I'm done.

[bld451]

Well, with stinking up the neighborhood, anyway. I finished the last of the range scrap I have accumulated. 725 pounds worth. Thinking about posting in a few threads/categories now..... I do have a lifetime supply in nice clean ingots, so I should put one in that thread. I need to get rid of my lead rendering facilities, so should post an ad. Seems the new house will have very close neighbors, and a small yard... I think I am done with the medium scale lead rendering operation. While I am not looking forward to being in a new subdivision, I am looking forward to a south facing driveway, a 60 foot sidewalk to (sometimes) shovel, and a lawn I can mow with a weedwhacker. Maybe I'll actually have time to shoot!

BTW, I am done with the equipment shown in the photos below, and I will unload it (no, not including the lead) reasonably ($50.00) to a local caster who can pick it up. Got to be someone on the Front Range of Colorado with some lead to melt who can use a 250# pot (propane tank), burner, ladle and molds....The ingot molds can be regulated for a nice size ( up to 7 or 8 lbs.) that can fill a 20 pound Lee pot with three ingots (that would be 5-6 lbs ea.). They fit in the pot nicely, and they stack well two stacks to a stud in a 16" on-center framed shed or garage.

PM me if interested, and we can arrange.



145635145636145637

[Yodogsandman]

Are you sure that's enough? About 20 years ago, I thought a ton of COWW's was enough. WRONG! I ran out of them this spring. What a shock to the system to have to pay for them now!

[nagantguy]

Nice work, about the time I found castboolits and took my casting out of the dark ages a distant relative passed and a uncle called and asked if I wanted his lead stash, I indeed did, about 700 pounds of Lyman igots some make soft most are what's very close to Lyman #2 , if not in fact #2, I'm down to one large metal milk crate full.

[RogerDat]

Thing about any finite amount with continued reductions.... eventually it gets to all gone. Unless you consider that in order to use the last grain of lead you first have to use 1/2 of it leaving 1/2. And to use the rest you first have to use the first 1/2 of it to use the last 1/2 and so on forever. Never finishing that last amount because there will always be half of the remaining amount left.

Yeah don't work for me either. I'm slowing way down in getting more lead but if I stopped then the stash would shrink and I might find it hard to replace in the future. I would rather find out the supply has dried up with a ton sitting there to ration than find out I can't get any more when getting down to my last 100 lbs causes me to start looking.

[bld451]

I should have titled my post differently. I guess I am not done, but I am not going to be melting large batches for a while. Let's say this. I have enough to shoot 50 rounds of .45 ACP a week until I am 90. Mostly COWW, some SOWW, less than half range scrap, and 100 or more pounds of tin.
I won't be retired for another 15 yrs or so, so it is mostly safe for a while. Considering I actually shoot about four times a year or so now, (pitiful, eh?) I am ahead of the game. I will be moving in a few months, so may just cuss myself anyway. No room at the new place to run or store a stinky melting setup. (although the range scrap smells a LOT better than the WW's) I by no means will quit acquiring, should I run across some, but I'm done driving all over creation for 70 pound buckets of zinc WW's. Too much hassle. My range scrap runs usually net about 600 lbs between two of us, so it stacks up fast, and without a place to melt, I would be in trouble... I still have a cast iron pot for solder and such if needed. Should the opportunity present itself, (house in the country... :o) ) I can make a setup like this for cheap. Now, if my kids take up pistol shooting like I hope they will, I might start hunting the berms again. That would actually be great if they threatened my stash. That would mean I got to shoot with my young 'uns regularly, and they have learned to cast and load. Time to simplify a little, though. More room inside the new house, but I want to have a house and shop I can get around in comfortably. Got to cut the fat, and this is one of those things.

[RogerDat]

I got you. I have some larger power tools that did me a good service but just don't have the room (or demand) for them anymore so they are going up for sale. Sounds like you are set for awhile anyway (pre-retirement & won't run out until 90 sound to me like set for awhile)

I'm trying to get myself out of the being set up for smelting too, and just set up to do casting for reasons of room - then I found two buckets of sorted lead COWW's in the shed this weekend. Might just end up picking up another bucket or two and doing a smelt in Sept. Hard to motivate, like you I don't get to shoot as often as I would like so "more lead" just gets to be less of a priority. Now if I could just stop checking places for pewter! Am hoping to go up north and burn through a few hundred rounds sometime this month with kids and grandkids.

[Hawks Feather]

It does look like you are set for the next few years. Enjoy looking at that stack.

[bld451]

It does look pretty nice when I take a look. Lots of work, but it's nice and tidy now. I do tend to get a twinge in my back if I stare too long, though. Better times ahead. Time at the pot and making some smoke at the range. Lead pot and gunsmoke, you ne'er do wells!..... I know, I know, I am from Colorado, but some of us choose not to indulge. (Hopefully less smoke, as I intend to try LAR's Carnauba Red....)

[Horseman1]

Sent you a PM