Favorite form of lead to find?

[CoolHandMoss]

I recently visited the local scrap yard and picked up what I found to be some sort of lead wire coating. I'd never heard of it before but it turned out to be the easiest thing in the world to melt down. Nothing but some oil residue on it in terms of dirt. It bends easily so getting it in the pot was no problem. Some research on here says it's likely as close to pure as one could find and some rough weight comparison of ingots has verified that. At a dollar a pound it's not cheap but I'll take it.

I also got some lead sheeting that looked like it came out of showers or maybe off of roofs. This wasn't bad either but had quite a bit of dirt on it.

A sailboat keel would be great, and fairly likely for me to find in my area but I'm not sure it would be worth cutting it up to melt down rather than just take advantage of these more convenient forms.

What is your favorite form of lead to find?

281027

[Winger Ed.]

I came across a bunch of 1/8" thick walled Lead pipe about 3-4" diameter.
It was old school telephone cable sheathing made to be buried in the ground-- I think.

It'd been split, and all the thin phone wires pulled out.
You could stomp, or hammer it flat, and drop it right into the Lead Pot for melting.
Either it is normally pretty clean, or it had been power washed when it came into the yard.

Lead sheeting is pretty good too, but its usually really dirty and all sorts of trash floats up off it.

Another good score I found one time was approx. 350 pounds of shotgun shot.
It was real handy to toss in the pot for a alloy mix.

[CoolHandMoss]

I think that is the same stuff I find, or very similar at least. I got a picture uploaded.

[No_1]

I like to find it in its original non ingot shape/form as it’s much easier to identify - i.e. sheet lead, wheel weights, or Lino.

[rototerrier]

Freee

[remy3424]

/\ What he said /\ I am at the point I don't look very hard, but it seems to keep finding me.

[CoolHandMoss]

I got lucky with a good bit of free lead not long ago. I wish I could find enough to stay ahead.

[JimB..]

Any form of printer’s type. Pure is always good to have around, but also rarely hard to acquire.

I’ve acquired a couple tons, and now I hear that we may be downsizing to a new house soon.

[dale2242]

I prefer to get my lead in it`s original form.
Linotype strips or bars, lead pipe or sheets, WWs, solder bars, Etc.

[kevin c]

I like isotope containers. Very clean metal, consistent in content, easy to handle and small enough to go directly into the pot. If you can get them directly from a radiopharmacy, it saves tremendously on the scrounging effort.

[brass410]

FREE delivered, followed by come pick up this lead from the old print shop/body shop, and you can have to counter wieght off the allis chalmers fork lift(solid pure lead block 34x42x18) for the use of your english mastiff for my grand sons birthday.

[ShooterAZ]

+1 on the Isotope Cores. The ones that I was getting were 34lbs, so I had to cut them in half to fit them into my RCBS Promelt. A large band saw does quick work of this job. The alloy is approx 1% Tin, and 3% Antimony, which is kinda similar to WW. As was stated previously it's a super clean alloy, and is about perfect for most handgun loads. Occasionally I will sweeten it as needed with some Linotype, or even a little Tin if I'm working with a mold that gives me difficulty casting with. Overall, it's really good lead if you can find any of it.

[Jniedbalski]

Brass410. Body shops haven’t used lead in years. I worked in my grandfathers shop in St. Louis in 1980 till 86 in the summers. We had it at the shop but never used it. Had the lead tin bars Woden paddles Rosen, draw files for smoothing it out. The files Looked really corse deep teeth. My grandfather said he quit using it in the middle to late 50’s . They switched to bondo and didint miss the lead at all. The US and German cars I know until the late 60’s early 70’s had the quarter panel’s to roof still leaded not bondo. My grandfather said why get out the torch heat the panel up ,spread the lead on then grind and file smooth. Put more lead on and re sand file. To much work. Bondo just mix with hardner spread on and let dry. Then grind /sand smooth and your done. Tire shops where my best place to get lead but not any more.

[lightman]

My favorite is the larger isotope containers. Like everyone has said, the alloy works well and they are usually very clean. But, I no longer have a source for them and I use mostly clip-on wheelweights.

