Bulk lead

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:48 am

Okay, I know we've covered this in the past, but it's been a while, so for the newer fellas here (and those of us too lazy to look it up

), where do you get your lead for casting? Does anyone buy it from metal recyclers, and if so, what does it run nowadays?

On Topic - this will be for casting for lever-actions as well as revolvers and some blackpowder.

TedH · Post by **TedH** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:57 am

I've never paid a cent for any of my casting lead. I've always just used wheel weights and have been lucky enough to have some friends that hooked me up with some tin and linotype at times. It helps to work in an auto repair shop.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:36 am

You can buy rendered wheelweight and other such stuff off of Ebay.
For the majority of my match bullets I use certified alloys from www.rotometals.com

Doc Hudson · Post by **Doc Hudson** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:30 am

I use wheelweights. Used to get them for free, but last time I paid five bucks for a five gallon bucket full of weights. No telling how much it would cost in this area.

If you need a specific alloy or large quanties, I'd contact Sanders Lead Company. When I worked for them 20years ago they's sell any amount from 65 pounds on up. At that time they were the biggest secondary lead smelter in the country and the primary supplier for Remington's East Alton, IL and Lonoke, AR ammunition plants.

You can contact Sanders lead at:

Sanders Lead Company, Inc.
100 Sanders Rd
Troy Alabama
USA 36081
Tel: 334 566-1563

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:46 am

There are a number of metal suppliers who can supply proper alloys of virgin metals. Wheel weights can be easy to find if you know somebody, hard to get if you don't because, almost certainly somebody does know somebody. Never hurts to ask though. I've got an ever widening circle of non-casting friends with eyes open for me.

shooter · Post by **shooter** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:54 am

Making friends with your local tire shop is a good bet. Even if they don't give the wheelweights to you for free, they will often sell them to you for a few cents per pound. Lead has shot up in price over the last couple of years. I know you used to be able to pick it up from scrapyards for 20-30 cents per pound. Don't know what it's going for these days, but I know it's more than that. We've got contacts at a couple of tire shops, and my dad's friend owns a printing shop and has about a ton of linotype he is selling us pretty cheap.

fordwannabe · Post by **fordwannabe** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:23 am

I get some of my wheel weights from local truck shops and tire shops but it is a pain to go throught the bucket and get all the zinc weights out of the mix(i do it but it ain't my favorite thing), but the price is right..free or I leave it for the next guy. I have been very fortunate to have found a recycler who gets the ww from both NHRA and some nascar events so the stuff I get is BEAUTIFUL. All the same and hardly used at all. nascar has clip on and NHRA uses tape on so it is a good source for whatever I am using it for. The last batch was 30 cents a pound but after I melt the clips off I sell him the steel back. Tom

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:56 am

Another source of dead soft lead is your dentist. I get about 10 -20 lbs from mine every year at the annual checkup.

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:31 pm

Don McDowell wrote:You can buy rendered wheelweight and other such stuff off of Ebay.
For the majority of my match bullets I use certified alloys from http://www.rotometals.com

Thanx, for the link Don!

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:39 pm

You're welcome. They've got prices that are hard to beat, and when you order enough to get anything done with they pay the freight, and all the alloy I've got from them has been really clean and need practically no fluxing.

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:10 pm

Don McDowell wrote:You're welcome. They've got prices that are hard to beat, and when you order enough to get anything done with they pay the freight, and all the alloy I've got from them has been really clean and need practically no fluxing.

I remember decades ago, scrounging up waste lead,... pain in the butt! Back then, the backwoods of Maine, we only knew about using bees wax to flux out impurities. I would imagine some new fluxing agents are available, that are better. Don't know,... like I said, been decades. But I would like to stock up on a load of pure lead, just in case I decide to cast again.

As of now,... I find BearTooth too good and too convenient!

Otto · Post by **Otto** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:26 pm

Don McDowell wrote:You can buy rendered wheelweight and other such stuff off of Ebay.
For the majority of my match bullets I use certified alloys from http://www.rotometals.com

I've never bought lead, so I don't mean to talk out of turn, but $2 seems like alot.

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:47 pm

A few months ago I google searched for some pure lead. I came across prices from $4 and change,... to over $6, which didn't include shipping.

That is why I filed the above link!

