Need Lead

[Leadslugga]

I've read in various threads on here that there is a place you can get lead for $1/pound shipped. Can someone remind me of that website?

Also, if anyone in the Denham Springs/Walker area knows of a good source for lead, I'd appreciate it.

Haven't cast bullets in way too long. The few tire shops in Walker don't seem interested in offloading wheel weights.

 

[toddrod]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php is a good place. You can also find it on Ebay

 

[kcinnick]

I have some wheel weight lead I can let go for a $1 a pound if you want some, how much do you want. It was poured in angle iron. I am ordering some hardball alloy to cast bullets and getting away from wheel weights, not that there is anything wrong with the wheel weight lead.

 

[Goatwhiskers]

First I would continue to try tire shops and service stations (what few there are), maybe show up with a six-pack at closing time, or a pizza at lunch time. Even buying is an option, altho you have to consider price versus the amount of steel or zinc weights found nowadays. You Do Not want zinc in your casting. Then there is the option of going to the scrap collectors, the big yard south of I10 in Port Allen will sell you lead at $1/lb. all day. You will have to learn how to alloy the pure lead. The day of free lead is almost over as lead WW are going the way of the dodo. There are many other sources such as lead pipe, plumber's lead, and lead roofing products. The sources on castboolits.com are good, and you can easily buy ready made boolit alloys from Rotometals.com, get minimum $100 worth and they pay the shipping. Here endeth the epistle. Goatwhiskers

 

[Leadslugga]

If you're talking ingots and not the unprocessed wheel weights, I'm looking to get about 40 pounds. Got two twenties burning a hole in my wallet. Where are you located?

 

[kcinnick]

I am in baton rouge, I can do 40 lbs. It is already smelted and cleaned, it wasn't poured into ingots, a piece of angle iron was used to pour the lead into, then it was just broken off into chunks. I haven't cast with this lead yet, I haven't had the need too yet, I probably won't get to it, since I am ordering hardball to cast with. I have a few hundred pounds of lead, I was going to list it for sale when I got hardball in. I will probably list some of my molds and handles for sale also, some not even used.

 

[Leadslugga]

First I would continue to try tire shops and service stations (what few there are), maybe show up with a six-pack at closing time, or a pizza at lunch time. Even buying is an option, altho you have to consider price versus the amount of steel or zinc weights found nowadays. You Do Not want zinc in your casting. Then there is the option of going to the scrap collectors, the big yard south of I10 in Port Allen will sell you lead at $1/lb. all day. You will have to learn how to alloy the pure lead. The day of free lead is almost over as lead WW are going the way of the dodo. There are many other sources such as lead pipe, plumber's lead, and lead roofing products. The sources on castboolits.com are good, and you can easily buy ready made boolit alloys from Rotometals.com, get minimum $100 worth and they pay the shipping. Here endeth the epistle. Goatwhiskers

My mom sells roofing supplies for a living, and she says that they have some lead scrap sometimes. Problem is, I have no idea if it is really lead (because she doesn't really know much about it), and even if it is lead, I have no idea what all is in it, if it is pure lead or some alloy or what. I'm hesitant to make bullets out of some mystery metal and I don't have the sophistication to tell exactly what something is made of.

 

[Leadslugga]

I am in baton rouge, I can do 40 lbs. It is already smelted and cleaned, it wasn't poured into ingots, a piece of angle iron was used to pour the lead into, then it was just broken off into chunks. I haven't cast with this lead yet, I haven't had the need too yet, I probably won't get to it, since I am ordering hardball to cast with. I have a few hundred pounds of lead, I was going to list it for sale when I got hardball in. I will probably list some of my molds and handles for sale also, some not even used.

I'll buy it off you. I hear all this worry about zinc wheel weights these days, so I assume that you took reasonable efforts to keep the alloy zinc free?

 

[kcinnick]

I didn't pour it, but we can melt some and check, it is pretty obvious if it has zinc in it. I will be off work Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, we are doing my sons birthday party Sunday... so the other days would be better.

 

[Danny Abear]

I would sell up to 100# of clean wheel weights; all hand picked, no zinc or pure lead; $1.00/lb.

 

[The_Shadow]

You may want to check out Roto Metals... http://www.rotometals.com/

 

[Joshlala]

I have a few tons of ingots from an indoor range if you need more.

 

[gunner_lee]

make friends with a plumber and a roofer. The plumber can save you the lead drains and the roofer the lead roof jacks. They are about pure lead.

