Isotope lead

[rockrat]

Local yard has a barrel about a third full of isotope cores. Debating on getting them but that would be expensive at a buck a pound. Not sure if I would ever use them either. Think I have about 30 of them left, but these are the first I have seen there. Think they had some pewter there too.

Hmmm---decisions, decisions---your thoughts?

[Dusty Bannister]

If you have room to store them and the money to buy this this close to Christmas, they will never be cheaper. You will always be able to recover your cost and then some.

[kevin c]

Very clean alloy that for me has consistently analyzed out to around 3% Sb, it needs little processing except maybe mixing in some tin and casting into smaller and more manageable casting ingots. You won’t get it much cheaper unless it’s given to you free or you source your own from a local radiopharmacy.

I’m curious: what are they asking for the pewter?

RTA: Read your post more closely. If that’s really pewter in the same barrel at the same $1/# price, that’d be a fantastic deal.

[JimB..]

I’m at the point where I’m trying not to buy stuff that I don’t need. You could almost certainly flip them at $1.50/lb with no processing and maybe that makes sense for you.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup today leads getting harder and harder to find and wont ever get easier and if you dont have a lifetime supply at a buck a lb id buy it all.

[MUSTANG]

Precious Metals: If you have the $$ available; they will outpace the paper you carry in your pocket over the next few years. Least my way of thinking. You can hold them and sell later, you can melt them into smaller sizes for storage or selling smaller quantities if times get hard in the next few years, or you can cast them and shoot them. Of course; they last a Looooong time - so if you teach the grandkids to cast you can leave what's left for them to cast and shoot years from now when we are all gone.

[jonp]

Ive used some i bought here as is for pistol target with good results and still have 50lbs in ingots. Only downside was melting those big chunks.
If you have the room i would say get them.
Worse comes to worse and you want to fool around you can cast into ingots and sell at a small profit.

[RogerDat]

ISO containers tend to be good lead. Yield is pretty much 100% and usually has some antimony. Pewter is going for around $7 or $8 a pound so consider that value when given the opportunity to purchase pewter. Watch for items stamped weighted, they are thin layer of pewter filled with glue for weight. Got me a couple of times early on. Those 1/2 pound candles sticks were more like a couple of oz. of pewter. Otherwise I never pass on pewter for $3 a pound or less. Most times I'll spend as much as $5 a pound if it isn't much weight. The odd item such as a little bowl or small candle stick for a couple of bucks may be $5 a pound but still cheaper than regular market price.

Relatively good market in the S&S for both the lead or pewter so it can easily become cash if you decide you have other uses for the money later. Or gives you a nice large consistent alloy stash. With scrap large batches of same material does simplify getting consistent results. Much better to have 200 lbs. of one lead than a bunch of different alloys in 40 lb. batches. Just easier to know how it will cast, and what load the resulting boolit will work well with if you have a bunch of the same alloy.

Was one reason COWW's were popular. For scrap they made pretty consistent ingredient. ISO containers are often close to same amount of Sb but considerably cleaner. Paint on ISO containers burns off so you might want to make sure that happens outside or with plenty of ventilation if in a garage or outbuilding.

[lightman]

Like the others have said, buy it if you have the spare cash and are not sitting on a lifetime supply. The ones that I have used made great bullets and it was super clean to start with. If the Pewter is the same price I would buy it even if I didn't need it.

[Lloyd Smale]

cool thing is today with pc you can use about any lead if guilt edge accuracy isnt your main goal.

[racepres]

Back at my first civvy job after the Canoe Club.. I could get smaller isotope "pigs"... after they we pronounced "cold"
some of my first casting was done with those... straight...they made wonderful boolits!!!!

[lightman]

Back at my first civvy job after the Canoe Club.. I could get smaller isotope "pigs"... after they we pronounced "cold"
some of my first casting was done with those... straight...they made wonderful boolits!!!!

"The Canoe Club". I like it! I suppose you mean the Navy? Thanks You for your service!

[fredj338]

Actually considering composition, $1/# is pretty good price.

[Dusty Bannister]

If you are still on the fence and have not decided yet, consider leaving the items in their original form. There will never be a disagreement as to what the alloy actually is, and the following link will be a clear description of the containers.

http://www.fellingfamily.net/isolead/

[GregLaROCHE]

I wish I had a chance to buy those! The price seems right, especially for nice and known alloy lead.