Did I do good or bad?

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Patocazador

Patocazador

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I stopped by a junk yard/recycler today and picked up a folded sheet of lead about 1/4" thick for $10. It weighs 38 lbs. I could scratch it with my thumbnail so it's got a high lead content.
Did I pay too much?
 
From the little bit I know, that sounds pretty good to me, as long as it's close to pure. I was pricing commercial lead last week, and it was about 18$ for a 5lb ingot of pure lead.
 
99.9% pure lead ingots at Rotometals is $2.40/pound right now I believe. Slightly cheaper if you buy at least 60 pounds, and free shipping if you spend $99 (they just jam it into a flat rate priority mail box...)
 
Packman, that's $3.60/lb. That seems outrageous. I paid ~ $0.26/lb. (if I figured right) and thought it was fair .. just don't know what craziness is going on now with metal prices.
 
More data points - there are folks on the cast boolits (or however they spell it) forum who sell smelted ingots for $1/pound that are fairly pure and I think they sell more raw stuff like lead wheelweights for more like .50/pound.
 
I just paid 20 for 10 pounds in ingot form so you did better then me lol. Sounds like a good find. Im going to start casting in the spring when its above freezing
 
for what it's worth in comparison, I just bought 40lbs soft supposedly "Pure Lead" in Ingots for $56 plus 11.65 shipping and I thought I did good.
 
One can get a 25 lb bag of lead shot for 45 bucks... http://www.zipmetals.com/Magnum-Lead-Shot_c_35.html

Just noticed that's magnum shot, meaning it has antimony in it and it's hard alloy, find for .38s, not so great for Minies or RB in revolvers. But, anyway, seems like shot, non-magnum variety, is pretty competitive. I was thinkin' of getting a bag of soft lead 00 buck and saving an amount of it to shoot in my .32.
 
Mmm, buckshot is not cheap. Changed my mind. :D However, I found pure lead running the same 45 bucks per 25 lb bag. I guess I can find ingots cheaper, probably, but that's not TOO bad at a buck 84 a lb and shot is easy to use, just pore it in the furnace. :D
 
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I've paid as much as $1 a pound for lead, so $.30 some all cents for lead is certainly more than fair in my opinion!

Ok.... so I'm not so good at math...
 
I picked up some lead flashing from my local metal recycler last year.
A couple years before that, I got one of those vinyl coated, mushroom shaped, lead boat anchors from them. I haven't melted either one yet. I also have bought printer's type from them. Got a coffee can full.
I used to be able to get lead battery bars (from electric forklift batteries) from the battery companies at work.
They are the intercell connector bars that are on top of the battery cells. Each cell has 2 or more posts that come out the top of the cell cases. The bars are welded to the posts with 50/50 solder or recycled bars, and connect the cells electrically.
Bullets I've cast from them are a little bit harder than those cast from wheelweights (my other favorite bullet alloy).
I need to build another furnace so I can get back to melting aluminum, zinc, and lead.
I have a fair bit of lead that needs to be cast into ingots.
 
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