Scrap Lead sources in MN

[distant55]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and casting in general and am looking to get started. I bought all of the basic equipment and a 5 lb bar of lead for my first casting, but I'd like to know if anyone has any ideas on where to find scrap lead in MN. I reached out to a bunch of tire shops and only one got back to me to say I could look. When I went there they only had a few pieces of wheel weights that were lead (that I could tell, I could be wrong). I also reached out to my local scrap yards and only one got back to me and the price was more than I was willing to pay ($3.5/lb).

I'm just wondering if any of you might have any clues on where I can look. Appreciate the help.

[farmbif]

ive always had best success wherever with cash in pocket and go visit a scrap yard, tire store or roofing company. never had any luck making phone calls. be sure to have work boots long pants and gloves/protective gear. very few scrap yards will sell to public any more but if you find one that does your all set. sometimes you can get wheel weights a u pick auto part wrecking yards, you go out in the yard and pull the wheel weights off of junk cars and trucks.
going rate a scrap yard should be right around 80 to 90 cents a pound, they will be lucky to get that much after they get enough to fill a truck.
scrap yard prices are opposite from regular wholesale/retail. scrap yards only give very little money for small amounts and can only get top price with truck load full.
its know in the industry as less than truck load or truck load price, based on a full weight conex container.

[Brassmonkey]

You near st paul or pine city? I have a friend out that way, he's pretty resourceful and works at a garage.

[toallmy]

Are you willing to take a road trip ?

[Dusty Bannister]

You might consider reviewing the sales adds in the Swap and Sell section of this forum. As a new member you can buy, but not offer for sale until you have complied with the limitations. When just starting up, you might be wise to consider buying the clean alloys in smaller ingots from one of the list members and just concentrate on learning the skill before you begin the quest for casting alloys. Good luck, it always seems to start slow and then things start falling into place. Dusty

[GhostHawk]

I have to agree with Dusty. The vast majority of the lead and clip on wheel weights I have came from here.

My general rule of thumb is dollar a pound, for 65 lb box up to another 10$ for shipping.

I was lucky, I was able to find a guy selling COWW here in ingots, for a good price. Worked out deal where he delivered to my door. I traded him good empty 5 gallon buckets to replace the ones he left the lead in.

I have also used lead pipe that came from my own yard, range scrap, soft lead, and some tin/Linotype for fairly reasonable prices.

Mostly I mix soft lead roughly half and half with Wheel weights, add a bit of tin. Be it 60/40, Lino, or Pewter.

I tend to run the slower side of the speed scale and for me this has worked well.

In person with cash is always better than the phone. Auto Salvage yards, roofing company's, and plumbers all have stocks of lead from time to time.

Be informed, know what the prices are. IE I would not pay dollar a pound for wheel weights in a bucket with a lot of crap in it.
More like .25 cents. You have to sort, pay for the fuel to smelt, and those steel clips do nothing for you so why pay for them?

The key is to make it easy for the people you deal with. No fuss, no paperwork, cash on the counter, offer slightly more than what they are getting elsewhere. Be polite, leave a card with your number on it. So if they come across a big stash they can call you.

Takes time and due diligence but it is doable.

[kbstenberg]

Just a DIY Minnesota law prohibits scrapers from reselling lead products back to the public. But if you are from Wis. Iowa N or S Dakota you can buy all you want. PM me if interested in more information.

[farmbif]

no sell in Minnesota, when did it become a communist state? Never been there but from sporting magazines I always thought of it as very rural place with giant trophy whitetail hunting.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Just a DIY Minnesota law prohibits scrapers from reselling lead products back to the public. But if you are from Wis. Iowa N or S Dakota you can buy all you want. PM me if interested in more information.
Is this a recent law?
I have heard that "excuse" from some places I've asked at...but I figure it's only an excuse to not to have to deal with us casting Yahoos. There have been many places that have sold to me, Auto-salvage yards also "clean out" companies.

To the OP:
Did you go in person? or call. You'll never have any success by calling. Minnesota is a big state, I don't know if you are near me? if so, I may have some ideas. Also, if you strike out at the usual sources, Always, I mean Always tell your friends that you are looking...so many times, people know other people who are sitting on a stash that they'd love to get rid of. Watch our S&S section for alloy. Once you search out some scrap and pay for it, then pay for fuel to smelt it into ingots...plus all the back breaking work, you'll soon learn the prices for alloy shipped to your door by the Vendors here are pretty reasonable.
Good Luck

[toallmy]

I have a local scrap yard that sells lead for 1.00 a pound as is - you pick what you want , I stopped buying when it went over .60 a pound just because of the clean up I needed to do . Now I collect coww's & cut with soft + a pinch of tin or pewter for most of the casting I do . I'm currently looking in to range scrap as a source to replace my softer alloy . If you ever find yourself riding through I could point out the local scrap yard .

[distant55]

Are you willing to take a road trip ?

Sure, what did you have in mind?

[distant55]

You near st paul or pine city? I have a friend out that way, he's pretty resourceful and works at a garage.

Yeah, I'm a in a suburb of Minneapolis so not too far.

[distant55]

You might consider reviewing the sales adds in the Swap and Sell section of this forum. As a new member you can buy, but not offer for sale until you have complied with the limitations. When just starting up, you might be wise to consider buying the clean alloys in smaller ingots from one of the list members and just concentrate on learning the skill before you begin the quest for casting alloys. Good luck, it always seems to start slow and then things start falling into place. Dusty

Thanks Dusty, I'll check it out!

[distant55]

Is this a recent law?
I have heard that "excuse" from some places I've asked at...but I figure it's only an excuse to not to have to deal with us casting Yahoos. There have been many places that have sold to me, Auto-salvage yards also "clean out" companies.

To the OP:
Did you go in person? or call. You'll never have any success by calling. Minnesota is a big state, I don't know if you are near me? if so, I may have some ideas. Also, if you strike out at the usual sources, Always, I mean Always tell your friends that you are looking...so many times, people know other people who are sitting on a stash that they'd love to get rid of. Watch our S&S section for alloy. Once you search out some scrap and pay for it, then pay for fuel to smelt it into ingots...plus all the back breaking work, you'll soon learn the prices for alloy shipped to your door by the Vendors here are pretty reasonable.
Good Luck

Worse I emailed lol. I'm in the twin cities area myself. Thanks for the advice.