Acquiring scrap lead for casting - current state of affairs

[OldRust]

Most if not all scrap "lead" is not 100% pure which might be fine in a smoothbore but not in a revolver or a rifle (my opinion). As pure lead is almost impossible to find as scrap you can purchase it from Roto Metals as mentioned above and that's the way to go for known hardness for the pure lead you seek.

I do the Roto Metals route myself but you can do a low cost hardness test if you have scrap lead available to you. A set of these pencils can be had for around $10.
See

Thanks
O.R.

 

[wb78963]

Also if you sign up for Rrotometal's mailing list they usually offer 10-15% off around most Holidays

Thanks
O.R.
completely agree. why waste time with trash?

 

[Idaho Ron]

I bought some "pure" lead on ebay once. I was new to casting but knew something wasn't right. I got a Cabine Tree Hardness tester. I found out that the ebay lead was 18 BHN, ya pure.
I started to buy from Rotometals about 10 years ago of so. If I am wanting pure I just order it.
That said I have made some really good deals over the years. When I see lead bars in sporting goods stores I ask them if I can test it. Then I will write the hardness of the bars. I normally get about 20% off the price to test all. I take everything that is 8 BHN or softer. I have done some good deals that way but I don't count on it. I think of it as bonus lead.

 

[Professor flintlock]

I just buy pure clean uncontaminated lead from a commercial source.
My local scrap dealer is not allowed by some regulation (state of federal ?) to sell me lead.
Bunk

Talk to the scrapper that sells to the dealer. I get a lot from the ones I've talked to.

 

[Oldbear63]

Just as a FYI here:
Pianos use pure lead as key weights. Old pianos are often junked and some junk yards might have rows of them sitting around. With just a screwdriver you can get to the keys on an old upright and easily punch out a few pounds of lead (plus some corrosion, use proper caution). On grand pianos the keys slide out like a drawer and the upper mechanism comes off with a few screws exposing the keys.
The keys lift out easily enough. Watch for rodent nests under the keys. Don't burn the left-over key sticks as the lead makes the smoke toxic.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I guess I am a little different, I pick up range lead at a range where they only shoot BP guns, some is obviously wheel weight lead, I can tell because it doesn't deform much when it hits the chirty berm. I once separated the softer lead that I called splatter lead because it would be mushroomed when it hit the berm, but now I mix it all together.

Balls I cast from this lead works well on targets and kills deer dead, that is good enough for me.

The little wafer on top is civil war lead, last time I posted a picture of melting it down people had a cow about its "historical" value. There wasn't one piece of lead in the pile that was a discernable projectile. One of my friends died whose brother was a relic hunter, he had picked up the lead in his travels, no telling where it came from, he was deceased as well.

The brother had a huge collection of civil war artifacts, everything you could think of, even rifles. His collection of intact projectiles was extensive.

My friend that died got in a financial bind and sold the collection to to another collector for a song. When he told me what he sold it for I could only shake my head in disbelief. My friend didn't have good sense at times, this was one of them.

 

[Red Owl]

On wheel weights, I have been told some are no longer lead???

 

[Eutycus]

True the old clip on wheelweights are becomming a thing of the past. Now they're steel, zinc and I heard of plastic and ceramic.I haven't come across any of the plastic or ceramic ones yet. Steel ones won't melt and zinc wheel weights will ruin your already melted lead if you happen to include a few of them in your mix. Avoid the ones with the Z or Zn stamped on them. They will melt if you got a hot enough source and can not be extracted from your lead. All is ruined. Oh it can be done but not by Mr. Average.

 

[Whitworth]

I have thrown in the lead pot many a lead scrap from the Unpleasantness that took place here on and around my place. Many are just melted blobs from campfires while others are bits of lead lead splats and slivers from impacts with the rocky ground the Unpleasantness was fought on. By throwing a few of those scraps in with each pot I know each round my brother and I touch off has a small but direct connection to American history. Since lead is so easily recycled I have often wondered if the imported English Enfield bullets contained any recycled lead, if so that lead could date to Roman times, just a thought.

 

[Scota@4570]

In California, my local scrap metal yards refuse to sell lead to individuals. Hazmat nonsense ..............