Otto · Post by **Otto** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:55 pm

I don't know anything about this guy. I ran across him while trying to find a guy in Ohio who used to sell lead, but apparently moved or something.

http://www.vendio.com/stores/junkateer_jerry

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:20 pm

I collect used wheel weights. I started collecting them from a major tire shop, but once I built up a big enough supply (about 800 pounds), I just settled in to collecting them from two local garages. They only produce about 100 pounds per year between the two of them, but that seems to be more than I shoot per year, so I'm still accumulating an ever increasing supply.

azzhandler · Post by **azzhandler** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:27 pm

I just scored afew hundred pounds of lead sheets, it was used to line a x-ray room, I work on a universuty campus and the were removing the x-ray equiptment

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:41 pm

Otto wrote:I don't know anything about this guy. I ran across him while trying to find a guy in Ohio who used to sell lead, but apparently moved or something.

http://www.vendio.com/stores/junkateer_jerry

thank you very much!!

Post by **Hobie** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:05 pm

One never has enough lead...

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:48 pm

Hobie wrote:One never has enough lead...

Aye, true that!

Shooter, what would the possibility be to score 50 lbs of lino?

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:04 pm

Kid,
LOTS of sources.

#1. Wheelweights--Always offer to pay. Guys who own garages don't like freeloaders. Call up the scrapyards in advance to see what THEY are paying. You offer the garage .05 more a pound.

#2) Scrap yards--they will sell wheelweights, scrap pure lead or tin. Its cheap compared to foundry lead.

#3)Indoor target ranges--My buddy at Targetmaster usually "mines" 10,000 pounds every couple of months. I don't take/like it because its all jacketed with soft innards.

#4.) Go to your gun range on a Sunday morning when no one is allowed to shoot. (preferable the pistol range) Build yourself a "table" about 3' x 3' x 2' high with 1/2" rat wire. Shovel and sift. I've done this and came up with several hundred pounds in a couple of hours. Take it home and hose it off first--then dry--then smelt

#5) We all have lots of buddies--tell them to keep an eye out for wheelweights or scrap lead.--When they drop it off at your house--PAY THEM SOMETHING, whether its cash, reloaded ammo, or an old rake you have laying around in the barn.

The thing to keep in mind is ALWAYS PAY THE PERSON WITH THE LEAD--MOST GUYS ARE CHEAP FREELOADERS---The one thing people know about me is that I am not cheap---not rich either--but we all have a $20 spot to hand out from time to time.

I do the same thing with tin. Right now I have a couple of hundred pounds of tin alone. --------------------------Sixgun

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:29 pm

I always pay for wheel weights except when I'm getting tires or my car worked on. Then I usually get the shop to throw them in just for giving them business. Alot of shop clean house in the spring. So start asking around and you will probably run across some one ready to get rid of it. Check how much the scrap yard pays and match it. Most scrap yards will come and pick up the metal. Bring 5 gallons buckets to take the WW home in.

flatnose · Post by **flatnose** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:59 pm

A couple of nights ago, I made a call to an old friend who used to work at a main dealer before they closed down. He has 350lbs of wheel weights sitting in his shed waiting for me to collect them. He can get more from his old associates.
I have tried scrapyards and recyling yards in my area. One place wanted 4 bucks a pound, and the others wont sell....maybe they are stacking it up to send to china when the economy turns.
I have another buddy that I can get 100lbs of wheelweights per year. A small independant shop.
I get tow truck and recovery drivers to pick up lead for me from tire shops, as they seem to have good working relationships with these stores. I have tried to get weights from the big tire chain stores, with little sucess. Occasionally, if there is a bucket of weights sitting there when I visit, I may luck out.
I have another 50lbs of lead in another buddies old race car waiting to be removed.
Another guy is collecting battery posts for me.
I have been averaging about 100lbs per month....getting on for half a ton now, and so far have cost me a total of 40 bucks.
If I really applied myself, I am sure I can find more.
Rotometals are too expensive for me. At $2 per lb, or $2 for 17 405grn 45-70 bullets, I can buy pre made pre lubed bullets for just a little more than that, so it does not make economic sense for me.
E-Bay prices...what can I say. More profitable than dealing in gold.

Tycer · Post by **Tycer** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:11 pm

Blammer over at castboolits.com has nice virgin metal at $1 a pound.

JReed · Post by **JReed** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:39 pm

Get in good with electricians. I know in CA the code says they have to use lead flashings for exterior entrances I used to get a good amount of pure lead this way.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:09 am

A person needs to be a bit cautious about the price you pay for recycled lead, wheelweights etc. Most of what you see run about 1.25 or more a lb, constrast that with known alloy at 2.06 and for the bit of dollar difference , dealing with having to flux, and clean and deal with unknown alloy ....

Scrounged wheelweights are great, but if I had to depend on those for casting I wouldn't get much done. Our tricounty phone book is about 3/4 of an inch thick including the yellow pages and all the other stuff. 20k people, in a combined area that would smoother or cover most of any state east of the Mississippi. We don't get alot of scrap lead available.
So buying #2 alloy at 2.06 still takes 8 dollars for 50 530's and that's about 1/3 the cost of buying match quality bullets.
Fella has to keep his calculator or a sharp pencil going to verify some of these "good deals"

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:24 am

Very true Don,... and then there is a little thing called SHIPPING.

