Anyone smelt their own lead ingots from scrap for reloading?

[ken800]

As question above. I am looking to begin doing some of this and could use a little local help/guidance. I'd be willing to share some of the lead, I guess, if it is worth someone's time.

 

[shortround]

I would like to, but finding quality lead here is next to impossible unless you want to pay top dollar at a scrap yard.

All those lead casters (Bless their Hearts), don't really save as much money as they claim. They have to pay fuel in search of scrap lead, for hot pots, molds, flux, lots of energy (electricity or natural gas/propane), and they never put a value to what their time is worth.

I'm happy paying a little more for lead bullets cast for me by the bigger operations.

Cheaper than FMJ and plated bullets for sure.

I have had good results with Laser-Cast bullets.

Not to condemn the caster, for many it is time well spent until they get splattered with hot lead.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

I'm pretty lucky, have a tire shop about 10 miles away that nobody has claimed and they gave me a 160# bucket of 95+% lead WWs for only 40 bucks. Just took about 4 phone calls and I had a lead source. Says he gets about that much in a 6 month time and usually takes it to the scrap yard but he'll save em for me now. This isn't the usual situation most people seem to face in these days of decreasing lead weights but you might get lucky. Otherwise just have some patience and try non-big chain shops, little mom and pops tend to only take it to the yard and are glad to have someone else do the lifting.

 

[robocop10mm]

Learning to distinguish between the different types of weights is an essential skill.

Clip on lead weights are about 4% Antimony. They produce good quality handgun bullets. Adding some Tin makes them even better (Rotometals is a good source for 50/50 Lead/Tin). Lead weights are sometimes labeled "Pb". Pretty much every "Micro" brand wheel weight is Lead/Antimony. Most Lead weights have tapered ends. Only the steel clip is attracted to a magnet.

There are many steel wheel weights floating around. Most are labeled "Fe". Of course they are attracted to a magnet. They will float in melted lead.

Zinc weights are out there in lesser quantity. Labeled "Zn", they resemble lead weights to the untrained eye.

Stick on weights are almost pure lead. Melt these separately for special projects. I use pure Lead to soften the standard wheel weights for very low velocity loads like .45 ACP, .38 Special and .44-40. 5 parts Lead/Antimony to 1 part pure.

Occasionally I will find some Linotype at the scrap yard. This stuff is SWEET! Use it to harden the standard wheel weight alloy for high velocity hangun loads. I blend 50/50 wheel weight/Linotype for rifle bullets for good results at 2500 fps with a gas check

 

[Dawico]

Anybody have any idea on the lead content/ mix of lead roof vent covers? I have a few I saved from a couple reroof jobs we did a while back.

 

[jtyler]

Lead vents are 100% lead. Ive used them either mixed with wheel weights or with added tin in the form of solder successfully.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Dawico]

Lead vents are 100% lead. Ive used them either mixed with wheel weights or with added tin in the form of solder successfully.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Thanks.

 

[winchster]

My grandad saved somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 pounds of battery lead and fishing weight lead. Suggestions?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Is the battery lead out of the battery and cleaned of the acid? If so I think those are also soft lead and would need some hardening. Fishing weight lead also tends to be soft lead as well.

 

[franzas]

Is the battery lead out of the battery and cleaned of the acid? If so I think those are also soft lead and would need some hardening. Fishing weight lead also tends to be soft lead as well.

My friend was telling me if you have lead, you can buy ingots of whatever it is to make hardcasts. weigh it out and melt them together.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Man it just dawned on me. I forgot about a warning I've heard for car battery lead. Supposedly it out-gasses when melting it down, not sure what precautions could be taken to avoid problems since it was in acid.

 

[franzas]

Man it just dawned on me. I forgot about a warning I've heard for car battery lead. Supposedly it out-gasses when melting it down, not sure what precautions could be taken to avoid problems since it was in acid.

Ya, I've heard batteries are bad feedstock for casting

 

[winchster]

It's already been melted down once. I need to find out how to go about adding tin and in what amounts.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[vmax]

I found 55 gallon barrels of lead pipes that comes out of MRI machines. It is safe and very clean.
it is in 1.25 inch diameter tubes and cut to 12" lengths. I pay a really fair price for it and is a 14 BHN

I have about 100 plus lbs of ingots stored for use in my Lee Drip O Matic for future use but right now, I can buy Berry's plated bullets for my 9mm for $86/1000 shipped to my door. As long as I can buy plated bullets for those prices and not have to cast, size, and lube, I'm buying plated.

Also, I'm a lurker over on castboolits forum and have read time and time again to stay away from battery lead.

 

[franzas]

I found 55 gallon barrels of lead pipes that comes out of MRI machines. It is safe and very clean.
it is in 1.25 inch diameter tubes and cut to 12" lengths. I pay a really fair price for it and is a 14 BHN

I have about 100 plus lbs of ingots stored for use in my Lee Drip O Matic for future use but right now, I can buy Berry's plated bullets for my 9mm for $86/1000 shipped to my door. As long as I can buy plated bullets for those prices and not have to cast, size, and lube, I'm buying plated.

14, that's pretty good

 

[ken800]

I've got about 2-1 clip on to stick on. I am going to experiment with powder coating and wonder how much of the "pure" from the stick ons I can put in the clip ons and still be hard enough to shoot in .45 and 9MM in lower velocities and not lead up the barrel.

 

[ROGER4314]

Over 20 years ago, I routinely accumulated clip on wheel weights to smelt them into ingots. I used a separate melter as the pot became really nasty with foreign material. I poured the alloy into a cast iron corn bread mold and I have a whole bucket of those ingots out in the barn. As is, the alloy is 13.4 BHN and makes really good bullets. Soon, I'll fire the melters back up for my cast bullet rifle project. It's a lot of fun to cast your own bullets and it becomes a hobby in addition to the shooting sports.

Now, the wheel weight material varies and it's difficult to tell what you really have. IMHO, the best alloy source now is recycled bullets.

Flash

 

[winchster]

Fwiw the lead I have is over 20 years old. Not sure I could trade a recycler for anything so I'm going to attempt to purify it further I guess.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[ken800]

Anyone that is casting willing to trade clip on wheel weights for tape wheel weights (alloyed for pure), one-to-one? I know that some cast pure lead balls for some applications and prefer the tape. That would keep my mix more consistent. I'm in the round rock area...

 

[robocop10mm]

It's already been melted down once. I need to find out how to go about adding tin and in what amounts.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I get 1 lb 50-50 solder bars from Rotometals. 2% Tin is generally good enough. I add one bar to a full 20 lb pot for roughly 2 1/2% Tin