Jackalope
Pilgrim
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2011
- Messages
- 4
- Reaction score
- 3
Where are you finding the Lee tester for under $12? I've only seen it around $60.
I've been wanting to pick a tester up, but didn't want to spend that much.
-
This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.
Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades -
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Lead
- Thread starter gary b
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
Where are you finding the Lee tester for under $12? I've only seen it around $60.
I've been wanting to pick a tester up, but didn't want to spend that much.
As Black Hand said, yes it can be done.
The problem is, it takes a LOT of added pure lead to have much of an effect.
Let's say you have a wheel weight lead mix that weighs 5 pounds and it has 10 percent unwanted alloy in it. You want to reduce the percentage of the unwanted alloy down to 2 percent.
10 percent of 5 pounds equals 0.5 (1/2) pound of alloy so there is 4 1/2 pounds of lead in the mix.
If you add 4 1/2 pounds of pure lead to the mix you now have 9 pounds of pure lead divided into 1/2 pound of alloy = .056 or 5.6 percent alloy.
If you add 9 pounds of pure lead to the mix you now have 13.5 pounds of pure lead divided into 1/2 pound of alloy = .037 or 3.7 percent alloy.
If you add 15 pounds of pure lead to the mix you now have 19.5 pounds of pure lead divided into 1/2 pound of alloy = .026 or 2.6 percent alloy.
If you add 19 pounds of pure lead to the mix you now have 24.5 pounds of pure lead divided into 1/2 pound of alloy = .020 or 2.0 percent alloy.
From this you can see you had to add 19 pounds of pure lead to the wheel weight mix to get it down to the 2% alloy mix you wanted.
Like I said. It takes a LOT of lead to have much of an effect on a bad mixture.
Eutycus
Cannon
Kind of wondering if that wasnt a typo. I wouldnt mind getting one myself.
Griz44Mag
70 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2017
- Messages
- 4,326
- Reaction score
- 4,382
- Location
- Republic of Texas, District of Krum
I bought one on EBAY. Yes it was used. A short time later I bought the Cabine Tree, new, I think from GRAFS.
Griz44Mag
70 Cal.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2017
- Messages
- 4,326
- Reaction score
- 4,382
- Location
- Republic of Texas, District of Krum
There is one on EBAY listed for 17.00. (+ shipping)
Eutycus
Cannon
Thank you Zonie.I was thinking a 1 to 1 ratio would reduce the alloys each time by half. 19 to 1 is a lot of lead.I just may stick to store bought balls for the time being and save the wheelweight lead for target practice in the rifles.
Thursday I met with a friend who is interested inlaid a wheel weights etc..
He sad pure lead has a softness number of 5. Wheel weights, The larger ones hd a rating of 9 which would be almost twice as hard as pure leaf. He also fond some smaller weights that apparently hd no lead in them at all.
My lead tester is the thumbnail on my right hand. //if you can cut into the lead with your thumbnail its a pretty good clue that it is pure lead or nearly so.
A lot of the projectiles made of lead, or nearly pure lead depend on the ability of the projectile to extrude into the rifling of your ballel in the case of patch round ball or projectiles of a different shape. If the material is too hard, It will be tough to load or not providing a proper seal for the powder powers ability to propel the projectile. and thus affect the accuracy. Looking for lead in all the wrong places.
Medical buildings where there had been Exray set ups are a great source of lead when being torn down. The flashing around devices penetrating roofs and around smoke stacks, If there are any scrap metal dealers in your area, consult them first.
One subscriber quite few years ago some of having a large steel plate leaning forward at about 45 degrees behind his target line that would ricochet the lead ballgown into the space in front which tend to collect most of the lead balls that came its way.
The anti gunners object to lead balls getting in and poisoning the earth. Where do they think lead which comes from Galena, comes from?
A Californian subscriber was told people couldn't hunt with lead projectiles on his property ws able to cast balls from bismuth with some success.
Dutch
Dutch
He sad pure lead has a softness number of 5. Wheel weights, The larger ones hd a rating of 9 which would be almost twice as hard as pure leaf. He also fond some smaller weights that apparently hd no lead in them at all.
My lead tester is the thumbnail on my right hand. //if you can cut into the lead with your thumbnail its a pretty good clue that it is pure lead or nearly so.
