Looking for soft pure lead in Houston Tx

[mrappe]

I am trying to get into cast round balls for my cap & ball pistols but I need to find a source of soft lead. I don't know any contractores and I don't have access to any shooting range expended lead. I am thinking of trying to find maybe some lead ancore or fishing weights or something but I was wondering if anyone in the area might know of a local source of lead. I don't know if any of the metal recycling companies sell it or wheather I will have to buy new stuff.

Mike

[Ajax]

Drive around and look for roofing companies get out and talk to them. I use to work for bel air roofing when i was in school and we had tons of lead we just sent to the scrappers. You might be able to get a good amount for a case of beer you never know till you ask.

Andy

[mrappe]

Is lead shot suitable for casting soft lead balls?

[blaser.306]

Most lead shot is not soft lead ! WW hard at least , even if homemade . And magnum shot is what I use to bring the antimony/arsenic level up in my casting melt . Like was mentioned before you are probably better off buying some soft lead from swaping and selling , or find some roof jacks that are being discarded . If you weren't so far away I would share the wealth .

[mrappe]

I just called Discount Tires and they said that they recycle their weights. Then I called Firestone and they said that they recycle them but all of the ones that they get in the last year or so were made of steel. I was checking because I also may cast harder bullets for my other guns.

[Ole]

How much do you need and how soon do you need it?

I can spare a little and could send you 12# or so in a USPS small flat rate box. Only thing i'd ask is you send 12# back when you get your hands on some.

[JIMinPHX]

If you are really stuck, just go down to a local plumbing supply place & buy a 5 or 10 pound ingot. You will probably pay $2/lb, but it's going to be nice soft pure lead. My local Ace Hardware also stocks it in the plumbing section. Not every one does though.

As was already said, roofing flashing is a good source if you have the time to wait & scrounge for it. Cable sheathing is usually also dead soft, or pretty close to it. The containers that isotopes come is is often dead soft. One of the board members here sells a fair amount of it at reasonable prices.

By the way, the spot price on lead has been hovering around a buck/pound lately. Expect to pay a little more than that from most any place that sells at retail.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Jim.

Very few of the Isotope containers are of the dead soft variety, maybe 1%. That is what I use for my C&B guns.

Sam :D

[zxcvbob]

Aren't there a bunch of scrap metal dealers around Jensen Drive (or maybe I'm thinking Airline) especially between I-45 to I-10?

I would look for scrap lead pipe and roof flashing. Cut the pipe joints out and melt them separately because they have a lot more tin.

[geargnasher]

Mrappe, you need to understand that wheel weights, shot, most sinkers, range scrap, car battery terminals and cable ends ARE NOT DEAD-SOFT and are not suitable for frontstuffers.

Your salvage options are pretty much limited to roof flashing and jacks as was mentioned, and lead pipe, especially the lead rings from the joints of old cast iron sewer pipe and soil stacks. Lead roof jacks, flashing, and toilet flange cut-offs from new construction are becoming about the only scrap source out there in some areas, for smokeless boolit casting we have to add tin and antimony to harden it, though.

Gear

Or you could just buy it from Rotometals, one of our banner sponsors.

[qajaq59]

Check your phone book and look for a recycle center. If that fails, call some local roofers and plumbers. Ask them where they go to sell their lead to be recycled. Also ask if they want to sell it to you. It was a plumber that put me on to a source when we first moved here.

[mrappe]

I found a guy selling 150-200 lbs of lead from a sailboat. I wonder how soft that stuff is. Any ideas?

Thanks
Mike

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Mike,

Keels and Ballast can be anything that weighs. You would have to check it.

Sam :D

[mrappe]

Any simple way to tell?

[JIMinPHX]

Sailboat lead could be anything.

[Ohio Rusty]

Mike: I'd be happy to send you some really pure lead. I'm a front stuffer person, and I already have a bunch pure lead made into ingots. This is the good stuff made from roof flashing. How much do you need ?? Send me a PM .....

Ohio Rusty ><>

[fredj338]

I found a guy selling 150-200 lbs of lead from a sailboat. I wonder how soft that stuff is. Any ideas?

Thanks
Mike
Ballast lead can be anything, even zinc. If it dents easily, it's likely near pure lead. Most tape ww are pretty close to pure lead. Try stainglass window shops or classes @ the local college. The came(sp) they use is nearly pure lead. If you are really hung out, Rotometals isn't a bad deal if you order enough for a discount & free shipping. BTW, you don't need dead soft lead for C&B, just really soft alloy. So some tin or trace antimony is fine, the ball will still be pretty darn soft.

[mrappe]

If this lead is too hard for round balls. I may be able to use it for my .45. Are some leads too hard for cartridge pistol bullets?

[qajaq59]

You could do a ball bearing test on that sail boat lead. It isn't really precise but it would give you a good idea how hard it is.
Put a ball bearing between the unknown lead and a piece of pure lead, and apply pressure. Or if the pieces are too big to fit in a vise just whack them with a hammer, and measure the width of the impressions.

The formula is:

Lets say your impression in the pure lead is .198" in diameter. And in the unknown lead it is .150.

.198" divided by the impression in the unknown sample, say it's 'X'.

Then square the result X which equals Z.

Now you miltiply Z by the number 5 (a constant) which gives you the answer as a BHN number.

So: .198"/.150" = 1.32 then 1.32 x 1.32 = 1.7424, and 1.7424 x 5 = 8.712 BHN

Personally I'd round that 8.712 to either 8.7 or simply 9 bhn, as that would certainly be close enough.

[mrappe]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will have to see if I can determine it this ballast is worth buying. The guy sad that he was going to take it to a scrapper otherwise so I am not sure that I will have the opportunity to test it before buying.

[qajaq59]

Well, if you can get it for the scrap price, buy it and if it isn't what you want, then you can scrap it and break even.

[mrappe]

Mike: I'd be happy to send you some really pure lead. I'm a front stuffer person, and I already have a bunch pure lead made into ingots. This is the good stuff made from roof flashing. How much do you need ?? Send me a PM .....

Ohio Rusty ><>

Thank You for the offer but what is a 'front stuffer person' I am not sure what that means.

[a.squibload]

Front stuffer = muzzleloader = black powder (BP). Think Dan'l Boone, Granny Clampett, etc.

Scratch the ballast with your thumbnail, as though thumbnail was a knife.
Try it first on a lead wheelweight (WW) or whatever you have on hand for reference.
WWs scratch pretty easily with a thumbnail, not very deep but will get a scratch mark.
Soft lead will scratch easilyer :-), of course. Deeper mark.
You will be hard pressed to scratch zinc at all, it's hard.

I know, -1pt. spelling...hey it's late.

[mrappe]

I smelted and cast some balls from this stuff and it is a little harder than pure lead but I plan to use it for my cartridge guns.

[qajaq59]

It wont flatten out as well, but since it's the patch that's mainly in the grooves, my guess is that it'll shoot ok.

[mrappe]

There is not a patch in a c&b pistol

[qajaq59]

Your absolutely right. I goofed on that one.