And at 23,... 300gr. slugs to a pound,... at $2,... comes in under .10 cents each. Why would I want to sit over a pot and flux it out and still not know what I have in there?

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:27 am

Shipping is something that needs be in context also. 11$ for USPS flat rate 70 lbs vs 2.50$ a gallon gas to travel 200 plus miles to gather stuff up.

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 11:33 am

Which is why I really like the last link posted to a FREE SHIPPING site. Of course there is no such thing as FREE,... but at $125 for 100lbs of 99%pure ingots shipped, which brings a 300gr, slug down to a nickle,.. I can live with that!

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:26 pm

Yep that's a good deal if pure lead will do what you want it to. And it most likely will unless you're casting long nosed bore rider type bullets and then nose slumping can rear its head and make accuracy dissappear, but for most roundnosed and swc type bullets it'll be fine.

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:39 pm

Awww, come on Don,... talking about the convenience and cost of buying pure lead,... doesn't necessarily mean casting with pure lead,... geeze!

Even, though I would!

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:59 pm

If you look at the price of tin and or antimony, you'll probably learn to live with your pure lead alloy

Post by **Hobie** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:37 pm

EVERYTHING costs now but it will be infinitely worse in a couple of years. I suggest that you guys stock up now. Of course I said this in 2007 and not everyone believed me.

Don McDowell · Post by **Don McDowell** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 4:48 pm

Stock up the man says

The only way to stock up is not use it, and what fun would that be

And when you use it at the rate the stuff goes flying down range around here it'ld take a heap big pile of money, altho don't tell anybody but I do have 2 5 gallon buckets of wheelweights and 2 100 lb ballast weight from B25 bombers stashed in reserve,

just in case

Ohyeah almost forgot about a 75 pig of pure lead...and the 50 lb coil of lead wire...

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:43 pm

Yup,... as we said back in he 60's,... too much, just ain't enough!

fordwannabe · Post by **fordwannabe** » Sat Feb 20, 2010 4:48 pm

I was at the recycler this morning and he still has some of the nascar/NhRA wheelweights. He has abbout 400 pounds left and the pricwe is now 45 cents per pound(glad I bought at 30). he had straight tin $4 a pound Just to let yall know. Tom

stinson · Post by **stinson** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 1:59 pm

I have access to a small but steady supply of wheelweights, but darned if I know how to tell zinc ones from lead. Advice, anyone?

76/444 · Post by **76/444** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:18 pm

stinson wrote:I have access to a small but steady supply of wheelweights, but darned if I know how to tell zinc ones from lead. Advice, anyone?

Yup,... buy pure lead!

Sorry,... the devil made me say that!

It has been many decades, but the only way i could tell the diff was lead melts at just over 600 degrees F, and, Zinc real close to 800 degrees,.... if memory serves me. not a whole lot of help,... someone will come along with better I am sure. Of, course , just knowing the difference in melting points, only opens the door to the procedure problem of melting one scrapped weight at a time. NOT FUN!!!

But when I had cast my own, it was a back woods , get a couple dozen made in a day operation. Not what is needed today, by most!

shooter · Post by **shooter** » Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:20 pm

Griff, pm sent

KirkD · Post by **KirkD** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 7:37 am

stinson wrote:I have access to a small but steady supply of wheelweights, but darned if I know how to tell zinc ones from lead. Advice, anyone?

1. The zinc ones have a little different shape to them
2. When you pinch them with some pliers, they are not soft like lead
3. They usually say 'Zn' on them
4. When all the lead ww have melt, the zinc ones are still floating on top, even when you push them under. I skim those off.

I used to sort out the zinc and steel ww, but don't bother anymore. I just watch my melt temperature so that it doesn't get too high, and skim off the zinc and steel ones.

stinson · Post by **stinson** » Mon Feb 22, 2010 11:50 pm

Thanks for the advice. I'll watch the temps a little more closely, see what happens.

fordwannabe · Post by **fordwannabe** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:30 pm

I was at the recycler again yesterday, he was selling straight tin for $4 a pound(which Iposted about on Sat.) but I saw a barrel of stuff in the corner and asked "well what's that"? "Aw it's just pewter."
"how much a pound?"
75 cents a pound
For those of you who don't know pewter is 92% TIN.
I got 30 pounds for 20$ if your looking for lead your probably gonna need some tin to fill out the mold. So as Hobie says stock up.
Oh yeah 30 pounds of tin will alloy with 1500 pounds of ww so I'm good for a while. Tom

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:25 pm

Lucky dog!