 

[Dave Cross]

I got my lifetime supply of soft lead from 2 places. One was from an old high school. It was rolled sheeting above the suspended ceiling in the band room for soundproofing. I and a friend who shoots a Ruger BP7 took it down and threw it out the window and loaded it up. School was happy to get rid of it because of hazard. The other score came right out of a big dumpster. An electriton friend who knew I was a black powder shooter was working on a medical building and told me the re modellers threw all the old sheetrock away. the rock from the X ray room has a layer of lead on the back. I just pealed it off. Just give you ideas, It's out there.

 

[Whitworth]

I dealt with sheet lead from a sound proof lead, the glue was a pain.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

Given my newfound interest in muzzle loaders, the current state of affairs with all things ammo related and the fact that most of the commercial cast ball options (if you can find them) are upwards of $0.30-0.60 per round (about $7/lb) plus shipping I now suddenly have an interest in casting my own.

.... now about the best option I have been able to find is $2/lb random lead scrap on eBay. ........

'cheap' lead isn't worth it, and tire shops only have wheel weights which the old ones are OK for modern bullet molding, but the modern new ones aren't even lead so aren't even good for modern molds.

If you are casting roundball 99.9% pure lead only!!!!
Look up Rotometals... look at the bulk ingots.

I get the cut in half Pig Ingot
they are currently $139.00 with freight included. that's $2.25 to $2.50 WITH SHIPPING
Get yourself a thermometer too.
If you can't deal with bulk, their 1# mini ingots are $2.99

 

[Kansas Jake]

Worth it depends on time available, location etc. In Kansas it is still fairly easy to score lead from time to time for a good price. At least one areal scrap yard will sell it and you can pick from what they have available. I probably don't need anymore at this point but if it was free or cheap enough i would get it. If you have a plumber friend or a plumber working at the house, ask. Same way with a roofer or remodeler. I don't mind smelting dirty lead and will use it for round balls or unmentionable or fish weights if it is too hard.

 

[Archer 756]

Here in the Hudson Valley we have a Nuke power plant Many year ago I was able to get about 200 lbs of lead, used to size bearing for power units, no it does not glow nor have any readings., but it does test out to BHN of 5 to 6 . Art pencils do work wonderful for testing lead. compared readings from new pure lead that where tested with lead tester and found pencil reading where correct.

 

[Whitworth]

Here in the Hudson Valley we have a Nuke power plant Many year ago I was able to get about 200 lbs of lead, used to size bearing for power units, no it does not glow nor have any readings., but it does test out to BHN of 5 to 6 . Art pencils do work wonderful for testing lead. compared readings from new pure lead that where tested with lead tester and found pencil reading where correct.

I've got a couple of those lead bricks my Nuke tech brother acquired for me 40 years ago for casting. I never needed to cut them up to melt so they reside under the seat of Cub Cadet pulling tractor for ballast. With the 2020 pulling season canceled and no tractor tinkering I forgot they were there until I read this post

 

[brassell31]

Back before dentists switched to digital xray machines, xray film came wrapped in soft lead foil. My dentist saved it to send to a recycler, but they charged money to take it off his hands. When he found out I could use it for bullet casting, he started giving it to me for free. Also had a plumber friend who would save old lead grease traps for me. On one house I helped build when I was a carpenter, lead flashing was spec'd out for a tile roof. The roofing contractor over ordered and gave me a bunch of the surplus. I save what wheel weights I can get these days for cartridge guns since it is hard lead. The local plumber supply house sells pure lead 5# ingots when I can't get other lead. I guess the hunt itself is just as fun as the kill for me.

 

[Firelock937]

I have yet to find any lead that "isn't worth it". If it is too hard for rifle round balls, it will work for smooth bores and cartridge bullets. If I had to pay top dollar for all the lead I use, I would just as well buy ready made balls and bullets.

 

[fireman1]

What hardness are you guys looking for when you buy lead? Is a Brinell hardness of 12 too hard for lead ball and .577 minie ball?

 

[Firelock937]

What hardness are you guys looking for when you buy lead? Is a Brinell hardness of 12 too hard for lead ball and .577 minie ball?

I don't have any experience with Minies, but I believe it needs to be very soft. As far as rb's go, if you can easily scratch it with your thumbnail it is good to go. Another good indicator is what size the ball is out of the mold. My .490 rb mold is right on with soft lead, but using hard wheel weight alloy will result in .492's. I have found they also shoot well, but require a different patch, so I just reserve my soft lead for my rifles.