Lead & ww

[Huntducks]

I feel for many of you just getting started or who have little or no supply.

I have been casting for 40+ years and did so in a time when tire shops damn near paid you to haul away WW, and lead was a few cents a lb from plumbing supply houses and when a print shop went out of Bus. you could get a bucket of lino for a buck.

I guess what i'm trying to say is man some of you get so excited when you find 10lb of WW, but I understand it's the times we live in.

When it comes to casting the only thing that excites me is finding a H&G mold for 20 bucks.

GOOD LUCK

[shredder]

As a relative newcomer to casting, I agree that sources for lead are very hard to come by. I managed to clean out an old gunsmith with a bit of a hoard. Some ww and mostly pure lead.

I bought some linotype from a fellow here who was simply shocked and amazed that I swould agree to the crazy shipping just to have some. Our raw material is ever more scarce when you live off the main grid as I do.

It makes me want to go out to the range and start sifting the backstops! I am sure that is going to happen some day!

[220swiftfn]

As a relative newcomer to casting, I agree that sources for lead are very hard to come by. I managed to clean out an old gunsmith with a bit of a hoard. Some ww and mostly pure lead.

I bought some linotype from a fellow here who was simply shocked and amazed that I swould agree to the crazy shipping just to have some. Our raw material is ever more scarce when you live off the main grid as I do.

It makes me want to go out to the range and start sifting the backstops! I am sure that is going to happen some day!

I'd suggest not waiting to start sifting the traps, it's always better to have a good stockpile before it's the last source...... (In other words, if you wait until you need it, that's when you'll find out that someone else got it first / the range is selling it for scrap......etc.)


Dan

[Jim]

I fell into my range cleaning business just in time. I'm able to take home a box every time I go home and am producing for two commercial casters.

I've noticed a sharp increase in posts in the last year or so about WWs being hard to find and guys cleaning out ranges as a source of lead.

[mold maker]

Ya better get it while it's still available. Remember you're not the only one looking, and if you're the last, you'll be left out.

[arkypete]

Wife loves shopping yard sales, Salvation Army and Good Will. Does not matter to her what she buys as long as she buys something. So I suggested buying pewter. Well she now comes home with a few pewter pieces every week. I'm approaching 300 to 400 pounds of pewter.
I've found lead, lead alloy statues at flea markets, yard sales.
Scrap yards sell plumbing, roofing lead.
I used to walk to work off stress and found lots of wheel weights on the side of the road.
I've got my several tons of wheel weights, a few hundred pounds lino.
It's out there just need to look.

Jim

[crabo]

I have friends that scrounge for me. Once in a while when I go to church, a tear out piece of lead ends up in my truck bed. Roof jacks and little pails of lead scraps mysteriously appear in front of my garage.

A friend buys me solder from garage and estate sales and periodically brings me a box and asks for 15- 20 bucks. He has bought me quite a bit of solder and I tell him to keep bringing it.

Let everyone know you are looking for lead. Another friend asked me if I wanted some lead water pipe. It looked like a pile of spaghetti when I got it, but I straightened it out and cut it manageable pieces. It made it a little bit of a pain since I was 1100 miles away from home.

My wife thought I had bought enough until she saw me trade some lead for a pid controller and something else that saved me quite a bit of money.

She told my roofer buddy that I would take some lead he had in his truck. She told him to dump in in front of the garage. 950 pounds and I paid him .50 a pound.

Be shameless in your scrounging.