 

[troy_mclure]

I just buy from castboolits for $1/lb shipped. It's cheaper that way, plus I don't have to smelt it, and advoid that cost/mess/heat.

 

[DBMJR1]

My mom sells roofing supplies for a living, and she says that they have some lead scrap sometimes. Problem is, I have no idea if it is really lead (because she doesn't really know much about it), and even if it is lead, I have no idea what all is in it, if it is pure lead or some alloy or what. I'm hesitant to make bullets out of some mystery metal and I don't have the sophistication to tell exactly what something is made of.

I use lead roof jacks to cast bullets. They're pretty much pure lead. I use it, as is, for casting for lower velocities. I simply water drop them to add a bit of hardness. No problems at lower pressures.

If you want to increase your pressures, you'll have to alloy your lead. Go to garage sales and buy pewter trinkets. Pewter is almost pure tin. Figurines, candle sticks, mugs etc. You'll need a basic scale of some sort. Mix 20#'s of lead to 1# of Pewter, (Tin), for medium pressures. For higher pressures mix 10:1 and use gas checks.

Alloying your lead with tin has other benefits. The alloy will fill out the mold better. Your bullets will shrink less as they cool.

The size of your bullet is more important than the alloy to prevent leading in the barrel. Slug your bore and buy a sizing die .001 over the diameter of your slug.

Use only soft lubricants. Hard lubricants don't work nearly as well. I tumble lube in Lee Alox.

Even if you don't feel comfortable using it now, save all the lead your mom can get you. You'll want it later, as you learn a bit more, or you can trade it to muzzle loaders who prize soft lead.

 

[highstandard40]

I use lead roof jacks to cast bullets. They're pretty much pure lead. I use it, as is, for casting for lower velocities. I simply water drop them to add a bit of hardness. No problems at lower pressures.

Water dropping does absolutely nothing to harden pure lead. You have to have some antimony or arsenic in the alloy for water dropping to add hardness. Clip-on lead wheel weights have these components and will harden when water dropped, but not pure lead.

 

[kcinnick]

I use lead roof jacks to cast bullets. They're pretty much pure lead. I use it, as is, for casting for lower velocities. I simply water drop them to add a bit of hardness. No problems at lower pressures.

If you want to increase your pressures, you'll have to alloy your lead. Go to garage sales and buy pewter trinkets. Pewter is almost pure tin. Figurines, candle sticks, mugs etc. You'll need a basic scale of some sort. Mix 20#'s of lead to 1# of Pewter, (Tin), for medium pressures. For higher pressures mix 10:1 and use gas checks.

Alloying your lead with tin has other benefits. The alloy will fill out the mold better. Your bullets will shrink less as they cool.

The size of your bullet is more important than the alloy to prevent leading in the barrel. Slug your bore and buy a sizing die .001 over the diameter of your slug.

Use only soft lubricants. Hard lubricants don't work nearly as well. I tumble lube in Lee Alox.

Even if you don't feel comfortable using it now, save all the lead your mom can get you. You'll want it later, as you learn a bit more, or you can trade it to muzzle loaders who prize soft lead.

Water dropping does absolutely nothing to harden pure lead. You have to have some antimony or arsenic in the alloy for water dropping to add hardness. Clip-on lead wheel weights have these components and will harden when water dropped, but not pure lead.

Tin helps with with fill out, does very little to help with hardness.

Antimony helps with hardness, however the wheel weight data published is off, wheel weights use to have a decent percentage of antimony and arsenic in it, now it has very little, if any at all, and most are going to zinc. You won't know what you have unless you test it, and I don't mean a hardness test, and actual scan to determine composition.

But he got lead a long time ago, how is working out for you? And if anyone needs lead for $1 a pound I would be more than happy to sell you some, I am getting rid of my scrap lead and switching to certified alloy. If someone wanted some alloy to mix with the scrap I could work something out. Oh, and all scrap is cleaned and poured into ingots of some sort, angle iron, corn bread, muffin tins, etc. Bullet casters tend to be frugal by nature and use whatever they can get a hold of to make their ingots out of.

 

[highstandard40]

Tin helps with with fill out, does very little to help with hardness.

Antimony helps with hardness, however the wheel weight data published is off, wheel weights use to have a decent percentage of antimony and arsenic in it, now it has very little, if any at all, and most are going to zinc. You won't know what you have unless you test it, and I don't mean a hardness test, and actual scan to determine composition.QUOTE]

Exactly right. I've also started moving to known alloys for my needs and life is much better.