ghost Posted May 9, 2008 Report Share Posted May 9, 2008 I read somewhere on here that if you can find a indoor .22 range you found a gold mine for lead. Well I just found what I thought was my gold mine. I received a call that a indoor range had 3, 5 gal. buckets full of lead from the range for me to pick up. Price for all this lead $5. I have been melting it and atleast 50% if not more is garbage. Granted it is still a lot of lead for basically free I figure it comes out to less than $0.01 a pound. But starting to wonder if its really worth the extra hassle. The guy emailed me the other day and said he has another 3 buckets for me. Not sure if I really want to get them....... Is three buckets full of somewhat junk lead worth getting for $5 and the hassle?? Not sure what the going rate for lead is...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeylegs1246 Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 At the scrap metal place they're buying scrap lead at $0.50/lb and selling it to someone else @ $0.90/ld.......Sounds good to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimsbane Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Yea it's still a gold mine. The lead that you dont use will still fetch a hefty price. I'm the mgr at a local dealer ship, I have two "junk" men that pay me $25-$35 a bucket for scrap lead weights, these have steel attaching pieces, i'm sure you would get more for pure lead. Now if you mean trash by the copper etc in it, it may not be worth melting but at $20 to $30 a bucket profit you could buy lead ingots. just my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogajiga Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 "ghost", what do you mean by "garbage"? I'm paying $30 for a 5 gal bucket not quite full of wheel weights that melts down to 100# of lead and 20# of steel clips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 I did the same thing several years ago, only I had to scoop up my own buckets. Nothining short of a hernia that was. I got 11 buckets full, then the work started. You do get about 30% garbage (meaning an assortment of copper, brass, plastic and whatever else is used to fabricate bullets). The lead that was salvaged was nice soft lead. I still have several buckets of the garbage to dispose of one day. I thought at the time that possibly I could turn around and sell the copper for there was quite a bit in there, yet quite contaminated with lead impurities, similar to the steel wheel weight clips when skimmed from the melting pot. In all, you do get some good lead from this source, if you don't mind the work involved to get it. For the record, it was the last time I got lead from there, and as I type out this little story, I begin to ache all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Thanks for the reply guys.... Sounds like it is definately worth the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 If I could, I'd swing on by and pick up all the 'fool's gold' you've got! A gold mine requires the correct mining equipment. How are you melting down this windfall? If you're melting it down in a small pot, you're making a lot of work for yourself. Get a large (at least 4qt) cast iron pot. Get enough heat, like a turkey fryer burner. It is essential to flux scrap lead before pouring ingots. You will recover more lead, melting/pouring will go easier, and your ingots will be 'cleaner'. I use paraffin wax to flux with-- specifically old candle ends or any other source of free hydrocarbons. Anything with hydrocarbons in it will work. Load up the cast iron pot with bullet scrap, turn up the fire, and let it melt. Add a couple more scoops of scrap lead as the melt proceeds (an old garden trowel works well as a bullet scrap scoop). When you see the melt is almost all melted, add a chunk of wax about 3/4" square. It will melt and eventually flame up. Stir the melted max into the melt (an old large stir-spoon bolted to a wooden handle works well). You'll see the crud separate from the lead. Immediately skim off the crud, and prepare to pour ingots. If you're doing this on a large enough scale, you'll need a lot of ingot molds, because you'll be pouring a lot of lead. Spent 22lr bullets makes very good lead for pouring, and the 22 bullet scrap lead you get will be very consistent. I'd suggest you get your hands on those free buckets of lead, and let your new friend know that you'll take all he's got! Anyway, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Definitely a gold mine. Ditto Sagacious on doing it in large bulk and fluxing. Just be extra careful with the fluxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Bait Co. Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 This is the way I see it if you got three five gallon buckets of lead for $5 and you can pour 50 to 100 buzzbaits,spinnerbaits and jigs then resell them on eBay for 10x that and more. I would be rolling my sleves up and sorting it all out or melting it all to get the junk out. Another thing keep getting them and saving them for when its slow down time. Do you smell a huge profit or is it me. Then you could take down Strike Queen or Boo Who or both. Then you could be the spinner, buzz, jig KING. Its so nice to dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Think of it this way... A modern day gold prospector might run 5 tons of material through a slews box in about 10 hrs. That material is reduced to about a 20 gallon tub which is finally panned one cup at a time to generate 1 to 3 small flakes of gold that weigh next to nothing. After carefully panning that 20 gallons of muck for a few more hours during the coarse of a good day, he may have an ounce or two of gold if he's lucky... As of May 10, 2008 @ 02:34 US Central Time, Gold was being traded for $884.00 an ounce Was it worth the effort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost Posted May 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 That is some great advice. Currently I have been