IS Lead worth keeping for scrap?

Diggin-N-Dumps

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I'm sure this is a question that has been asked, But I find pounds and pounds of lead about everytime I go out. I normally dont keep it because its not fun to carry in my pouch, and on some ocaasions, its been pieces about 5-10lbs

Do any of you guys benifit from scrapping lead? and is there REALLY any health concerns with keeping it?

sorry for the dumb questions.

thanks
 

Treasure_Hunter

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I don't scrap it, but I do save all lead I find for future use if needed...Zombies, Walkers and all.....
 

DeepseekerADS

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Scrap lead is running between $.56 and $.83 per pound depending on where we live. Seeing that our only lead producing facility in the United States was recently shut down by the EPA, one would assume a respectful increase in value.....
 

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Diggin-N-Dumps

Diggin-N-Dumps

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Ok, thanks guys. I just dont want to be tossing aside something of value

I found a place that has probally 20 + of these, they are 2lb Lead ignots, I only grabbed one because i thought it was cool looking. Not to mention the tons of smaller pieces I find daily

CAM01984.jpg
 

DirtyHowi

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try finding some reloaders, they would be happy to take it off your hands for a buck a chunk or so (depending on the weight). hey free to a dollah aint bad.
 

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Diggin-N-Dumps

Diggin-N-Dumps

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try finding some reloaders, they would be happy to take it off your hands for a buck a chunk or so (depending on the weight). hey free to a dollah aint bad.

I might check that out, maybe put an Add on CL or something

My biggest concern was is it safe to keep stored and all that. I dont know squat about Lead or the Dangers of, i just know Im not allowed to eat the Paint chips anymore..lol
 

Treasure_Hunter

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I save all lead fishing weights i find detecting and buy all the lead dive belts I can find at garage sales for lead for ammo..... Just in case I have to make my own ammo for "zombies"...
 

TravyLeigh

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Yes, bullet casters will buy it. I used to mine the pistol range and smelt ingots... Very fun, but for being only 25 years old, I didn't need the high lead content in my blood... Keep it in a 5 gal bucket and you're fine. If there's 20 of those, that's pretty good. $3 a piece pretty easily if you sell on CL
 

TravyLeigh

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I've made many hundreds of .45 ammo :) very fun and interesting hobby. I could make 100 bullets for only $5! That's just the cost of the primer and powder :)
 

Treasure_Hunter

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I've made many hundreds of .45 ammo :) very fun and interesting hobby. I could make 100 bullets for only $5! That's just the cost of the primer and powder :)
That is a whole lot cheaper than buying... I have 2 .45 pistols, Springfield XD and Springfield XDs, the XDs is one of my carry weapons...
 

TravyLeigh

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Can't legally conceal in CA where I'm at :/ but yes, $0.05 a shot is incredible! Hornady progressive press, spits out around 400-700 bullets an hour depending how hard I work. But when you shoot lead... You'll get a sweet taste in the back of your throat. That's the lead. So I stopped shooting it and gave some that I loaded away
 

Normsel

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Believe me if lead was so poisonous every plumber in the country would have died from it. Especially those over 65. Lead was used exclusively for joining cast iron waste pipes in every home and business in the country going all the way back to the 1850's and the Romans used lead back in 2200 BC. The word plumber comes from latin for worker in lead.

I worked for contractors for over 40 years and know of no plumber that ever died from any ailment related to lead.
 

Higgy

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I've made many hundreds of .45 ammo :) very fun and interesting hobby. I could make 100 bullets for only $5! That's just the cost of the primer and powder :)

I do the same, but with .44 Magnum, .45 Long Colt, and 45-70.

Wheel weights reign supreme for making boolits, but any lead allot will do in a pinch. Mostly I use wheel weights, but the soft pure lead like sinkers and stick-on wheel weights I use for making musket balls. Its easier on a muzzleloader barrel (I only shoot old flintlocks, not them new-fangled inline shotgun primer beasts).
 

TravyLeigh

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Heck yeah higgy! Wheel weights are nice and soft... Unfortunately, California has forced people to stop using wheel weights made of lead! Now they're zinc... Freakin communists here think everything is life threatening... Well hell, you can buy rat poison at the store... Just don't put it in your mouth!!!
 

TravyLeigh

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Also I want to get into flintlocks. To me, it's really the best survival firearm. Everything is available, and with skill (and living someplace with sulfur) you can make your own powder!
 

Woodennicol

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TravyLeigh,

I don't know how folks do it living in CA. I like the beauty of northern CA. and the fact that there is lots of gold out there, but dealing with the massive amount of regulations and pure ignorance of the political socialists that are doing their level best to eradicate freedom on the west coast must take its toll on Constitutional conservatives and normal folks!

It seems like there are too many people who need a cause to dedicate their existence to that has nothing to do with reality, God Bless the fools and freaks because they make the rest of us look good!

Around here everyone is looking for batteries to recycle and depending on the size and number you have to turn in they pay from $3 for smaller lawnmower size and $5-$8 or more for each regular and larger. So it does not take long to get a $50 payday. I keep it all for the same reasons most others do, you never know when civilization will become a thing of the past, mold em up and keep the powder dry!

Searching everywhere for treasure,

Jeff
 

brickyard

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From what I gather, lead is very dangerous to have around kids, and exposure to even the smallest amounts causes cognitive problems. But once you've been exposed to just that small bit, the excess ain't much to worry about. Some credible links to lead and violent crimes. Dealing with lead a lot might make you more inclined to violence, making your own bullets and such... (jk). I spent about six hours one day digging up what I thought were civil war bullets. Still have ziploc bag that must weigh three pounds full of them. Turns out they were civil war bullets. Civil war reenactment bullets. Didn't even know such a thing existed, but I'll be damned if I'm not going to keep them. That was six hours on a muggy summer day in the high weeds right next to a riverbank. Folks fishing and recreating must have thought I had gone plumb crazy.
 

pepperj

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Throw the lead into a container with a lid (so kids, pets, neighbour) won't be licking it, and sell it to a yard when you get some poundage. Lead in plumbing gets coated with lime deposits and city water testing has proven that it's not an issue (that's if we believe in what they say is the truth) handling lead is to be a common sense type of thing. Most scrap yards that have any common sense when it comes to health and safety have restricted smoking while handling of lead. Why? Well it's a simple matter of lead gets on the fingers or gloves, gets transferred to cigarette paper, person smokes, and there is a direct inhalation of lead. Melting of lead is also a issue as the vapours is the problem and once again a direct inhalation of lead through the smoke.

Yes there's the old saying " Well my Grandpappy lived till he was 96 and he smoked and drank a barrel everyday so what you're telling me is hogwash"

Digging up lead that's been around for 100-1000's of years has got an oxidation coating on the metal, handling of this item isn't a big thing, provided you're not lick cleaning the find.
 

CASPER-2

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ANSWER IS - YES
IF YOU CAN SAVE IT - SAVE IT
iVE GOT ABOUT 250 LBS
WILL SAVE FOR RETIREMENT
BY THEN I'LL PROBALY HAVE 1000 LBS AND IT WILL PROBABLY BE WORTH OVER $1 A LB
 

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