Lead Scrap?????

[THECUSCUS]

Anyone have any experience with removing the lead from a keel for scrap (from a derelic boat of course). How did you do it? If the manufacturer used pelletized lead, did they pour glass resin over it? And if so, is most of the lead encapsulated in the resin? Or if I were to drill a large hole (6" lets say) in the outer fiberglass of the keel, will the lead just "pour" out? I'm just trying to figure out if removing the lead from junk boats to sell as scrap is going to be worth the effort involved. Thanks for your thoughts or advise.

 

[Rick I]

Depends on the boat - whether it's an encapsulated keel or a fin. If encapsulated it may be covered by epoxy or you may find chunks of iron and cement in there. The problem is what to do with the rest of the boat. In many places they deem fiberglass as being hazardous so it'll cost you to get rid of the boat. Can't imagine anyone would allow you to just take the best bits and leave them the hulk.

 

[tommays]

Around here the bits and pieces cost 4 cents a pound to throw away unless you sneak 20 pounds a week into your garbage can for about a year

 

[Cayennita]

What brand, year, model is it?

 

[kendall]

Last year I hauled an old power boat to the dump, they charge by the pound. when stripped it weighed in at 1800lbs, and cost $46 to dump.

If the ballast is a solid chunk, only option is to haul it out and cut it up.
If it's pellets, it depends primarily on what they used as a binder.
If it's resin, beat on it or heat it up.
If it's concrete you can beat on it, or use any acid stronger than vinegar, dilute phosphoric acid is available at most serious gardening shops, masonry supplies, auto parts stores (as rust conversion spray) and some pool supply shops. It works extremely well to dissolve concrete. It leaves you with neutralized acid/water sand and whatever else was embedded in the concrete that can be vacuumed up with a wet/dry shop vac. The liquid residue will normally be lawn/garden safe if diluted more, or can go down the drain (may shock a septic tank though)
It's not 100% 'safe' but is the ingredient that gives cola it's 'bitter' taste

DO NOT SPILL ON CONCRETE DRIVEWAY, you will be patching it.

 

[caguy]

A scrap yard would buy it from you as is. You may not get as much as uncontaminated lead, but you won't have to put up with the hassle of separating it either.

 

[THECUSCUS]

What brand, year, model is it?

Early 70's Tartan 27, not even sure if it has a lead keel yet, I'm just in the beginning stages of a proposed scrap job.

 

[sailormanbigd]

i scrapped a couple hundred pounds of lead ballast from my Morgan, it was ingot and bb's and no binder=clean. I only got 80 cents a pound for it, so you might want to check what they will pay before you go through all the trouble. I'm sure they got way more money for it to and end user like fishing sinker mfg.