[brass410]

Brass410. Body shops haven’t used lead in years. I worked in my grandfathers shop in St. Louis in 1980 till 86 in the summers. We had it at the shop but never used it. Had the lead tin bars Woden paddles Rosen, draw files for smoothing it out. The files Looked really corse deep teeth. My grandfather said he quit using it in the middle to late 50’s . They switched to bondo and didint miss the lead at all. The US and German cars I know until the late 60’s early 70’s had the quarter panel’s to roof still leaded not bondo. My grandfather said why get out the torch heat the panel up ,spread the lead on then grind and file smooth. Put more lead on and re sand file. To much work. Bondo just mix with hardner spread on and let dry. Then grind /sand smooth and your done. Tire shops where my best place to get lead but not any more.

thats true but oddly enough, when I was apprenticeing the tradesman over me took me aside and says " Today we're going old school" and showed me how to tin up the panel and spoon on the lead and shape it with the file and prep for paint because he felt the trade was a dieing art. Still today die hard collectors come in and ask if we will do lead repairs oddly enough. Eastwood still sells all the stuff thats where I get my "sweetner " from.

[Gofaaast]

Free lead. Bil does hvac work so he always has some pipe for me. Old hard cast boolits is my favorite non virgin alloy especially at under a buck a lb.

[Conditor22]

https://i.imgur.com/VZxKkOE.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/5Q1wG73.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/fBEX8s3.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/d8S4MmD.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/wtKgEpV.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/jMUIeFS.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/CcGZ2Fj.jpg

this is my favorite :) ----- Monotype/foundry
https://i.imgur.com/4DsOPrd.jpg

[Jniedbalski]

Got done melting my wheel weights today. I got 60 ingots ,full size muffin tin was used as a mold. I paid 30 cents a pound for it. Now every body wants at least a dollar for it. This batch was already sorted for zink so only had a hand full of them all the rest was lead. Now tomorrow for the two 5 gallon buckets of range scrape to melt down.

[Jniedbalski]

My lead pile I made today 281119

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Favorite form of lead to find?
COWW in raw form, next is any easily identifiable lead alloy.

[Jniedbalski]

thats true but oddly enough, when I was apprenticeing the tradesman over me took me aside and says " Today we're going old school" and showed me how to tin up the panel and spoon on the lead and shape it with the file and prep for paint because he felt the trade was a dieing art. Still today die hard collectors come in and ask if we will do lead repairs oddly enough. Eastwood still sells all the stuff thats where I get my "sweetner " from.

I wanted my grandfather to show me how to do it for a couple of years. We also had people come in the shop wanting lead also. My grandfather just wouldn’t do it any more. People think that bondo only last a few years and falls out. I never had any do that in the thousands of cars I did. I have a 67 mustang I did in 83 and it’s still there and not fallen out. also my Buick I did in 87 still good. The reason he didint want to do it is because bondo is so much easier and quicker. People think the lead is so much better but actually bondo is just as good. You are right it is a dying art. Kind of like black powder and smokeless powder. People still use black but 98% of my shooting is with smokeless.

[Geezer in NH]

Easy linotype ingots for free

[ulav8r]

30 caliber bullets sized .310 and 45 caliber bullets sized .454.

[DME72]

i like coww and old lead water pipe which is pretty thick. most of which i get from friends and co workers. not alot but enough.

doug

[rcslotcar]

Any thing in large 20# ingots or larger. I makes it easier to alloy into smaller usable pot size ingots.

[GregLaROCHE]

If you find a sailboat keel, you can use a chainsaw to cut it into pieces to fit into your melting pot.

[DME72]

i wish i could find a sailboat keel. i would have a lifetime supply then.

doug

[Kraschenbirn]

i wish i could find a sailboat keel. i would have a lifetime supply then.

You've gotta check those old boat keels and ballest blocks for zinc contamination before you haul 'em away. Back in the day, many of the smaller boat builders poured their ballest from whatever was cheapest and it's a real PITA to discover you've dragged home a few hundred pounds cast from tire shop throw-aways with a high percentage of Zn.

Bill

[jsizemore]

Free lead is my favorite. In bulk or laying in the parking lot or side of the road.

