View Full Version : Where to get lead
Where do you guys get lead for free or cheap? Im looking for scrap lead to clean up and then cast
Where do you guys get lead for free or cheap? Im looking for scrap lead to clean up and then cast
I have had luck at tire shops just ask them for the wheel weight lead it is getting harder to find though as many wheel weights are zinc now a days.
Yeah I called discount they have a contract to send it back. He said I can have a handful. I have a friend who works there I'm going to try to have him get me some
There's a feller here trying to sell 45lbs. of WW ingots ready for casting, for $55. Do a search.
spencerhenry
05-31-2011, 17:11
the various metal recyclers buy lead, i would imagine that they sell it too. i think they pay about 45 cents a pound for range scrap. wheel weights are a decent alloy, but recycled bullets might be a little soft, and pure lead is not much good unless you add some tin.
there are a bunch of ads on ebay all the time, and some on gunbroker. lead that is theoretically ready to cast with usually goes for about $1/pound minimum. the good alloys like 98/2 can sometimes go for close to $2 /pound.
Great-Kazoo
05-31-2011, 21:04
how much lead you interested in? i have about 100 lbs of the stuff. it is lead, not a zinc mix. all you need to do is add some silver solder (which i also have) or something else??? to get a good hard cast bullet.
Honestly I don't know how much lead I know. I'm new to casting to enough for 1k rounds 9mm and 45
Honestly I don't know how much lead I know. I'm new to casting to enough for 1k rounds 9mm and 45
i think it would come down more to what weight you plan to make your 9mm and 45acp casts! i haven't gotten into the whole casting thing yet due to cost and mostly time with my situation.
I would assume a simple conversion pounds to Grains would get you a close idea what you might need!
1 pound = 7000 grains same as when figuring out how many rounds i get out of a pound of powder proximally .
example if you decided to cast 200gr bullets i would assume you would get around 35 bullets give or take a few per pound meaning you need around 29 pounds or i would say 30 to give your self wiggle room for 45acp.
I could be Way off, but how i would approach it first go!
coop
You hit it on the head. I need to sit down and do the math. My friend got me some tire weights so that's a start
I'm sure there's a certain amount of funk and spooge that is going to come off the lead you melt, that will represent quite a bit of the weight you start out with. Probably best to gather as much lead as you can, getting harder to find anyway.
I haven't tried it yet, too lazy and too damn many projects already. I've also got more bullets than I'll likely ever get loaded as it is. But I do have some lead stashed away, not a ton but more than I want to mess around with moving. I really do need to melt it down into ingots for storage reasons if nothing else.
You should just give it to me! Or sell it if you can find it
I've had luck at my local tire shops. As long as I bring my own bucket for them to dump it in they don't care.
As for the cost of melting, I got into it for less than 75 bucks with a small lee melter, cast, and various other tools. That's an expensive setup too-I've seen guys cast bullets with a camp stove and a cast iron frying pan.
i put an add on craigslist and got swamped with emails most wanted .75c for wheel weights per lb, and a bit more for lead bars
Biggest obstacle to me is all the different bullet molds I'd have to have, and those are the pricy part. I've read enough to realize the cheap ones are to be avoided.
Here's that thread with the lead for sale! http://www.co-ar15.com/forums/showthread.php?p=363327#post363327
Biggest obstacle to me is all the different bullet molds I'd have to have, and those are the pricy part. I've read enough to realize the cheap ones are to be avoided.
My Lee has been working just fine for me. I think people have problems when they don't take care of it.
Well I think I'm getting 40 pounds from a friends already to go..
Anyone want to sell a 45 Cal mold?? Or furnace
Been there, done that..
7000 gn per lbs, 230 gn (45 RN), times 1000 is 230000 gns.
23000 divided by 7000 is 32.9 lbs.
Same math, different gn weight for 9mm.
I did 2000 45 230s and 5000 9mm 122, 153 lbs of lead (and solder) for a Lyman #2 alloy.
When using WW, remember to flux several times.
Better to clean out the crap while casting verse later pulling it out of the barrel!
Got my lead!
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l176/landondesautels/IMG_20110603_183317.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l176/landondesautels/IMG_20110608_211512-1.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l176/landondesautels/IMG_20110608_221854.jpg
Got some work done last night
New question to an old thread. As I have now decided to get into casting my own bullets because of all the bare shelves... I see where I can get pure 100% lead ingots for a decent price, however, I'm seeing you need to mix in tin as a hardener. Someone here who casts, please direct me in the right direction, or is it just easier to find ingots that are already pre-mixed? Thanks.
Roger Ronas
05-08-2013, 23:32
Tin does very little as far as hardening the lead. What it does do is let the lead flow better so that you get nice fillout of the mold. About 2% tin is usually all that is needed for that. It is the other alloy metals that are in any lead that harden it. Antimony and such. If you are getting pure lead, I would try to trade for some wheelweight lead or some other mixed alloy. Pure is used for muzzle and black powder balls.
Solder is a good place to get tin from. Lead free solder is about 99% tin. 60/40 is 60% tin. Usually the first number is the tin content.
I'm a member on casting site. Lots of good people and info.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/
HTH
Roger
New question to an old thread. As I have now decided to get into casting my own bullets because of all the bare shelves... I see where I can get pure 100% lead ingots for a decent price, however, I'm seeing you need to mix in tin as a hardener. Someone here who casts, please direct me in the right direction, or is it just easier to find ingots that are already pre-mixed? Thanks.
Tin does very little as far as hardening the lead. What it does do is let the lead flow better so that you get nice fillout of the mold. About 2% tin is usually all that is needed for that. It is the other alloy metals that are in any lead that harden it. Antimony and such. If you are getting pure lead, I would try to trade for some wheelweight lead or some other mixed alloy. Pure is used for muzzle and black powder balls.
Solder is a good place to get tin from. Lead free solder is about 99% tin. 60/40 is 60% tin. Usually the first number is the tin content.
I'm a member on casting site. Lots of good people and info.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/
HTH
Roger
Thank you Roger. I am going to sign up on that forum as well. I am going to track down some wheel weights as my first option. I noticed there are some places still out there that is selling a lead, tin, antimony mix for a decent price. All else fails, I can get it there. Thanks again.
eddiemed
05-10-2013, 20:58
Hospitals and medical centers build x-ray rooms with lead backed Sheetrock. I have always had luck with the contractors that install it. As their is always leftover cuts.
Great-Kazoo
05-10-2013, 21:43
I have 20 lbs of 1lb Lead ingots and access to 50#'s of reclaimed bullets.
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