just melting it in my hot pot 2 thing. I would fill it full of the lead and by the time I scooped out all the junk I had maybe a 1/4 of a pot full of good lead. I have a old cast iron pot that still is full of lead I got for free last year, just don't have a ladle so never used it. Guess I need to get a ladle since it will be a lot easier to clean the lead in the cast iron pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank55 Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Guys I should not tell you this but I got 16 -40# bricks ( same size as a reg.block brick) of pure lead for $ 65. My buddy got over 700# of pure lead rings ( these are 2 foot around and 3-4' thick free (they were thrown away). Hope you can find some of these bargain also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Tank55, You are absolutely right . . . . you shouldn't have told us! Why can't I run into deals like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Tanks Tank55 (Oooops, forgot a "H" didn't I) Now that we know, I'll see if any of my old contacts have noticed any new "dents" in the earth's crust and we can get zeroed in on the treasure. You in George??? Us wire benders got to stick together no matter how goofy things get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 ...I received my lee production pot in the mail today and don't know how I ever lived without it.... That is some great advice. Currently I have been just melting it in my hot pot 2 thing. I would fill it full of the lead and by the time I scooped out all the junk I had maybe a 1/4 of a pot full of good lead. I have a old cast iron pot that still is full of lead I got for free last year' date=' just don't have a ladle so never used it.Guess I need to get a ladle since it will be a lot easier to clean the lead in the cast iron pot.[/quote'] Do yourself a favor and take my advice on this. Get a long-handled steel stir spoon to use as a skimming spoon, and a cheap long-handled ladle to pour ingots with. Get a couple uncoated steel muffin or cupcake pans to use as ingot molds. Do not fill the muffin pans to the top with lead, or the ingots may be difficult to remove. 3/4 full is perfect. If you want to maximize efficiency of your labor, time, and production, you'll separate the refining of scrap from the pouring of lures. Spend a few hours or a day melting down a bunch of scrap and pouring a mountain of ingots. Concentrate on your work and do nothing but maximize the amount of lead you refine during that time. NEVER refine scrap lead in your Lee pot, only use your clean ingots. When you're ready to pour, concentrate on your work and do nothing but pour jigs/lures. If you "couldn't live without" your Lee pot, don't switch horses now and go back to ladle-pouring. With the proper equipment for refing scrap lead, and your pouring setup laid-out properly, you're set for some real production and you'll get far more done-- and with far less work. Get yourself a large cast iron pot, a good heat source, some ingots molds, and some skimming/ladling spoons, and you'll be set to take advantage of any scrap lead deals you find. I think anyone who's interested in maximizing their production vs labor, will agree that this is by far the best system: ingots first, jig pouring later. Hope this helps, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Guys I should not tell you this but I got 16 -40# bricks ( same size as a reg.block brick) of pure lead for $ 65. My buddy got over 700# of pure lead rings ( these are 2 foot around and 3-4' thick free (they were thrown away).Hope you can find some of these bargain also. Then I definitely shouldn't say this: Over the past few years I've poured several thousand lbs of lead, and never paid a dime for any of it. There is so much free lead around (here anyway...) that I wouldn't even consider paying real cash money for lead. The deals are out there. Shooting ranges that are happy to have you haul off their lead, tire stores that will give you free lead, etc. Bring a couple 5gal buckets to switch-out with their buckets of lead. Tell all your friends that you can use any scrap lead they might see. Finding the best deals is just a matter of keeping your eyes open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ogajiga Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 On the other hand, I've gone thru a few tons also, and had to pay for all of it. Judging by the brisk eBay market @ $1.00 per lb., there are those with even tighter supply opportunities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeves Posted May 10, 2008 Report Share Posted May 10, 2008 Sagacious, Excellent advice in your above post. Anyone not following these type of guidelines will eventually find out why the hard way. As for 'free' lead, around here you could go to most tire shops and they would gladly give you what they had. Today is different though. Since their cost for new weights has risen dramatically, they have discovered that they can recover some of their costs by selling the old ones. The last I checked a few weeks ago they wanted as much as $.075 per lb. Scrap yards want $1.00 per lb. for used wheel weights. I haven't revisited the indoor shooting range in a while, but am tempted to do so. Yeah, there was a time not too long ago when I wouldn't pay a dime for scrap lead either, but now am forced to dig in with the pirates and pay the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 (edited) Sagacious,Excellent advice in your above post. Anyone not following these type of guidelines will eventually find out why the hard way. As for 'free' lead, around here you could go to most tire shops and they would gladly give you what they had. Today is different though. ... Yes, very true. I'm not saying there's free lead everywhere, but there are still deals out there for the finding. Make friends with the guys at the tire shop. Call ahead for orders, and then show up with a bag of deli lunches. I can virtually gar-on-tee that every time you show