[Retumbo]

If you find a sailboat keel, you can use a chainsaw to cut it into pieces to fit into your melting pot.


i wish i could find a sailboat keel. i would have a lifetime supply then.

doug

I have to go pick mine up sometime soon :)

[redhawk0]

I love roofing lead and plumbers lead and fittings. Easy to work with. I also get blocks of lead from a machinist buddy of mine. He says they use it to make dead-blow shot hammers. (I don't know what method they use to make it into "shot")....but he gives me the blocks when they get small (5" cubes)...Its ~25lbs of lead per block. It's super soft too.

Probably my least favorite is modern WWs. I hate the sorting process....it's still worth it...but it's not my favorite past-time.

redhawk

[gwpercle]

1.) Free Clip On Wheel Weights
2.) Sheet lead from construction : roof sheathing , roof jacks , roof flashing , shower pans , dental x-ray wall protective sheathing , plumbers lead , electrical cable sheathing .

A 50/50 mix of soft lead / COWW does just about everything for me in handguns and 30 cal. rifle hunting boolits (30-30) .
Gary

[Deadeye Bly]

X-ray sheet lead or radiation shielding bricks.

[Papercidal]

My first trip to the scrap yard for lead in the scrap bin where a decent number of 20# ingots stamped 90-5-5 at a buck a pound needless to say I got spoiled casting with that for my first few sessions.

[midnight]

I suppose free wheelweights 50 years ago doesn't count. Two recent finds were 69lb flat rate boxes of linotype, $85 ea. I bought five and 500 lbs very soft ( maybe even pure lead) X-ray room sheathing for $1 a lb. Picked it up 15 miles from my house. Both those buys were from guys here on the forum.

Bob

[rmark]

Free, however The 5lb bar of 89 percent tin babbitt mixed in with scrap lead was a nice find,

[bangerjim]

Any reasonably clean lead already processed in a commercial LEAD smelter plant.....not raw galena ore! I avoid COWW's today because 80% are Zn and Fe.....even if they are free!

Free is not necessarily free.....way too much time cleaning, sorting, re-melting, fluxing, and ingotizing for me. I generally get sheets of clean lead from the yards, with some Sn solder bars and other nice alloys in the mix for a reasonable $1/pound. I leave the "free" stiff to those that have way too time on their hands. I avoid drain pipes due to the stinky filthy mess.

[white eagle]

Favorite form of lead to find?

Free!

[kevin c]

I agree with banger: I'd prefer to pay a bit for clean, predictable content scrap like isotope containers over free dirty scrap that may not be suitable at all. Of course, while I'm not paying commercial foundry prices, I still have to have the funds to buy with, and I still have to process what I get.

[JM7.7x58]

Free!

I can make use of all of it. For the longest time I wanted to find free hard lead. I viewed pure as a problem to be overcome. I now see the value of pure as a consistent valuable alloy ingredient.

I've recently come into a good supply of free rolls of roofing lead. Because it is very close to pure, it is a perfect base for creating a known alloy. I going to mix up a large homogeneous batch of alloy for some higher velocity rifle loads. I will buy some Rotometal's Superhard, and mix this with part of a large batch of my pewter ingots(all hallmarked, culinary pewter), and the roofing lead.

I have a lot of "Trash Lead" of unknown alloy(downrigger balls, keels, range scrap, tractor ballast, and a deceased caster's mystery ingots), that once hardness tested with pencils can be sweetened with Lino or pewter, and be put to great use in pistol bullets and low node rifle work. I'm always happy to find this type of lead. But for higher velocity(2000fps-2300fps) I'm wanting a more consistent repeatable batch of alloy.

[Jim22]

I found myself to be very lucky that I have a local scrap metal dealer. I pay whatever price he quotes. My good luck that he is an old guy like me who remembers how it used to be. If I want to buy COWW he will smelt them into one lb ingots or disks that fit the bottom of one of his frying pans. He also has some soft lead if I want it. I don't mind paying for lead. It's just another commodity. I buy tin from Rotometals as well as some Lyman #2 for higher velocities. Been experimenting with softer alloys like 49% Pb 49% COWW, and 2% tin for powder coated boolits. Those things are wonderful. They take high velocities without leading. Hope for some expansion.