Todays score

[marek313]

I started buying lead from my local recycling place at $0.85 /lb. Price wasnt all that exciting to me until I actually went few times and realized that Its totally worth it for me. I dont know if I'm just getting lucky but last few times I was able to pull bunch of various tin 50/50 bars, solder wire, 2 lino pigs plus very clean soft bricks as well to mix it all with. Its a one stop shop for me and I think I'm getting a deal for $0.85 /lb. From what I'm seeing 50/50 bars are going for around $10/lb, solder wire even more, lino pigs for $2/lb. So today weather was great and I wanted to add more ingots for this winters casting season. I already had some range scrap and some soft lead so here is what I picked up. 7lbs of solder wire (that big ball) , 4lbs of 50/50bars, 7lbs of saeco ingots which appears to be lino. 7lbs of WW ingots and some random clean pipe, sheet etc pieces. It was 30lbs total for $28 out the door. Thats a pretty good deal right?

206266

[4719dave]

good day there ...

[00buck]

You did good

[runfiverun]

the ball of solder is probably worth more than that.

[OS OK]

I hope that you are smelting 'like with like' and NOT just blending these various batches together into one big hodgepodge of melt.

For instance...I just poured 12# of (63%Sn+37%Pb) solder into 200 & 405 grain 45 caliber slugs.
*@ 63%Sn X 200 grains X .00229 <(conversion constant to convert grains to ounces) = .288 ounces of Sn
*@ 63%Sn X 405 grains X .00229 = .584 ounces of Sn

If...you blend 2 ounces of Sn with 10# of COWW it will raise the .5% of the COWW Sn content to 1.73%Sn...this is not absolutely necessary but, if you want perfect mould fillout in the lube band cavities and the crimp ring this blend will cast a beautiful boolit.
This blend will have 2.96%Sb and .25% Arsenic...this makes that boolit great for water dropping or heat treating. Air cooled right out of the mould within 24 hours it will have an estimated hardness of 11.8 BHN <(perfect for all the low pressure pistols)...should you heat treat or water drop out of the mould you might see 16~18 BHN hardness which will suffice in a high pressure magnum pistol and some low velocity rifles @ <2,000~2,200 FPS, perhaps I shouldn't quote speeds because it's all relative to specifics.
Every time someone around here thinks they have achieved accuracy with high speed cast...well, someone comes along with a different twist to their scheme and top's the last guy.
You will have to do your own experimenting with water dropping and heat treating.

My long winded point here is just that you can do so much more with a good selection of all the casters components, pure Pb, linotype, COWW's or SOWW's and so on...and by keeping your stash separated in like ingots and 'stamped' or marked in some way to identify them.
It's more work on the ingot smelting end and marking efforts but when you want a specific Pb blend and hardness it's like going grocery shopping for any of the components you want...you already have them ready to go.

[Bzcraig]

Heck of a haul!

[marek313]

No I didnt mix all this together but I'm sure with that so much tin they would look good. Todays batch was a mix of range scrap, pure lead, lino with couple more ounces of 50/50 and solder.
Should be around 97% lead, 1.5% tin, 1.5 antimony around 10.5 Brinell. That will be mostly used in 45s I'm with you on not making alloy too hard. I make a basic alloy around 10-11 that I use in 45s, 38S and 9s like this one and just bring it up hardness some more for 357s and 300AAC. I water drop after I powdercoat and havent had any leading issues at all.
I'm finally in a position where I'm not running out of anything and I have a good variety of alloys.
This winter I want to cast enough for next summer but something tells me no matter what it wont be enough anyway :guntootsmiley:

[lightman]

Nice Score! Thats an OK price for scrap lead, but its a great price on solder and harder lead. I wish the scrap yards around here would still sell to the public.

[RogerDat]

Try to save up a stash of "mad money" one of these days if you continue to make regular stops at that scrap yard your going to find a haul. Having a stash of cash that allows you to snag those goodies in quantity if the opportunity comes up will make you very happy. Might be a stack of lino pigs, whole box of body solder, barrel of lino type. Being able to buy the big amount of something good, and knowing the current prices as you do, lets you snag the score, sell some off to replenish you cash and still keep a good amount as profit or at a cost reduced by what you sold.

Until then it looks like you have a good source to mine. Might be worth stopping by with a bag of donuts just to say "thanks" for letting you dig through the bin. Relationships lead to network of people looking to help you get lead. Once got a 400# barrel of linotype they set to the side "in case I was interested". They knew I would be coming around and were looking out for me. All I ever did for them was be pleasant and drop off a $5 pizza on Saturday as a thank you for helping me load my car.

[David2011]

OS OK,

You make lots of good posts but that one struck me as exceptional.

David

[mold maker]

I used the donuts and pizza "pay it forward" for many years and always got more lead than I could use. I keep a stash of costume jewelry to ply the receptionist at many places (like dentist) I scrounge. It cost very little, but the rewards are huge.

[lightman]

The Jewelry is a good idea, never thought of that!

[RogerDat]

What he said ^ Of course dear wife might find my lead scrounging a bit more objectionable if I was giving receptionists jewelry rather than some hairy roughneck at a scrap yard pizza.