Sources of lead

[Ferdinand]

I just started casting with a friend and now have my first mold, and likely will soon have a furnace. Besides WW, are there other good sources of cheap/free lead? A buddy recovered several hundred lbs from the counterbalance of a medical imaging machine that was being scrapped, but that's not likely to occur again. Where else do you guys find lead?
Thanks in advance.

[e15cap]

Any stained glass shops in your area?

[docone31]

Roofers!
Most of them like BEER.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Contact bigborefan, he is outside of Akron and had 400 lbs for sale on the wire. Pick up only.

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=777142&highlight=akron#post777142

Sam :D

[southpaw]

Scrap yards tend to have lead, of course you are going to have to pay for it there tho. Let your family and friends know that you are looking for lead. It is just weird unough that when they see some lead they will think of you and then hopefully grab it or atleast tell you about it.

Jerry Jr.

[archmaker]

Amen to Southpaw's comment!

I told my family I was looking and my brother said he had some.

Came from a lot of stuff he bought at a military auction, and he stated he had no use for it.

From what I can tell it is 400+ lbs of pure lead. Had a number on it and the RFP stated that standard called for pure lead to fill the contract.

So let your family and friends know what you are doing!

[sargenv]

It's also been said that sometimes ranges will let you either mine for lead in their berms or indoor ranges will sell/give you what they collect from their backstops. The range lead is usually unknown composition but I believe jacketed bullets tend to be almost pure and hard cast.. well, it's whatever they use to harden it. My range lead ingots range from 8-14 bhn depending on the percentage of cast lead to jacketed in the mix of the smelt that day. I water quench my ingots so I know what I'm going to get out of them later.

[Ferdinand]

Thanks for the ideas. I have a contact at a commercial tire shop who's going to save some for me. I also have contacts at a roofing company owned by the same holding company that I work for, so I'm going to give them a call too.

I've been reloading for 22 years and always said that I'd never get into casting as I just didn't need any more hobbies. Tried it with a friend who needed some help and I'm hooked. It's very gratifying to produce a nice looking high quality boolit - for almost nothing.

[sqlbullet]

Make friends with the nearest radio-pharmacist. A radio pharmacy will generate a significant amount of scrap lead. Most I have dealt with is very similar to WW. 96% lead, 3% antimony, 1% tin according to an analysis I had.

[leadman]

~Check for companies that reclaim lead shot from the skeet and trap ranges. There is not as much waste as from wheel weights and with a little tin it casts very well.

The Sportsmans Warehouse had reclaim for sale, $25 for #25, only a buck a pound. Might be able to get "raw" reclaimed for $.50 or so a pound.

[WHITETAIL]

Just tell everybody that you will take all the
lead your little sticky fingers can grab.
Even your dentist for they have lead shilds
on the X rays they take.:redneck:

[Ferdinand]

I never thought of a radio pharmacy. Isn't their lead from vessels used to transport and store radioactive iodine and other chemicals? Any chance of residual contamination?

[Muddy Creek Sam]

I have been buying lead from an Isotope supplier, They are very Careful and Have very sensitive Geiger counters all over the place. By law they have to hold the containers for 30 days beyond the half life of the Isotope.

Sam :D

[GreaseGunner]

so what is a radio pharmacy and how do you find one............

[Muddy Creek Sam]

so what is a radio pharmacy and how do you find one............

Radioactive isotopes used in the treatment of Cancer. I lucked into the one I found. Answered an ad on Craigslist of all places. About4000# in the last 6 months.

Sam :D

[fatelk]

Radioactive isotopes used in the treatment of Cancer.
I should have asked at the local cancer treatment center when I was going there to get nuked every day a couple years ago. Of course lead was the very last thing on my mind at the time...

[sqlbullet]

You have seen the light Sam. I got 5 tons (yes 10,000 lbs) last year. Things are actually a little lean right now because one of the big reactors in Canada is offline for repairs. It should start shipping again anytime now.

They can't release them until they have decayed. The lead is below the standard background level of the mountains where I live. I get far my radiation taking a walk than from this lead.

[WILCO]

sailboat. There is lead in the keel and used as ballast.

[davcar45]

I might be able to get some lead from a stained glass shop. I think he has 100# in ingots.

My question is how do I know if it is pure lead or if it has been alloyed?

[fredj338]

I might be able to get some lead from a stained glass shop. I think he has 100# in ingots.

My question is how do I know if it is pure lead or if it has been alloyed?
Your really don't, unless yo uhave it checked. casting a bullet or two & running it through a hardness tester will tell you how hard it is but not what is in it. I got some lead wire from my wife's stained glass teacher, It is pretty much pure lead, there may be a trace of tin in it but I doubt it. It's extruded & not cast, very soft.

[e15cap]

Stained glass lead is called came and is very soft, perfect for BPCR which is what I need it for.

[totallycustom]

I am just getting in to casting and got some scuba weights for free about 200lbs i think. Was at the dentist yesterday and got about another 5lbs or xray film backs. Hope I can scrounge some more free stuff.

Some of the scuba weights seem a little hard they ting when i hit them with a small hammer, but they do still dent.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

I had a Pig of zinc that dented when you hit it.

Sam :D

[squid1230]

I might be able to get some lead from a stained glass shop. I think he has 100# in ingots.

My question is how do I know if it is pure lead or if it has been alloyed?

The wife does stained glass - it is pretty soft ( she can bend it in all sorts of shapes around glass)

[docone31]

SCUBA weights can be anything! When I made them, I used wheel weights, zinc anodes from boats, anything I did not have to pay for.
Melt them, Ingot them. When you remelt them, melt them hot, then bring down the heat. If there is any zinc in the melt, it will congeal on the top if you do not stir.
Zinc is lighter than lead. It will float.
Watch you do not scoop out any antimony. Batch out the zinc and stuff in seperate ingot molds for later. Then Muriatic acid can be used to seperate the zinc.