Anyone smelt a lot of lead Close to East TN?

[bravo2]

Been out a little while. I have saved up a lot of lead been put off some time now. I would like to find someone in my area or a state over from me as I’m willing to drive. I’m in East TN. I got a bunch of wheel weights that I want to get smelt down and like to get it all done at one time. I have a bunch of buckets to do right now. Anyone in TN and surrounding states? Hopefully someone inside of a 4 hr drive lol.

[44magLeo]

It don't take much expense to set up to process lead your self. A pot of some sort and a heat source.
You might even have a lot you can use already. Shopping at thrift stores or most anyplace that sells used stuff is a good place to look.
A lot of us use an old cast iron Dutch oven on a hot plate or propane burner. The hot plate may take awhile to heat much lead but it does work.
Even an old stainless steel cook pot on you stove top can work, just don't let the wife catch you.
Stepping up to a turkey cooker burner with a cut off 20 lb. propane tank won't cost much more than hauling your stash to someone else to process.
Leo

[bravo2]

I had most of the stuff but moved and where ai moved to I won’t do it there lol. So was hoping to find someone around me.

[Mitch]

what is a bunch.need a better idea of what you have lbs wise.Like Leo said it would not take alot to get your own setup.I use a propane tank cut off as hi s i could get it.Holds 400lbs of pure lead.that and a turkey frier would do the job.cheep dutch oven in the campig department at walmart i think is 5 quarts.lead is about 23 lbs to the quart.

[kungfustyle]

I'm in Loudon about 30 minutes sw Knoxville, east enough for you? How much are we talking about? 600lbs don't want to take days to do it. A couple hundred pounds and we could knock it out in an afternoon.

[Rich/WIS]

I'm in Corbin KY, about 25 miles north of the border.

[JimB..]

I made a big pot from a 20lb propane tank and won’t be using it for the next month. Happy to loan it to you if you pay the shipping (it’s light) if you can use it.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

If you could put your location in your profile, it would help us know who is close. East Tennessee is a big place.
Bryson City is about an hour south of Gatlinberg.
CF

[bravo2]

Sorry I’m in Chattanooga area. I had gotten rid of what I had to do it because I moved to a nice subdivision now so kinda not good place to do it at lol. I have 13 buckets thats 1/2 full and then another one 1/4 full. I could tripled it over the years but was not trying hard. It will have some other weights mixed in like zinc and ect. But most should be lead. I have propane tanks I can go get filled but don’t know how much it would take to do all the lead.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

My recommendation is to start sorting early. You don’t want to melt any of the zinc with the lead. Sort and clean up what you have any only take lead to where you are melting them down.
Gas usage will depend on setup, pot size, wind, temp etc.
depending on how many lead vs zinc vs steel, you could be looking at 350 to 500 pounds of good lead.
Do you plan to mix soft stick on with harder clip on weights? Do you have ingot molds? Ladle?

[bravo2]

Most is wheel weights but some is stick ons. I read enough that the zinc and others are different melting points people scoop them out. How ever I don’t think there is a lot of it but I’m sure there is some. Of course the metal clips. I have cast iron corn bread skillets lol. I had 6 bit think mom swiped 2 so I got 4 left lol. I have a pot. No ladle though. I started sorting before but got to much lol.

[reddog81]

Can you have a fire pit in your neighborhood? I’ve got a privacy fence and just melt them in a cast iron pot on a wood fire. Just get a nice fire going, once you get some red embers put the pot in and then wait for it all to melt. A laddle and just about any other needed supplies can be found your local thrift shop.

Zinc should be separated out before melting. The melting point for zinc isn’t that much higher than lead. I’ve thrown in a few zinc weights to see what happens in my setup and the zinc melted. I sorted and melted 6 5 gallon buckets down earlier this year. Worse part was the sorting. Melting is pretty easy.

[bravo2]

I read years ago thought sink was few hundred degrees higher to met it something like that. If real
Controlled heat I read people just spooning it out what was not lead. But I know it’s going to be dirty and gives off nasty vapors so why I did not want to do that around the house. Sorting mine really hard lol. I tried a few times. But Indo have a lot of lead more than everyone thinks I got on here so far lol. I would say 600 be at the worst low end. I think the yield a bit more.

[jaysouth]

If someone nearby was found, how much would you share with him for doing the work and using his gear and gas?