around 99% pure, i have gotten over 1K lbs from my local machine shop for the cost of a couple 12 packs of soda. and a few afternoons of melting mixed with some rotometal super hard it makes great boolets

I worked in a custom jobshop for 25 years and we even had a running account with an X-ray machine service company, and in that time we may have made about 5lbs total scrap lead "chips" drilling new mounting holes in some shielding plates. Machine shops just don't work in lead.

[sass2924]

The scrapper close to me wants $1.50/lb for sheet lead. But thats in California

[WBG]

I have been researching the same thing since I learned that there is a wide range of prices of boolit alloys. RotoMetals being near the top.

I don't have the patience that most of you show by scrounging for lead. For me it's too much like straightening nails.
Also, I don't shoot nearly as much anymore as most of you.

I have been looking around for industrial suppliers of lead and lead alloys.

Here is what I learned so far:
1. I just bought 60 lbs "pure lead", 99.99% pure, for $59.40 That's right: One dollar USD per pound for ingots of pure lead. That is a pretty standard industrial price. There will be one of these supply places near you.
Metalex Products Ltd.
Richmond, (Vancouver) BC Canada
604 273 5487
2. Your strong American dollar is worth a lot more than the Canadian dollar. For the last few months 80 cents USD or less will get you one dollar worth of anything in Canada! That saving alone will cover your shipping. If you live within 500 miles of the Canadian border you should get on Google.

2. I find these places on Google. There are a lot of "wholesale" lead alloy outlets in the USA and Canada. Just type in Google "Buy pure lead from ....." . I am now working with a firm near Vancouver that will melt up 92/4/4 ( or anything else) at a discount if I buy a 1000lbs. We are still working on the price. Also, I have found a guy in China that is shipping pure lead in smaller quantities to our pacific coast on a regular basis. (we are still sorting out the price) I have found that the chinese are easy and professional to do business with. Who know how much of the lead that we are shooting comes from China already. Ugh!

3.Most specialty suppliers of bullet casting lead have to be more expensive. They provide more services and a wider variety of products. Also, they deal in small quantities and give a lot of personal service. That cost them extra overhead money.

4. If you want better prices you have to go to the industrial places where you will usually have to buy at least 60 lbs. Also, If you ask too many "dumb" questions they may not like it. They are not small specialty boutiques, they are in the bussiness of sending out big orders and their lower prices reflect it.

5. I suspect that all these purity percent numbers that get waved around might be a bit like gas milage figures and it's a not worth worring about, for our application. )

I hope this is useful, but I would not be surprised if most of you already know all this and I am just "preaching to the choir".
If I learn anything significant I will post it. Brian

[lup]

Would you share your source and state whether your price included delivery?

[WBG]

Hello Lup, I made a mess of my first post so I edited it. I hope that it helps now.

Price did not include delivery.

I am new to casting so I just started a Google search till I got a few places to call. Some of them were not interested in dealing with me because my orders would be to small. I have experience, through business in sourcing product. It takes alot of patience at first, but remember that there are firms out there who would be delighted to get your business. Just got to find them.

I am going to round up a couple of pals here in western Canada to go together on an order when I find the
"perfect" wholesale supplier. I am looking for 1/3 to 1/2 the price of conventional lead suppliers. I may not get that but I will have some fun trying.

We will have to order at least 1/2 ton at a time. but that should be easy for small group 2-6 guys.

[WBG]

Hi Lup. I did share my source and location and I also explained how anyone in any country could find their own Industrial Wholesale supply. Trust me it's not hard. (If I can do it...) Good hunting. Brian

[Beekeeper]

Hi Lup. I did share my source and location and I also explained how anyone in any country could find their own Industrial Wholesale supply. Trust me it's not hard. (If I can do it...) Good hunting. Brian

Hi Brian ...

I spotted this old thread ... I live near you (Greater Vancouver) and I'm certainly interested in going in on a group purchase of lead. I tried to send you a PM...but your current settings don't allow me to do so. Send me a PM if you read this and are still interested in something like that.

Dave

[woodbutcher]

:D Hi Sonnypie.I see that you`re just a youngster.I wish that gas was still 24.9 a gallon reg,and 29.9 for 101 octane for hitest.Think that I`m just wee bit older that you are Hehehe.Oh yeah.NOW,I`ll make you really cry.I remember one gas war where all gas,reg or hitest was .10 cents per gallon.All you could carry off.I and a friend got two 55 gallon drums filled for $10.00 total.Ahhhhhh
the good old days.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Down South]

I had posted earlier in this thread probably about 5 yrs ago now. I have a buddy that works in radiation construction for hospitals and clinics, plus a buddy that gets to tear them down.
Radiation shielding is pure. I still have a several hundred lb stash that I have not cleaned.