foulpole18 Posted December 27, 2007 Report Share Posted December 27, 2007 I have a bunch of lead shot from when my dad used to reload shotgun shells. Could a guy melt that in jigs? Thinking about starting to make jigs and spinnerbaits and was wondering if that would be an option. Thanks Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 It should work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willie525 Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 how much, its about 50 bucks for 25 pounds of shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foulpole18 Posted December 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Im not sure how much he has. He just asked me if I had any use for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smirkplug Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 I tried it on wood crankbaits by drilling the wood then pouring the shot in the cavity then sealing with resin and it didn't work out very well. It never sealed properly but it did rattle a little. Melting it is fine though ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counting-empties Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Most shotgun pellets contain arsenic , if the shot is still in the bags read them . If you still want to melt it do it outside . Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDC Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 sell the shot, then go buy twice as much scrap lead for your jigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloomisman Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 sell the shot, then go buy twice as much scrap lead for your jigs exactly what I thought. shot is worth its weight in gold right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Just for kicks and giggles, I did some price checks on kead shot. Five pounds of Hornady's premium buckshot at Cabela's cost 19.95 or just under $4.00 a pound. The current scape lead price is around $0.35 pre pound. Can you melt it down? Sure can. Is it the smart move? Your dad and you would ;oss a nice chunk of change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foulpole18 Posted December 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 Thanks for the information. I think I'll tell him to sell it. If it does have arsenic in it, I dont really want to melt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly Posted December 28, 2007 Report Share Posted December 28, 2007 It is harder lead and some molds want you to use soft lead only. the reason it is hard is so it doesn't deform as bad going down the barrel. ps you might want to sell it local. That is alot of poundage to ship! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogajiga Posted December 29, 2007 Report Share Posted December 29, 2007 Also, if you've got lead free bismuth shot that is really worth a chunka change. I just bought a mixed lot of dive weight shot bags and after melting all together realized a good portion was bismuth due to the behavior of the melt(the castings have wet spots that take a looong time to harden). Bismuth shot worth $20 a lb. is now wasted on cheap sinkers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLT Posted December 29, 2007 Report Share Posted December 29, 2007 It is harder lead and some molds want you to use soft lead only. the reason it is hard is so it doesn't deform as bad going down the barrel. ps you might want to sell it local. That is alot of poundage to ship! US post office has a box that no matter what you put into it, as long as it doesn't distort the shape of the box, and I think a 35# limit, it's like $8.50 to ship anywhere in the US. My Brother sold lead on Ebay and packed 30-35 pounds of lead in these boxes. I'll bet they LOVED him lol. They have several sizes/priced boxes like this. I've sent out tackle several times using these boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted December 29, 2007 Report Share Posted December 29, 2007 Thanks for the information. I think I'll tell him to sell it. If it does have arsenic in it, I dont really want to melt it. Most shotgun pellets contain arsenic , if the shot is still in the bags read them . If you still want to melt it do it outside . As others have noted-- if possible, sell the shot and buy scrap lead for melting instead. However, just for the sake of general information, shotgun pellets are completely safe to melt down. Yes, most shot does indeed contain a tiny amount of arsenic as a hardening agent. But once arsenic is added to a lead alloy, it is completely chemically-bound and cannot be separated. It will not "cook out" when you melt the lead, and it cannot cause you any harm. I know that just the word "arsenic" makes people scared, but in this case there's no need to panic. Most tire weights are poured from an alloy that also contains a small amount of arsenic. It's not gonna get out to cause problems. Sometimes it's possible to recover used shot from trap ranges, and occasionally you see it offered for sale as scrap lead. If the price is good, buy it, as it pours very well. So, for those who may have used shot to melt-- no worries! Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foulpole18 Posted December 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2007 Thanks that good to hear. I guess I never thought about the wheel weights having it in them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
