lead

[spiderkayaker]

where do you guys get your lead? dad got a big pile years ago from an agriculture auction. it was used as a counter balance on some kind of scale. wel, i finally used up my share this winter and i dont know where to look to find more. any ideas?

[fishhunter775]

You should be able to find some at the scrap yards that buy metals.Also look for some roofers in the area as they always have some laying around.Good luck.

[backtocrappie]

I never get mine from just one source. I collect lead from old batteries, find it while fishing, maybe find some on the job, this year I'll be using my metal detector during drought scanning for lead along the banks.

[grubfarmer67]

I Get Mine From Jiffy Lube"grease Money,"etc...any Tire ,and Autos...good Luck Bud"dont Forget To Add Tin,nickel"and Maybe Some old Timers Still Use Bees Wax"better Pour"lil Smoke"but Gets It Did"!
Grubs":d

[mikeb]

Check wit the tire dealers in ya area...
mikeb

[spiderkayaker]

grubfarmer, i didnt quite follow that...

tire stores are a great idea.

i had a buddy in seattle whos father did commercial demolition. in the 80s they demoed a hospital and he managed to salvage plenty of 2 inch thick panels that were in an old x-ray room. those guys have lead for life. he has a pile 4' high with grass growing all up around it behind his barn!

[Fatman]

Some of the bigger tire places won't give them out even for money, so check small independent garages. Check local muzzle loader groups they usually scrounge lead big time.

I'm lucky in that I've never had to buy it. I've got 2 independent garages that know what I want and save it for me. Pure is a little tougher to come by in my area but my landlord had a pile of old water pipe laying around and I helped get rid of a bunch of it.

Make it a point to play with different mix's 1-1, 2-1 etc. I've got a few molds even down to 1/32nd that I don't have to use pure in and it saves the pure for those that will only pour with it.

Fatman

[backtocrappie]

Wheel weights are a lead/tin mix, good for nothing but wheel balancing. Pure lead in big quantities can come from roofing companies, scrap yards, and the trades. Gun ranges sometimes have it, or in certain industries where lead is used in counter balance systems. Or such I do sometimes, a rinsed and dried automotive battery can contain 10's of pounds of pure clean lead.

[Fatman]

Back to crappie

Don't discount all wheelweights, like I said the small independent shops are still using the old style wheel weights and I'd sure as heck stock up on them while you can. Like I put in my last post I taught the guys exactly what I was looking for and that's what they save for me but I still check it.

Drive my wife nuts when I start cleaning lead.

I have a buddy in the town I work who went to a junk yard and the guy let him got through and take all the tire weights off the rims of junk cars he wanted for nothing!!!!!!!!!!! Three days later and a might still back he just recently cleaned and smelted it. 700 LBS. three days and 700 free lbs yeah I would sure take it!!!!!!!!!!

Fatman

[Jiggin_Joe]

Is it worth pouring your own jigheads and going threw all that work? I get my jigheads for 7 cents a piece. I bet by the time you buy the lead and the hooks you probly pay that anyway no?

JJ