I need lead
- Thread starter letterman
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I hate to ask what you need the lead for.
Are you trying to make a mooring anchor out of lead? I would advise against cutting open batteries as they contain some quite strong acidic liquids that could hurt you and your equipment. A longstanding fishing gear place might have a bunch of lead sinkers that could be melted down. Otherwise they used to make pipes out of lead that you could melt down.
Are you trying to make a mooring anchor out of lead? I would advise against cutting open batteries as they contain some quite strong acidic liquids that could hurt you and your equipment. A longstanding fishing gear place might have a bunch of lead sinkers that could be melted down. Otherwise they used to make pipes out of lead that you could melt down.
Your least expensive source is a tire shop
next would be a plumbing shop and then a junk yard or whatever they call them now. Batteries aren't a very good source. Bust them open with a big hammer and let them drain and throw the whole thing in a big fire. When the fire is cold rake the ash away and collect the lead from the ground. All of the ash will be hazardous material, being lead compounds, so the fire place will be an EPA super fund site.
next would be a plumbing shop and then a junk yard or whatever they call them now. Batteries aren't a very good source. Bust them open with a big hammer and let them drain and throw the whole thing in a big fire. When the fire is cold rake the ash away and collect the lead from the ground. All of the ash will be hazardous material, being lead compounds, so the fire place will be an EPA super fund site.
Another source for that quantity of lead
Check out the small town newspaper publishers and printing shops. Many of them in years past used to set their own type in the printing galleys using linotype machines. These machines molded type using molten lead. The lead was fed into the machine's melting pot with 40-50# ingots. The used type were remelted in a large gas-fired pot and after removing the ink residue and impurities the lead was re-cast into ingots for the linotype machine. However now with the advent of desktop publishing and with current technology, the printing galleys full of lead type is no longer needed. You might be surprised to find shops that still have the equipment and lead but no longer use it. How's that for a totally-out-in-left-field suggestion? Barring this idea, a good source would be a metal recovery/recycle dealer. Not an auto junkyard, but a true metal recycler.
Check out the small town newspaper publishers and printing shops. Many of them in years past used to set their own type in the printing galleys using linotype machines. These machines molded type using molten lead. The lead was fed into the machine's melting pot with 40-50# ingots. The used type were remelted in a large gas-fired pot and after removing the ink residue and impurities the lead was re-cast into ingots for the linotype machine. However now with the advent of desktop publishing and with current technology, the printing galleys full of lead type is no longer needed. You might be surprised to find shops that still have the equipment and lead but no longer use it. How's that for a totally-out-in-left-field suggestion? Barring this idea, a good source would be a metal recovery/recycle dealer. Not an auto junkyard, but a true metal recycler.
Plumbing shops use it for cast iron pipe.
You can get it from a plumbing shop. They still use it to repair cast iron sewer pipes. It comes on large ingots, so you should not need to melt it down. I assume that some shooting supplys sell it for casting bullets too.
You can get it from a plumbing shop. They still use it to repair cast iron sewer pipes. It comes on large ingots, so you should not need to melt it down. I assume that some shooting supplys sell it for casting bullets too.
Gun range
Go to your local gun range and buy the slugs they sift out. You'll be surprised how fast you get to 500 pounds and it will likely be cheap, if not free. Catalina used to (maybe still does) do this for some of their ballast material.
Go to your local gun range and buy the slugs they sift out. You'll be surprised how fast you get to 500 pounds and it will likely be cheap, if not free. Catalina used to (maybe still does) do this for some of their ballast material.
A plumber's response
As a plumber and a bullet caster I have some experince with lead. If you want pure lead then stay away from the tire weights and the linotype. They are lead alloys which strengthens the metal for their intended purposes. Buying new lead seems a bit pricy, I would go to the plumbing supply houses and post a note. Plumbers who replace cast iron pipes often enough end up with quite a bit of lead (at least I do) Each hub on a length of pipes holds almost five pounds of pure lead and I'm sure the plumber would rather sell to you than give it away to the scrap yard for a song. (Scrap yards have paid between 10 and 30 cents a pound around here)I keep a good bit around for bullet casting.
As a plumber and a bullet caster I have some experince with lead. If you want pure lead then stay away from the tire weights and the linotype. They are lead alloys which strengthens the metal for their intended purposes. Buying new lead seems a bit pricy, I would go to the plumbing supply houses and post a note. Plumbers who replace cast iron pipes often enough end up with quite a bit of lead (at least I do) Each hub on a length of pipes holds almost five pounds of pure lead and I'm sure the plumber would rather sell to you than give it away to the scrap yard for a song. (Scrap yards have paid between 10 and 30 cents a pound around here)I keep a good bit around for bullet casting.
Get a hurricane boat!
One of the boats from my yard was sunk from tropical storm Ernesto. Some guy bought the boat from E-bay for around a hundred bucks, parted it all out and got top dollar for the lead keel. Lead is now over 1 dollar per pound - battery costs are going through the roof so, lead may be harder to get than you think. You may also want to Google "Chelation Therapy" because it sounds like you will be needing it after your 500 pounds of lead project is finished.
One of the boats from my yard was sunk from tropical storm Ernesto. Some guy bought the boat from E-bay for around a hundred bucks, parted it all out and got top dollar for the lead keel. Lead is now over 1 dollar per pound - battery costs are going through the roof so, lead may be harder to get than you think. You may also want to Google "Chelation Therapy" because it sounds like you will be needing it after your 500 pounds of lead project is finished.
I cut up batteries before for the lead. I
don't recommend it. It is surprising how little lead is in a car battery. Also, there is a whole lotta of slag that must be skimmed off from the pot. I believe I still have some spatter scars from the process.
don't recommend it. It is surprising how little lead is in a car battery. Also, there is a whole lotta of slag that must be skimmed off from the pot. I believe I still have some spatter scars from the process.
Scrap Metal
I'm sure that all shops are different but I went to a local scrap yard and bought old tire weights. Once melted the steel parts float to the top. They sold it to me for what they could sell it to a dealer. About 1/4 the cost of what a hardware store wanted. Lead is very toxic!!! You can absorb it through your skin. Batteries are not a good source. If you just want a high density metal for ballast etc you don't care if it is a slightly less dense alloy. I used mine to make some weights for my dive belt. I only need about 50#s. If you are a diver I used to collect fishing weights when diving. You know the 1-5 oz type that they use for ocean fishing. BUT be aware that barnacles can explode when heated..I've got the scars to prove it. Melted lead on the face is painfull.
I'm sure that all shops are different but I went to a local scrap yard and bought old tire weights. Once melted the steel parts float to the top. They sold it to me for what they could sell it to a dealer. About 1/4 the cost of what a hardware store wanted. Lead is very toxic!!! You can absorb it through your skin. Batteries are not a good source. If you just want a high density metal for ballast etc you don't care if it is a slightly less dense alloy. I used mine to make some weights for my dive belt. I only need about 50#s. If you are a diver I used to collect fishing weights when diving. You know the 1-5 oz type that they use for ocean fishing. BUT be aware that barnacles can explode when heated..I've got the scars to prove it. Melted lead on the face is painfull.
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