Only you guys will understand...

[wrench]

A buddy hooked me up with a local stained glass shop a few weeks ago. Just got around to melting it all down.
I paid for 200# of used stained glass came, had lots of solder joints. Was very dirty, scooped out lots of junk, some seemed like sand??
After fluxing, I ended up with roughly 200# of clean ingots, so the guy must have thrown in a bit extra.
50 cents a pound.
Testing a few ingots with my Cabine Tree hardness tester shows them to be right around 25-1, should make good bullets for my 45/70 and 41 Swiss, just as it is.
I told my friends about this, they didn't seem too excited:cry:I knew you guys would understand.

[Hawks Feather]

Looks like you had a long hot day, but it sure paid off for you in the end. Good find.

[Mytmousemalibu]

Understand....? More like flat out jealous! Finding lead scrap gets me excited! I have a about 150lbs of poopy pipe to process down and probably 100lbs of roof flashing, another 75lb of aircraft ballast lead to turn into pretty ingots. Its been hot as heck and its not a priority to get it refined right now, I can wait till it cools off! The lead pipe is kinda nasty to melt, obviously its stinky but hey, it was gifted and I think smelting temps and fluxing will sanitize it fine! :cbpour:

[Bzcraig]

I have no idea what the big deal is, In fact, if you don't properly handle this evil, heavy metal, child killing poison you might be its next victim. I will send a pm with an address for you to mail for proper disposal. No need to thank me, it's my pleasure to serve and I won't even charge for my services. :bigsmyl2:

[RogerDat]

That lead window came is pretty nice lead. Especially compared to poopy pipe or tar covered roof flashing. Nice pile-O-lead, Got a good price, it cleaned up pretty, and all cast into nice ingots. Time to do a little happy dance then kick back. What is there for someone to not understand?

[Teddy (punchie)]

Looks like a fun time. LOL just have to be a big kid I guess. Anyway looking good.

[kbstenberg]

I think you had better get a higher quality of associates. Friends would be as happy as you are.
if BZcraig can't handle your lead. I will take his place and I can handle the dispoal. kevin

[MrWolf]

I have the same problem when talking about lead. Some folks think I am a little out there but who cares what they think :popcorn:

[nagantguy]

Totally awsome, I have a friend of a friend who does leaded glass as a side business says he has buckets of came and scrape and sodder joints I will send him at a pig roast next month..and try to reach an accord so I can haul is dirty dangerous "garbage" away for proper disposable.

[TenTea]

You have achieved understanding here...I get it! :cast_boolits:

[lightman]

I understand, I get that same satisfaction from melting dirty wheelweights. Good Score!

[wrench]

Thank you, guys. I knew I wasn't alone:bigsmyl2:

[GSM]

Very nice score!

Your NEW friends here do understand. Not enabling, just understanding, and some envy....

[Ihsarah]

Beautiful, there's nothing more strangely satisfying as looking at those heavy metal bricks after a long day of melting.

[62chevy]

:guntootsmiley::guntootsmiley::guntootsmiley:
:awesome::awesome::awesome:
:2_high5::2_high5:[smilie=s:

[10 ga]

whenever I find came or leaded pipe or cable sheathing with soldered joints I cut the joints out and melt separate and make ingots to add to my hi tin alloy stockpile and have the other for my soft lead ingots. Just my way, control of a large hunting boolit run whenever I do one.

[avogunner]

Ughhh, face palm.......I've never even thought of sourcing lead scrap from a stained glass shop. There's even one about 2 miles from my house and I'm hitting it today!!!

[Garyshome]

Great find!

[claude]

Well done grasshopper.......

[Handloader109]

Be very careful guys! I came across a pile of came and thought I had hit a jackpot.....over half was zinc....older lead free was zinc. A lot now is copper tin alloy.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

you have done well Grasshopper...


Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost.

[RogerDat]

Zinc came serves a different purpose, it is stronger and used for larger pieces to add rigidity to leaded glass windows or panels. Sometimes used to repair old church windows that have started to bow with age as the lead sags. Quick nip with the cutting pliers or keeping the melt temp under melting point of zinc are solutions to the problem of avoiding the zinc contamination.

Cutting out the solder joints makes good sense. That came tends to be very nice soft lead once you get the solder joints out of it. And the solder joints are a nice source of tin since they use pretty rich solder.

[wrench]

I can see the purpose of cutting the solder joints out and melting them separately. This pile of came had a blue million joints, every inch or two...must have been very tiny pieces of glass in those windows.
I'd still be out there clipping away:sad:

[RogerDat]

I can see the purpose of cutting the solder joints out and melting them separately. This pile of came had a blue million joints, every inch or two...must have been very tiny pieces of glass in those windows.
I'd still be out there clipping away:sad:

Working on the lead stash beats TV or the honey do list every time and anytime. But most casting having a little tin in the mix is a good thing. Separation just offers a chance to treat them as separate ingredients for recipes. Not a huge gain/loss either way you go. Nice pile of good lead IS a gain. Throwing it 50/50 with COWW's I bet will make you happy casting or ML I bet it would be sweet there too.

[skeettx]

As we in Texas say

YEEEEE HAWWWW !!!!!

[RogerDat]

As we in Texas say

YEEEEE HAWWWW !!!!!

I thought you mostly said well he tries bless his heart. ;-)

[rbuck351]

My oldest kid just came home from the docks where they were unloading a ship and just throwing away the stuff. He brought home 4, 4x8 foot sheets of about 3/16" thick dead soft lead. A couple had some peices cut or tore out of them but I ended up with about 950lbs of lead. This should keep my 32cal muzzle loader going for a looooong time.

[RogerDat]

My oldest kid just came home from the docks where they were unloading a ship and just throwing away the stuff. He brought home 4, 4x8 foot sheets of about 3/16" thick dead soft lead. A couple had some peices cut or tore out of them but I ended up with about 950lbs of lead. This should keep my 32cal muzzle loader going for a looooong time.

I think skeettx already covered the only comment appropriate to this haul! Might have to get yourself a .50 cal to help use it all. ;-)