I have roughly 500 pounds of cable sheath lead. Basicly pure lead. To make it shootable I need to mix it 50-50 with linotype.This will get expensive.
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I have roughly 500 pounds of cable sheath lead. Basicly pure lead. To make it shootable I need to mix it 50-50 with linotype.This will get expensive.
Leadpot
You could start shooting Minie balls. They need pure lead. I spend all my time hunting pure.
I figure if casting works out (just starting) the more lead ingots I accumulate the more heavy stuff the kids will have to move AFTER I'm gone. They may pitch a bunch of my most cherished "junk" into the trash but they will have to work to deal with the lead. Way prices seem to always go up who knows they may make some money off of their work moving it. Good excuse to accumulate more. Not sure it will pass the dear wife test but it works for me.
RogerDat, my wife keeps asking just how much lead do I need whenever I bring any more home :roll:.
Leadpot, it's a pity you're on the wrong side of the world otherwise I'm sure I'd be able to help you out (and all it would cost you would be some of that lovely pure stuff!).
I have a "Number" of cast and loaded as well as simply cast, and about 200# of alloy on hand. Scrap dealer is accumulating 500# of soft (fluxed) lead, in 20# ingots for me.
As I am 80, I think that this, with about 100# of Merritt Babbitt and 5# of Tin will last me until I die.
I like these easy questions--NO--
I don't think I would recognize a lifetime supply of anything.
I always have to cast as though it was the last time. I have enough to get started for the next shooting season.
I'm lucky if I have enough to make it thru the coming year... I usually try to have 1 year's worth, then find more when I run low.
Jon
I just picked up 570lbs from my local scrap dealer, that goes with the 450 I got a couple weeks ago. He has more but no money until next month. Said he'll hold it & add to it as he gets it. Unfortunately only about 50# of WWs, rest is soft. So added to the 200+lbs of lino & mono & the 300+ of mixed hardness, I have a fair amount. Would really like about 5k lbs of mixed alloys. At 67 that should hold me.
I don't know how much I have. Quite a bit of it is stashed in the garage in various pails. I have been gathering lead for a long time, but only got into boolit casting a couple of years ago. My wife keeps telling me I have enough, but she doesn't understand that if I don't use it, I can always sell it or trade it.
Lead, about 1200lbs
Tin - No, only about 30 lbs
Was down to last 15lbs, found a friend and got 978lbs this morning😍. Unsorted wheel weights, first bucket yield= 92lbs I 'm good for a while.
It says I have already voted on this poll, but I do not remember what I voted at the time, any way to see?
I noticed several people make comments about kids/wives may throw away their lead once they are gone, maybe they can put some kind of note with their lead stash telling them it is worth something not to just toss it, maybe leave instructions for it to be given to another caster.
Michael Grace
You raise a good point. Especially for those who are inclined to keep a multi year or "lifetime" supply on hand. Making the wife/kids aware that your "lead" is not all just scrap lead and noting whatever marking system you use to distinguish between plain lead, WW, linotype or other alloys. As well as noting some casting friends or shops with good reputations that will help dispose of it for a fair price and see it is put to good use. Your Lino or WW ingots sold for scrap lead price to a recycling yard is such a waste, especially those of you with hundreds if not thousands of pounds of the stuff.
Considering the value of some folks casting and reloading equipment or supplies, and the variation in price between different brands or specialty and/or rare items it would be worth making sure family is aware of both values and/or items you wish to see go to specific individuals. And if you write it down make sure people know where the document is!
I've got a notebook in which I've described most of my "stuff". The lead I've accumulated is listed with WW(COWW and SOWW) being the most common with range scrap and the special stuff(monotype, GB alloys, tin, antimony and soft) all identified and references to places where a value can be obtained.
I don't harbor any illusions that my sons will get maximum value for my stuff. If they are not into casting and reloading, they will probably try to dispose of it in the most expeditious way possible due to time restraints.
As I age and my activities are more restricted, I may be able to cull out a lot of stuff and relieve them of the responsibility later.
Being a big fan of books, I fear it will be the hardest to impress on the sons the value of certain books. Hopefully we will find the time to go thru the ones I consider more valuable and determine if they want to retain them or put them on the market.
None of this should be interpreted to mean that I think I'm going to check out any time soon.
One thing I am almost certain will NOT happen is a conflict between the two sons over "stuff" or finances. Both, including families, put family above concern for material things.
Thats a good point about leaving instructions about your "Stuff" after we are gone. Our lead is getting more valuable as time goes on, and so is our brass/powder/bullet/primer supply. This might make a good New Years resolution to become better organized. Label or mark our lead for later ID, and organize our brass stash! Now might be a good time to come "clean" with our Wives about how much we spend and what its worth!:grin: I hope all of you Geezers are around for a long time, but we just don't know!
I've done this for quite a while - especially as I often have someone else's firearm on my workbench for casual repair.
in my gunsafe is a Notarized addendum to our Will, with inventory sheet, that covers all firearms, ammunition and and powder on the premises. Gonna have to add the Alloy Stack though...
A couple years back,I came home to find a 3ftx3ft 8inch thick slab of pure lead in my driveway.It was a counter weight for some kind of machine,had two holes in it where it mounted. Next day a guy shows up at door asking for $20.00 says someone told him I cast my own bullets. Then I picked up a plumber's furnace at a hardware store going out of business for $10.00 still working on that slab
I got about 400 lbs of hospital lead from my last job and I am looking for a couple 5gal buckets of wheel weights so I know the feeling.
Gun safe sounds like the perfect place for such a list to advise on disposal of fire arms or reloading/casting equipment and supplies. Since I am just getting into casting I decided to use muffin tin as mold for COWW and Lee ingot mold for regular lead as a way to distinguish between the two at a glance. Round it's WW, bar ingot then it's plain lead, special stuff such as specific alloys I'll label. Assuming I ever score/purchase any lino or #2. will probably label storage container/location.
I did some quick and dirty calculations and find that it would take 3 to 6 hundred pounds to be a "lifetime" supply at my usage. When I get close to that upper limit I will probably stop scrounging.