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Lunch for Lead

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Joined
Oct 26, 2021
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I stopped at our local meat and three Monday. I parked by an out of town commercial roofer from several states away. I noticed he had a lot of old lead roofing boots on the back of his truck. I stopped by his table and told him I would buy his lunch for some of his scrap lead. He said he had already paid but if I would walk back out with him he would give me a few. He tossed probably 15 pounds worth in the back of my truck and said "so I guess your making fishing weights?" I said no muzzleloader round balls. I told him I liked shooting and hunting with PRB. He said he had built a .45 Flintlock from a kit when he was a kid but had never shot it. He appeared to be in his 60's. We talked about guns for a few minutes and he said he had to get back to work. So I was excited about the free lead. I noticed the next day he was eating lunch there again, so Tuesday night I fired up the old lead pot and poured 50 or so .45 balls. I also poured about 3 pounds of 3f and about an half pound of 4f into containers and packaged it up with a roll of pillow ticking. He was back eating there Friday so I pulled in and took the mini trash can full of supplies to him. I told him it was past time to fire that old gal and this was everything he would need to make some smoke. I told him the balls were from some of the lead he had given me Monday. He was a little taken back by the jester. He asked do you need more? I replied that was not necessary but.......... if he didn't mind Sure! He said give me a few minutes to finish eating and he would meet me at his truck. So I pulled over to it and a few minutes later he came out and emptied all the old lead boots in the back of my truck. I was shocked! After loading it up he shook my had and said when he gets back home he is going to shot that gun. He also said people ask for lead all the time and in 35 years in the business that was the first time anyone had ever returned the favor with much more than a thanks.
Like a kid at Christmas I had to melt it down last night. Took about 3 hour and produced 223 pounds of soft lead Ingots. I was trying to make his day and he ended up one-upping me and made mine.. It still pays to be nice.
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I have enough for Balls and Crappie gigs to last a while!!!
 
Yeah, I believe the most I had ever done at one time before this was probably around 25lbs when I was making a lot of fishing weights and gigs. That was from lead scrap that took a few years to collect.
 
I have had several people on this site do some very nice things for me and a ton of folks offer great advice. Being nice or helping out doesn't cost a thing and usually comes back two fold. I wish I would have given him my number so he could send an action pic. It will be a few week before I can get back by that restaurant and I'm sure he will have moved on to the next job.
 
What a great story bud! You can also go to tire shops. Last time I got about 150lbs. Have to sort out the zink though.
 
Helping out people with friendly actions is always the thing to do. Sometimes you get thanks some times you don't , but it is till the thing to do_Over the years I have often got back several times over for things I have given. One example was giving a new neighbor a free gallon of cider I had made. He gave me in return a "large" bale of straw he had left from when he seeded his lawn. The bale was four feet x four feet x eight feet. It has lasted the pony for two years!
 
I stopped at our local meat and three Monday. I parked by an out of town commercial roofer from several states away. I noticed he had a lot of old lead roofing boots on the back of his truck. I stopped by his table and told him I would buy his lunch for some of his scrap lead. He said he had already paid but if I would walk back out with him he would give me a few. He tossed probably 15 pounds worth in the back of my truck and said "so I guess your making fishing weights?" I said no muzzleloader round balls. I told him I liked shooting and hunting with PRB. He said he had built a .45 Flintlock from a kit when he was a kid but had never shot it. He appeared to be in his 60's. We talked about guns for a few minutes and he said he had to get back to work. So I was excited about the free lead. I noticed the next day he was eating lunch there again, so Tuesday night I fired up the old lead pot and poured 50 or so .45 balls. I also poured about 3 pounds of 3f and about an half pound of 4f into containers and packaged it up with a roll of pillow ticking. He was back eating there Friday so I pulled in and took the mini trash can full of supplies to him. I told him it was past time to fire that old gal and this was everything he would need to make some smoke. I told him the balls were from some of the lead he had given me Monday. He was a little taken back by the jester. He asked do you need more? I replied that was not necessary but.......... if he didn't mind Sure! He said give me a few minutes to finish eating and he would meet me at his truck. So I pulled over to it and a few minutes later he came out and emptied all the old lead boots in the back of my truck. I was shocked! After loading it up he shook my had and said when he gets back home he is going to shot that gun. He also said people ask for lead all the time and in 35 years in the business that was the first time anyone had ever returned the favor with much more than a thanks.
Like a kid at Christmas I had to melt it down last night. Took about 3 hour and produced 223 pounds of soft lead Ingots. I was trying to make his day and he ended up one-upping me and made mine.. It still pays to be nice. View attachment 157040View attachment 157041View attachment 157042View attachment 157043View attachment 157044I have enough for Balls and Crappie gigs to last a while!!!
Great story! You were on the ball, and it paid off for both of you! Fun reading!
 
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