Lead: Where are you getting it from?

[Rickf1985]

I hope that truck of his is a one ton!

[armoredman]

Last bunch I got was from a berm mining thing at a state LE range, melted down, alloyed and cast into 1 pound ingots. I won't need any more lead for a while...especially when it is WAY too hot to be outside casting. 112 degrees right now, at almost 7PM.

[poppy42]

Tracking the typical places online like Roto Metals etc. but has anyone found a good scrap lead resource that is generally universal to location? My #1 resource is independent metal scrapers by offering them $0.10 above spot price.

I don’t know what scap yard your dealing with but they won’t be in business long!

[Indiana shooter]

The one I'd use is just a half ton. But, it's just an old beater truck I do all my dumb ish in. Last year I hauled about 3400lbs of brick 60+ miles for a family member. Not one of the smartest things I've done, just wanted to see if I could do it in one trip. LOL I had to buy new tires for the rear because they were running on the sidewalls(needed new ones anyway).

It does sound like I'm off on my guestement on the weight. I figured 2 barrels at 3400-3600, but he has a scale there so I'll know the weight.

[Rickf1985]

I am really curious to see what the weight is. I was the luckiest guy in the world with my score since it came from the estate of an old reloader and was all sorted and not one zinc or steel or cigarette butt! But, It was 95% car weights so a lot of steel clips. If your are all truck weights and all lead with no steel or zinc it may be even heavier since there will be a lot less clips.

[35 Rem]

A 5 gallon bucket should weigh from 100 to 120 lbs so multiply that by 11 for a 55 gallon drum and it would weight between 1,100 and 1,320 lbs. It's been a long time since I actually weighed a bucket but that's the numbers I remember.

[lightman]

A 5 gallon bucket should weigh from 100 to 120 lbs so multiply that by 11 for a 55 gallon drum and it would weight between 1,100 and 1,320 lbs. It's been a long time since I actually weighed a bucket but that's the numbers I remember.

I'm going to say that you are pretty close on your numbers.

With 6 barrels of weights to melt down I hope those friends of yours are willing to pitch in and help!

I usually figure 12% loss due to clips. Will be interested to know what you get with truck weights.

[garbler]

To the OP where are you located ? I have a pallet full of lead sailboat keel pieces from my salvage days after hurricanes.

Rick

[fredj338]

I tell new guys into casting, alloy is where you can find it. Tire shops are almost dead. I get most of mine from berms at two clubs. A friend of mine is a contractor super & gets sheet lead from demo @ a pretty good rate, like over 2000# now. I trade him for bullets 2# of lead for 1# of bullets, I am casting anyway. Scrap yards are really hit or miss. Garage sales, flee markets, radiator shops, stain glass shops & classes, but mostly berm mining for me. 30min can get you 50# & its almost all castable. I have enough lino stuck away to alloy the pure or berm lead.

[Rickf1985]

I would love to get some keel lead to mix with my really hard stuff I got. You would think that living on a major river and only 35 miles from the Atlantic Ocean that would not be an issue but none to be found. At least none to be found at prices below that of silver!

[garbler]

I would love to get some keel lead to mix with my really hard stuff I got. You would think that living on a major river and only 35 miles from the Atlantic Ocean that would not be an issue but none to be found. At least none to be found at prices below that of silver!

Well I was in the marine surveying business about forty years. After the Cat Losses or hurricanes I go where I’m called to inspect damaged vessels and determine repairs and CTL’s/ Constructive Total Losses. In the mean time salvage ops have to be organized and many large sailboats must be removed and scrapped. So anyway a 20K lbs vessel will roughly have 8-10,000 lbs of lead ballast keel. Over the years I’ve had between 30-40K lbs of lead. One pallet full left and it alloys out around 22-1 to 20-1 hardness. But obviously no delivery and I like to get $1.00 a pound. BTW it’s clean except for a coat of paint. I you guys can get together I can make you good deal on some great lead. I’ve been shooting this stuff for the past ten years and it’s quality. I’ve got a forklift and I’m in Western Michigan.

Rick

[Rickf1985]

Hell of a deal for guys in the midwest! I am in NJ and it would not be cost effective for me.

[garbler]

Yes Rick moving lead is expensive. When lived in New Hampshire let 500 lbs go to a small group of guys in Maine. Two showed up with a flatbed I fork lifted off two big chunks and they were off. To them it was a screaming deal but the logistics is the key

Rick

[tinsnips]

Soft lead is free my boys are plumbers that remove old lead water lines and cast sewer lines with poured lead joints the best part is they get paid to do it, i get the lead.

[Cast10]

I’ve been getting wheel weights at local shops. Give them beer money. Majority is SOWW’s with some COWW’s. I alloy them with Hardball (Rotometals) and have a nice mix.

[Jtarm]

My last haul was 1,000 lbs of WW off of FB market place, .40 per lb about 2.5 hours from home.

Bit of a gamble as there zinc mixed in, but I netted about 700# after sorting.

In hindsight, wish I’d rented a trailer & filled it to towing capacity.

[35 Rem]

That's what I'm thinking! My only real issue is that I'm in need of some pure for hunting boolits and just curiosity alloy blends. I figure I could easily trade someone on here when I get the deal done and get some ingots made up. I'm not in that dire need of pure, I have about 75lbs left, so that's about 3400 boolits at a 50/50 mix. Not including what I have already cast up. In reality, that's a lifetime supply for hunting, but.... well the addiction is real

I'd save the pure to mix with WW's for hunting bullets only and shoot 100% wheel weights for everything else. Like we all used to do!

[35 Rem]

Well I was in the marine surveying business about forty years. After the Cat Losses or hurricanes I go where I’m called to inspect damaged vessels and determine repairs and CTL’s/ Constructive Total Losses. In the mean time salvage ops have to be organized and many large sailboats must be removed and scrapped. So anyway a 20K lbs vessel will roughly have 8-10,000 lbs of lead ballast keel. Over the years I’ve had between 30-40K lbs of lead. One pallet full left and it alloys out around 22-1 to 20-1 hardness. But obviously no delivery and I like to get $1.00 a pound. BTW it’s clean except for a coat of paint. I you guys can get together I can make you good deal on some great lead. I’ve been shooting this stuff for the past ten years and it’s quality. I’ve got a forklift and I’m in Western Michigan.

Rick

How do you manage to cut up those big boat weights so they are manageable to cast with? I have access to a bunch of them but the problem of loading them as-is and then how to cut them up has so far prevented any reasonable chance of actually getting my hands on them. If I could overcome those issues I could get tons of alloy dirt cheap.

[fredj338]

How do you manage to cut up those big boat weights so they are manageable to cast with? I have access to a bunch of them but the problem of loading them as-is and then how to cut them up has so far prevented any reasonable chance of actually getting my hands on them. If I could overcome those issues I could get tons of alloy dirt cheap.

Chain saw will work. You could also torch off sections.

[inspector_17]

Mostly I got mine from tire places, from local scrapper and mining the berm at my local gun club. I didn't realize how much of an addiction it was. I was picking up lead between rounds of shoots while resetting targets!