Is there still lead out there?

[kcm]

Are you serious, seriously? So are you trying to say the folks that sell ingots on EBay, and other places are going to the pen? AS far as I've been told by city & county officials scrapping lead isn't illegal (at least here) When you start smelting it, you need permits out the yazoo from every agency known to man.

Yes, exactly. If you're a business that deals with recycling of products, many areas (NOT all) have WAY too much regulation, oversight and hoops to jump through! In many areas, quick oil lube places are strictly monitored to ensure that the used oil is handled properly, stored properly, picked up properly, etc. Same goes for the companies that pick up the oil - they have hoops to jump through as well.

Tire dealers in many areas are under strict regulations as to what to do with used tires. Anything that the recyclers want, they take. Anything that they don't want often ends up laying around in a back corner of the property, as that is the least troublesome way to deal with the now-unwanted tires.

Places where you can drop off used batteries often have strict regulations concerning who and how the batteries leave the premises.

Notice in my words - I am NOT saying this happens everywhere!! Many places - not everywhere. There's a difference.

...And yes, we document the hell out of everything. The difference was two-fold in that court case. (1) judge was friends with plaintiff (only found that out AFTER the fact!) and (2) we were no longer professional contractors - meaning, they were CURRENTLY making their living at contracting - we weren't. Therefore, in this particular instance, we never stood a chance.



NOTE: The rest I'm sending in a PM. It's not really suitable for open forum. Nothing bad - just a bit personal.

 

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[Deft Tones]

KCM, I hope you appealed that case.

 

[smokeythecat]

Your favorite fishing hole should have some lying around. Shouldn't be too hard to find with a detector.

 

[roygpa]

About 25 years ago the company where I work had to purchase a new air compressor. The old compressor was sitting on top of a 1 inch thick by 2 foot square piece of a metal called Bbbitt. Babbit is a combo of various metals including lead. It was really heavy. I asked if I could have it and was told yes. One of the maintenance guys cut it into manageable pieces so I could get it home. I still have about 25 pounds of it left.

To make a short story long, maybe you could find some Babbitt?

 

[kcm]

KCM, I hope you appealed that case.

That was when I first started "learning" just how evil some people can be. Still had a lot of education to go. But we knew we couldn't fight the system there, so no...we had no appeal.

I'm a fighter. I cannot STAND to throw in the towel!! But in that instance, it just simply wasn't worth the effort. ...At least not to us.

 

[kcm]

About 25 years ago the company where I work had to purchase a new air compressor. The old compressor was sitting on top of a 1 inch thick by 2 foot square piece of a metal called Bbbitt. Babbit is a combo of various metals including lead. It was really heavy. I asked if I could have it and was told yes. One of the maintenance guys cut it into manageable pieces so I could get it home. I still have about 25 pounds of it left.

To make a short story long, maybe you could find some Babbitt?

Babbit is another metal you can find out "in the wild", so to speak. It used to be used on railroad cars as bearing material. However, it wasn't able to handle heat well enough, so there are many instances where people have found chunks of metal and had no idea where they came from. If they were to research the area, they would likely find that there used to be RR tracks going through the area where it was found. Granted, RR wasn't the only use of Babbit, so that's just one example.

 

[Davers]

So, it's 2016, and I am getting into this game LATE. I want to cast my own fishing jigs and such, and since I have heard that the wheel weight industry has pretty much completely gone over to zinc alloys, I need to know if there are still any good sources I can put my hands on free (or cheap) lead.

See the Civil war or the what is it threads.
Some guy threw or is throwing away some "Sweet" old Lead.

I save the Pure pieces I find for recycling or for someone like you. Cheap but not free. LOL

Also Keep detecting and you will likely find enough old cast bullets to make quite a few fishing pieces.

 

[Davers]

I get mine water hunting, View attachment 1355277 make new drop shot weights with my lead. View attachment 1355279 Also make lead bars for using after I lose all these.

When u smelt the found lead , does the Brass pieces in some sinkers rise to the surface of yr smelting pot?
Also If one used partially jacketed bullets would the jackets float to the top as well?
Think I recall a U tube Video of a couple guys smelting Wheel weights into ingots (in a muffin pan lol) & the steel pieces floated to the top . I think
Thanks for any info.
Davers

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

When u smelt the found lead , does the Brass pieces in some sinkers rise to the surface of yr smelting pot?
Also If one used partially jacketed bullets would the jackets float to the top as well?
Think I recall a U tube Video of a couple guys smelting Wheel weights into ingots (in a muffin pan lol) & the steel pieces floated to the top . I think
Thanks for any info.
Davers

No they are on the bottom of the smelting pot and the copper jackets you have to fish out of the pot.I was melting some lead weights I found that the inserts had rusted and others I don't keep and one just wouldn't melt, that was Tungsten a lot of the newer stuff is that.It's relaxing to make them.You could actually make a little side business out of it if you can find enough free lead and a tackle shop that will buy them.Living here in California everything is regulated up the wahzoo.

