Lead wire need

[frank martinez]

Some while back I mentioned a friend of mine was able to provide lead wire for purchase. He has been testing and running extrusion wire to see if it is viable to offer for sale. We are able to make it and offer it in a variety of sizes and I want to find out if there is a real need for it.
We can produce wire in a huge variety of sizes but would like to test the market with the following first.
We can supply .210, .283, and .375 and .504 now
We have an additional 10 extrusion dies but would like to test the first 4 sizes first.
If demand is high for the others we will switch.
The wire will all be soft lead only. No WW or Alloy for now.

The wire will be offered in 12inch sticks mailed 50 pounds at a time in flat rate boxes. We will mix sizes per box of 50 lbs. We tried spooling but it is not really feasible with the setup.
We are looking for a market that is real so we are going to search for a fair market price. We are both retired and are not trying to keep too busy.

We are hoping to sell this at $4 per pound. Add $15 flat rate shipping and hopefully we can fill a little void.

I am not adverse to selling smaller quantity for the person wanting to test the product but the 12 inch length dictates a flat rate box so the shipping is the same.

Let me know,
Frank

[BT Sniper]

Allways nice to see additional members with things to offer.

The people I see at the moment that has a need might be the 22 cal shooters with .185 wire.

Another vendor here offers the .185 wire for a little less then what your shooting for. Not sure of his current price though.

What kind of cutter would it take to slice threw .504 wire? and how many need that size cores? that would be atleast a .700 bullet. Only one guy I know at the moment shooting a canon that big :)

Good luck with your venture.

BT

[Utah Shooter]

Seems like 4 dollars per pound may be a bit on the high end.

[frank martinez]

Good, and thanks for the input. I can adjust the wire size to test out down to the .185 size easily enough. It is a little more work to get enough extruded to make up the 50 lb.
Perhaps I should also ask What dollar amount would solidify committed purchases.
If we can't make it at that price we just won't get into it.
I will also ask that you tell me what wire size is best for you and then see if it will warrant.
Frank

[Reload3006]

Well Frank not to bust your bubble but Lafaun offers it under 3 and RCE offers it at 3. No way on earth Im going to pay 4 a pound. But good luck to you there is a sucker born every minuet. I just dont happen to be one of them.

[deltaenterprizes]

Sir, if you bend the wire in a "U" shape it will fit in a small flat rate box.

[frank martinez]

3006- Your implication is that I am trying to fool or trick someone. Not the case at all.
Deltaenterprizes- Thank you, I did look into that and even bent some wire to see how well it would work. When straightened the edges of the wire having been stretched on one side and compressed on the other weighed out differently. My thinking was that the straight sticks would cut more easily and be more convenient for users.

[waksupi]

Yep, looks like simple market research to me.

[Red River Rick]

When straightened the edges of the wire having been stretched on one side and compressed on the other weighed out differently. My thinking was that the straight sticks would cut more easily and be more convenient for users.

What difference would it make..............your swaging the core aren't you?

RRR

[mold maker]

It would make a difference in how long you cut for a certain weight. Not all swage dies bleed off excess.

[Utah Shooter]

Well Frank not to bust your bubble but Lafaun offers it under 3 and RCE offers it at 3. No way on earth Im going to pay 4 a pound. But good luck to you there is a sucker born every minuet. I just dont happen to be one of them.

So a sucker is born every minuet? Are we talking ballroom dancing on the site? I have seen things go astray before but not that far off.

I think that he is just trying to find what a good price is. Always better to put it too high then put it too low. Obviously a price that is good for both parties is what one would like to have.

I would go with straight sticks as well. You will be able to get more into a box rather than bending it. Maybe not a whole lot more but enough.

Keep up the good work Frank.

[frank martinez]

Thanks for the reassurance. I am indeed simply looking for a number of opinions to help me decide whether to pursue the effort.
I did try several different cores from the straight sticks and the bent and rolled portions to see if there is a difference. The dies I am using do not bleed off as suggested by mold maker so do rely upon the length of the core being cut correctly or uniformly.
I have checked with RCE site but cannot find Lafaun to confirm their prices.
Perhaps we would be more effective in offering mixed sizes per 50 lb box. I do not think the others are able to do so to accommodate those not necessarily needing 25 lbs at a time of the same size wire. We are also able to offer the additional sizes if it helps others to decide.
.125
.178
.210
.240
.283
.303
.332
.338.
.357
.375
.404
.504

Thanks for imput
Frank

[Utah Shooter]

The dies I am using do not bleed off as suggested by mold maker so do rely upon the length of the core being cut correctly or uniformly.

Cannot find Lafaun to confirm their prices.


I think that he was talking about the squirt die that is used in getting a cores weight down correctly. The die that bleeds off the excess lead since the raw core is cut at a higher weight. Then bled (squirted) off to get the correct weight.

Lafaun's direct link for his costs are in my signature line. He is actually the gent that made the seat die die that I threw in with the de rim die you bought from me a while back.

[MIBULLETS]

As far as price goes, you have to take the price the lead costs you plus what you need for your labor, cost and whatever. The place I get mine from is currently around $1.80 / lb plus shipping if you buy a 50 lb spool. The price of lead varies just like any other metal.

The sizes you have listed should just about take care of almost anyone's needs.

[frank martinez]

Thanks for the added information. I have communicated directly with Alfloyd as well. He was kind enough to contact me.
I guess I just need to decide if the effort is worthwhile.
We are thinking maybe we will make a few boxes up and offer them at our price to see if there is enough interest. I will find out tomorrow what that price will be and then make a final decision if we sell it or keep it to use ourselves.
Frank

[frank martinez]

What kind of cutter would it take to slice threw .504 wire? and how many need that size cores? that would be atleast a .700 bullet. Only one guy I know at the moment shooting a canon that big
I thought this might draw a few more comments. Bill has made a few bullets for some select clients in Africa. Currently I am the only one ordering .620 bullets in preparation of shooting my 600 Overkill for fun.
Frank

[waksupi]

Keep in mind if it isn't cost effective here, Ebay may be a great market.

[frank martinez]

Keep in mind if it isn't cost effective here, Ebay may be a great market.


Thanks for that bit of advice. Although I do not normally buy or sell on E-bay I do know the larger audience may be what we need to do this properly.
Frank

[jimrk]

Just an FYI to Richard's lead .. http://rceco.com/MN.asp?pg=products&grp=42

He also has more Jackets now at a very nice price. http://rceco.com/MN.asp?pg=products&grp=71