up with an empty 5gal bucket, you'll be greeted with smiles. Take the tire shop manager fishing. That works wonders. Bring a few fish by, if you know he likes fish. Etc, etc. There are a couple local tire shops that give me free weights just so they don't have to lug 'em around. There's a local tire shop that charges others $20+/bucket, but they charge me $0/bucket because they know my face, and I send business their way. I shoot at a local range-- often just before they close-- and I occasionally help sweep the range at closing. That = as many buckets of lead as I can carry whenever they've got 'em (there's a guy with a flatbed truck that buys/hauls-away their lead and brass, but they're happy to give me whatever lead I can take). My contractor friends bring me lead pipe whenever they find it. A fishing buddy of mine is a diesel mechanic. That's good for easily 75-150lbs of lead a month. A printshop friend occasionally gives me linotype lead. He knows everyone in the business, and knows who has old lead lying around. If you drive by a tire shop and don't ask-- nicely-- you may be missing out. I know there are some very tight markets, but that's not the case everywhere. Even in this day and age, a smile and a handshake still works. I was the one who mentioned in an eariler post that an indoor 22 rimfire range was a gold mine (or lead mine). Never hurts to ask! You may get lucky, like Ghost did. Edited May 11, 2008 by sagacious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike-A-Pike Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Guys, Don't forget the barter system is also still alive. You might be surprised how much higher on the "Who am I saving my lead for?" list if you pass along a few of your premium lures to. Don't play fair; play to win. sagacious - The tips you are putting out there seem like the very logical, safety minded voice of experience speaking. I would add just a few other thoughts on the subject. Simple things like leather aprons, gloves, boots, and a face shield or glasses will go a long way in minimizing getting burned. I don't think it's a matter of "if" your going to get burned, but a matter of "when." Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted May 11, 2008 Report Share Posted May 11, 2008 Thankyou for the kind words, Bruce. Very sage words about the safety gear. The risk of a serious burn never goes away completely, and one should always keep this in mind. Have a plan for what you'll do if you get burned, or have a serious lead spill. And keep your access to a source of cold water unblocked, as you'll need to get cold water on a burn ASAP. I pour with a full-length heavy canvas apron, high-heat gloves, eye protection, long-sleeve cotton shirt, jeans, and boots. NEVER EVER approach molten lead without eye protection-- a burn on the hand is one thing, your eyesight is quite another. In addition, long-handled pliers (channel-locks) are always at hand. When refining scrap, I add a baseball cap to the list-- that flux can flame up quick! More safety stuff is located in the sticky at top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psv Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 My source of lead -Ebay. I don't do jigs for sale, only for myself and 2 fishing buddies. I need about 100 - 120 lb per year. Recently, I bought 2 lots: 20lb of hard lead and 35lb soft pure lead. I mixed 40/60% - perfect. The average price with shipping was about 1.15$ per lb. Regards, PSV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfellmy Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 (edited) Lead here in Fort Myers, Florida is 91 cents a pound whether you get wheel weights or soft plumbers lead. I don't stock up any more, too expensive. I buy just as much as I need to complete the order. I used to have 1100 bars of lead. Now I got 20 bars of lead. Edited May 12, 2008 by kfellmy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Bait Co. Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Reeves I wouldn't get you tires balanced at thoes tire shops that reuse their wheel weights. I worked at a tire dealer for a few years when I was younger. They wouldn't let us reuse old wheel weights because they could fall of or brake where the steel clip is. They do get worn out over time. Heres some other good places to get lead at. Before they demo anold building or house. The water or gas pipe may be made of lead. Ask the contractor if you can have the lead after they rip it out. Their could be hundreds of pounds in an old building. That will save them money and time for getting rid of it. The dunp may even have some they may let you take some. You never know you get arrested for stealing from the dump. So you should ask. Some of the old constrution and trade companys may have lead around their building or in their yards from the old days. When they made stuff out of lead. They may pay you to take it get it out of their sight. I will check with the contractors we work with if they have any jobs with any lead to get. To see if they let me have it. Our scap guy at work said he thinks they have tons of it at their yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsully18 Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Man,!,!, I sure wish you guys lived close to me. I have got a bunch of lead, and got a call just today from a friend wanting to know if I wanted some lead. Seems his son-in-law has run across several hundred lbs. at a construction site that he is forman on. Guess I have about 70 lb. on the way and possibily 100 - 300 lbs. more to come. They are doing some road work and unearthed a bunch of old lead water pipe and don't want to fool with trying to salvage it so son-in-law is gonna load it up and bring it to me. Would love to share it with you, but I'm sure the shipping cost would be high. Anyway, if you should be interested in some for the price of shipping, let me know via pm or e-mail captsully18@aol.com. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