 

[Davers]

No they are on the bottom of the smelting pot and the copper jackets you have to fish out of the pot.I was melting some lead weights I found that the inserts had rusted and others I don't keep and one just wouldn't melt, that was Tungsten a lot of the newer stuff is that.It's relaxing to make them.You could actually make a little side business out of it if you can find enough free lead and a tackle shop that will buy them.Living here in California everything is regulated up the wahzoo.

Thanks it had been a few years since the video, guess they were fishing them out.

After years of hunting at a local lake ; that since I found out it was illegal .
I have so many fishing weights of all types, I should never have to buy any again (unless their use becomes illegal).

I still find a-lot of Lead wheel weights ,not a many as in the past, back when metals were at a higher scrap price i'd pick them up off the side of the interstate exit ramps ; I always liked the big ones off the 18 Wheeler's cause I was able to break them in 2 places & have 2 pure lead ends .

It's pretty easy to tell the lead from the non-lead ones (just a scrape on the Ground) but really without a metal Analyzer , One dose not know exactly what alloys yr working with.

Have a great Day.

 

[Deft Tones]

I find large chunks of lead used in housing construction of years past. The best sites are homes built before the great depression/ww2 time period and have been torn down. Lots of lead used in plumbing systems back then. Many old showers have floors lined with heavy lead pans. One time I personally demo'd a home built in the 50's that had a a 5'x5' lead pan that was over 150# sheet! Had to cut it in half to manage it out to the dumpster.

Lots of lead still out there.

 

[cyberdan]

They can't sell it as it is considered hazardous that is what a tire shop told me about all their old lead tire weights they still had.

Never heard that one before. What government entity is going to keep track of a box of old lead weights? A 6 pack of Modelo should be able to get you those.

I go to yard sales and buy junk pewter pieces. a buck a piece is what I try to pay. I then melt them down and cast into bright and shiny ingots and resell for $10 lb.

 

[dhsjgordon]

I save the Pure pieces I find for recycling or for someone like you. Cheap but not free. LOL

I'd probably take you up on that, but shipping lead from GA to ND is probably a bit more money than I'm willing to spend.

 

[TexasDeere]

Roofers throw a lot of lead away. Lots of roofs with lead pipe jacks. Find some roofers, especially ones replacing an old BUR roof.

 

[Davers]

I'd probably take you up on that, but shipping lead from GA to ND is probably a bit more money than I'm willing to spend.

I hear ya , PM me if your ever passing through Cobb County GA , on I-75.

 

[augoldminer]

My impression was he was sparking memory of an informal range nearby to sift vs a full blown range.
That said ,on ranges with extensive shotgun use there exist a commercial type harvester for lead ,which must end up somewhere after recovery.

I knew one guy that used his large trailer mounted 4 box gold drywasher to recover the lead shot on his skeet range and other shotgun ranges.
he also had a claim gold claim in the randsburg area he used it for recovering placer gold.

 

[cazisme]

Welcome to California were lead is being outlawed because it is hazardous, but mercury in all forms is cool ya its in your lightbulbs and thats ok too!

 

[cyberdan]

Welcome to California were lead is being outlawed because it is hazardous, but mercury in all forms is cool ya its in your lightbulbs and thats ok too!

That reminds me of something that happened to me the day I was born in Hollyweird, CA.

The nurses gave me a little beaded bracelet. The beads spelled out my name. They wrapped it around my wrist and connected the two ends with split lead shot like a fisherman would use.

 

[Davers]

I'm still digging it & saving it.

Only the Lord knows what will become of it all.

Heck with all the Lead I have Dug , I think that I deserve the label 'Environmentalist ' to my detecting resume.

 

[Getter]

I think you're gonna be hard-pressed to find "free" lead, as it is worth money to recycle. However, you can sometimes find old car batteries. Might could go to an auto salvage yard and find an already damaged battery. Explain what you want to do to the owner (I'm from a small town - that's still possible here ) and, if all you need is one battery, maybe they would give it to you, but probably sell for a low price. Then if you need more, bring in some of your castings to show off the next time - maybe even see if you could make a couple extras for them.

I cast bullets for my BP revolvers and I cast ant mounds with lead. I ride a bicycle and lead WW are still very common, they are not soft lead, but alloyed with a bit of tin and antimony.