A lot of the projectiles made of lead, or nearly pure lead depend on the ability of the projectile to extrude into the rifling of your ballel in the case of patch round ball or projectiles of a different shape. If the material is too hard, It will be tough to load or not providing a proper seal for the powder powers ability to propel the projectile. and thus affect the accuracy. Looking for lead in all the wrong places.
Medical buildings where there had been Exray set ups are a great source of lead when being torn down. The flashing around devices penetrating roofs and around smoke stacks, If there are any scrap metal dealers in your area, consult them first.
One subscriber quite few years ago some of having a large steel plate leaning forward at about 45 degrees behind his target line that would ricochet the lead ballgown into the space in front which tend to collect most of the lead balls that came its way.
The anti gunners object to lead balls getting in and poisoning the earth. Where do they think lead which comes from Galena, comes from?
A Californian subscriber was told people couldn't hunt with lead projectiles on his property ws able to cast balls from bismuth with some success.
Dutch
Dutch
Eutycus
Cannon
I was aware of some of the wheel weights containing no lead at all. Some wont even pass a magnet test. I'm thinking some of the small square ones, the stick ons, are lead, They do scratch with the thumb. Its the zinc ones that scare me.
I like that idea of a steel plate at a 45 degree slant. I have my plates hanging for that "gong" effect. I love that sound. But I can see where repositioning them would make for better lead collection.
I like that idea of a steel plate at a 45 degree slant. I have my plates hanging for that "gong" effect. I love that sound. But I can see where repositioning them would make for better lead collection.
Pete G
76 Cal.
You can also buy pure lead ingots from rotometals.com, although your mailman won't like it.
Last edited:
amcmullen
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
- Messages
- 182
- Reaction score
- 46
My old shooting range offered plenty of lead. We had a dedicated shotgun/ muzzleloader range so I found lots of round balls.
A special thank you to all 72 caliber shooters!
One trip to local scrapyard yielded 200 lbs of dead soft roofing lead. Cost $0.50 per lb.
A special thank you to all 72 caliber shooters!
One trip to local scrapyard yielded 200 lbs of dead soft roofing lead. Cost $0.50 per lb.
I NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUBITY TO TRY THE SLANTED PLATE RECOVERY METHOD. I GOT THAT IDEA FROM A SUBSCRIBER WHO HAD HIS OWN RANGE.
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF SIMILAR SUGGESTIONS EVEN INCLUDING A STEEL BOX WITH AN INTERNAL SLANTED PLATED TO SEND ALL PROJECTILESDOWN INTO A SECTION FOR EASIER RECOVERY/
I always envied people who had enough land to set up they own range. The oddest was a 59 yard under ground range set up beside a rather large swimming pool.. That was in California, of course.
Dutch
THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF SIMILAR SUGGESTIONS EVEN INCLUDING A STEEL BOX WITH AN INTERNAL SLANTED PLATED TO SEND ALL PROJECTILESDOWN INTO A SECTION FOR EASIER RECOVERY/
I always envied people who had enough land to set up they own range. The oddest was a 59 yard under ground range set up beside a rather large swimming pool.. That was in California, of course.
Dutch
Eutycus
Cannon
I have a larger plate inside of an old tire. It "collects" the lead spray inside of the tire.Not all but some.It keeps some of the lead out of my garden, afterall tomatos are gonna be there some day. Cant have leady tomatos!
Canute Rex
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2012
- Messages
- 387
- Reaction score
- 266
Try a big plywood box filled with rubber playground mulch (chopped tires). I have one 24" H x 24" W x 36" deep. Balls from my 54 stop about 12-16" in. I hinged the top so I can open it up and dig for lead. Every so often I have to replace the plywood front. As long as you keep it full of rubber mulch nothing will get through. You will get about 99% of the lead back, with no splatter
Eutycus
Cannon
Sounds good, but I'd miss that gong and the neat sound it makes!
Cable sheathing is great. I’m lucky my brother gets it for me from job sites but they scrap it so it shouldn’t be too hard to find.
He got me about 200lbs a few weeks ago. It’s dirty and covered in grease but casting it into ingots and fluxing it really well gets it done.
He got me about 200lbs a few weeks ago. It’s dirty and covered in grease but casting it into ingots and fluxing it really well gets it done.
There's a seller on ebay selling in bulk #50 - #100. I just ordered 50# from him shipped for $60. He says the ingots are melted from an indoor shooting range lead. The past reviews he has for his product are good. The wheel weights are a good idea, but be careful, several states have mandated that installers move away from lead.
Similar threads
