My friend the plumber

[dbarnhart]

The other day it dawned on me: I have a friend who is a plumber. Actually he owns a small plumbing and remodeling busiess. Here in Arizona there hasn't been much lead used in plumbing in a long time but I thought it was worth a try.

I came away with about 5 pounds of lead just for the asking and a promise that he will start saving it for me.

[stubshaft]

Used to be a time way back when you could go into almost any hardware store and get block lead.

[MT Gianni]

Most plumbing lead can be considered pure. Roof flashings, shower pans, lead joints from cast iron, as well as old lead traps.

[beagle]

My old shooting partner was an industrial plumber and the amount of lead he got was sinful. The boss said "get rid of it" and we did. They remodeled hospitals for years and some of the old sinks were lead for acid stuff and seems like they were always doing X-ray rooms.

They were furnished 50/50 for some jobs and the new tin solder for others and that's where I got the "beagling tape". There was always "extra".

If you can convert him to a caster, you've really got a source./beagle

[mfraser264]

Thanks for the reminder. Also know a plumber in town and they still run into lead pipes. Seeing how my cousin works there should help. If they scrap it I will make them an offer say a .05 to .10 cents higher than what the scrap yard will but it for and I will go and get it from them. The owner hates waste and the scrap does little to make them money.

The wife just reminded me, she does the books once year for a master plumber. Just left him a message. It may not all come at once but a little once in a while is good.

Time to get the contacts going!!!

[Hardcast416taylor]

In my plumbing days I either had a boss that also said just get rid of it - I don`t see anything where it winds up. The other type of boss (job climber type) that made sure nobody got anything left over from a job, and often times large amounts of half used items like solder would be thrown into a dumpster under the watchful eyes of the super boss.Robert

[beagle]

Being as it's hazardous material and the company has to pay for getting rid of it and it's not cost affective to pay somebody to take it and sell it, a lot ends up in fishing sinkers and boolits. The boss knows who takes lead and says, "Handle it." That was the case with my old shooting partner's company anyway./beagle

[mfraser264]

The plumber left a little present, 5 pounds of lead and I am assured more to come. It is working!!!