Uber-Noober "Soft Lead" question

[SterlingAmmo]

Hello all.. first post! I'm looking to get started in casting (largly due to reading this board), and I suppose the first ingredient would be lead. Went to the local salvage yard, and they had sold all of their WW, but they have 2000# of "Soft Lead". I really don't know what the heck it used to be.. looks like old pipes or sheet material of some sort, and is a bit dirty. I am assuming that this is too soft for boolits, but would it be any good for making shot, or as a WW addative? Any worries about it being somewhat dirty? I would have to use a recip saw to cut it small enough to get in the pot. Basic question.. should I pursue this lead further being a noob, or should I just work on WW aquisition?

Thanks!

[Pepe Ray]

You underestimate the importance of "getting it while you can"!!!

Get it NOW, dirt and all, it'll clean up.
Stash it out of the way while you get familiar with processing.
Get a Lyman loading manual. Old, New, Cast Bullet or Standard version and read.

But get your supplies wherever, whenever you find them.
Pepe Ray

[BABore]

Hello all.. first post! I'm looking to get started in casting (largly due to reading this board), and I suppose the first ingredient would be lead. Went to the local salvage yard, and they had sold all of their WW, but they have 2000# of "Soft Lead". I really don't know what the heck it used to be.. looks like old pipes or sheet material of some sort, and is a bit dirty. I am assuming that this is too soft for boolits, but would it be any good for making shot, or as a WW addative? Any worries about it being somewhat dirty? I would have to use a recip saw to cut it small enough to get in the pot. Basic question.. should I pursue this lead further being a noob, or should I just work on WW aquisition?

Thanks!

It's good for muzzleloader, blackpowder rounds and light target loads. The addition of tin will make it suitable for most pistol rounds, but tin is a costly item at $7+ per pound. Soft lead is a fine additive to WW's at 50% or less. The WW percentage will allow it to heat treat or water drop. Useful for all pistol and rifle loads. If it's a good price, and you have the cash, it would not be a bad thing to acquire as your just starting out. I just bought some soft lead at $0.30 per lb to give you an idea.

As far as the dirt, scrub off what you can. The rest will float out when you smelt it into ingots. Do this in a cast iron dutch oven over a turkey fryer burner and not in your casting pot. I use an axe to bust up the sheet and pipe. Way easier than a saw.

[SterlingAmmo]

I think I'll go get it tomorrow.. thanks for the info all.. I have never cast a boolit and I feel a sense of panic at not having enough lead!

[Leftoverdj]

Yeah, Sterling, soft lead has limited uses alone, but is highly useful for alloying. If it's all you can get, 2% tin added makes it suitable for pistol bullets up to about 900 fps. If you can get the lead for 35 cents a pound, you'll have a usable alloy for 50 cents a pound after buying the tin. That ain't good, but it's a lot better than buying bullets.

Buy what you can manage, and leave a card with the scrapyard to be called when they get a harder lead alloy in.

[Gunfixer]

While you're there, see if they have any 50/50 solder. At my local yard I got 5 lbs for $4, had a bunch of goo on it but its cheaper than pure tin

[mooman76]

The sheet lead you can cut fairly easy with a good sharp stout knife, that is unless it's real thick.

[blackthorn]

+1 on what the others said and welcome to the best site around! Read on you will learn a lot. have a great day.

[Echo]

Another +1 for the above, and another Welcome! Ask the salvage yard guys if they have any type metal (lino-, mono-, foundry, whatever) and snag any they have. It will be rich in tin and antimony, and mixed with your soft lead, will make any kind of alloy you wish!

[SterlingAmmo]

I scored 575lbs of wheel weights in 3 stops the other day, but so far I have not purchased the lead at the scrap yard. It appears to be used roofing lead sheets, but they are filthy.. like dirt covered, waded and twisted up in layers, and also appear to be covered with roofing sealant. All these things seem to add up to more trouble than it's worth, especially since I have been scoring well with the wheel weights. I'm driving 4 hours tomorrow to pick up a complete (over complete) Dillon 650B setup with lots of raw materials and I think every accessory ever made. Might stop at a few scrappers on the way. Am I nuts not to get some of that other lead.. I just don't see how I could get it clean enough, and what about all the rubberized sealant all over it? They also had a few pipes, but they appeared to be full of mineral deposits or something?? When you melt this stuff down for ingots, do you have to wash/dgrease it first, or does the crap all just burn off?

[BCall]

Just burns off, will make lots of smoke, but I would buy it if I could. Billy

[oldtoolsniper]

I melted down 200 lbs of lead pee traps. I waited for a windy day and smelled up the place, the turds even burn up!

[Tom Herman]

Am I nuts not to get some of that other lead.. I just don't see how I could get it clean enough, and what about all the rubberized sealant all over it? They also had a few pipes, but they appeared to be full of mineral deposits or something?? When you melt this stuff down for ingots, do you have to wash/dgrease it first, or does the crap all just burn off?

Welcome aboard, Sterling!

Congrats on landing all those wheel weights. As they say around here, "it's ALL good!" GET ALL THE LEAD AND WW YOU CAN FIND!

I don't worry about dirt on stuff. It will rise to the top, where T skim it off, and drop it into a box for disposal.
Rubbery or tarry stuff will either come out, or flux.
Mineral, crappy, or otherwise solid residues on pipes will either burn, or be skimmed off.
I flux everything well, then cast into one pound ingots.
My all purpose alloy is 50/50 wheel wrights to scarp lead, with 2% Tin added for better mold fillout/flowability.
I also make my own lube and save about $30 a pound that way.
Enjoy that Dillon! I've got a 550 with about 125,000 rounds through it over 20+ years. Dillon makes GREAT stuff!

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[Pepe Ray]

Well Sterling----
If you've got --------issues?--with the filth on the lead, I hope you don't have to change diapers.
You can always go back to condoms.
P.R.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Hullo Sterling, welcome, looks like you are headed in the right direction, sometimes you have to take the bad with the good.....but don't be tooooo pickie, if the price is right.

[hammerhead357]

Sterling, jump in there and get the sheet lead if you can get a good deal. Offer them a nickle or a dime less per lb. if you take all 2000 lbs.
Then when you get ready to melt it down wait for a brezzy day then flux the sh*t out of it several times and make your ingots it will clean up fine. Next mix it aobut 8 parts of WW to 2 parts of pure lead then add about 2 percent tin to the total and cast away. It won't be real hard but will work for most hand gun applications....Wes