A visit to the scrap yard

I hit the scrap yard in my area yesterday - was looking for lead - and I found some - left the yard with 179# of it - mostly soft lead. Spent the amazing sum of $26.85 ($.15 / pd). Cleaned the yard operator out - what I left was hard lead - ie a 5 gal. bucket of wheel weights.

Most of what I found will need to melted down, impurities skimmed off etc, but I can't help feel like a kid in the candy shop....I've got jig makings for a long time to come....

The ice is melting, soft water is around the corner, and it's finally warmed up enough to start doing some pouring again.

Spring is a comin'!!!

UG

Score

Wow, I thought wheel weights @$20 for a five gallon bucket was cheap. What kind of scrap yard was it and from what did you get the most lead out of? I may need to make a trip and try to find some.

UG
Should have taken the wheel wts. Use it for larger jigs or sinkers.

About two weeks ago I picked up ~300 lbs of sheet lead from one of my nephews - he works for a hazardous waste company. One man's trash is another man's treasure.....

Anyone in So Cal - have 4 maybe 5 buckets of wheel wts. to get rid of - send PM.

LedHed:

I did pick thru the bucket of weights and pulled out all the stick-on weights (soft lead) - nearly 3# worth of those, but left the bucket, as I had picked up about 35# of weights from my mechanic last week (5 gal bucket about 1/4 full), and I still have a bunch of unmelted ww lead that I got from him last fall. The cost for the latest batch was $5 and to make some jigs and stuff for his kids (who fish)....

I don't have sinker molds yet, and my largest jig heads (in the molds) is 1 oz, so I think I am safe for awhile....although I do see a bottom bouncer and drop shot mold in my future at some point.

Fish 4 all:

I live in a rural area of a small county - just how small? - the biggest town in the county has a population of maybe 6K. This may have a bearing on the price I pay....

There are two scrap yards in my area - one about 5 miles away, the other about 20. The closer one will not sell any metal they take in - I asked. The further one does - I let my fingers do the walking to find that out.

Both yards buy scrap metal - ie old cars, farm machinery, wire, aluminum, etc. 3-4 years back, we burned the barn my property - we loaded up all the steel from it - nails, door hinges, conduit, any thing and everything - sold it - that's the kind of scrap yard I mean - they deal in salvaged metal.

I went to the 20 mile distant yard 2 weeks ago - after my phone call. It was still cold out (ice and snow), dug thru a 55 gal. barrel they keep the lead in - came away w/ 42# ($6.30) of mixed lead, some hard, some soft. Bunch of ice in the barrel, so I couldn't get all the way to the bottom. The owner told me to come back when it warmed up (barrel thawed out), and since it had, I went back yesterday, and dug.

The lead varies in origin - some was pipe and gasket seals from a sewer/water project in a nearby town - some (prev. trip) was small ingots of lead that I am betting were once wheel weights, one hunk yesterday was about 1" thick and about 10x14", one hunk was 1/4-3/8" thick sheet material of about 10 x 20".... I was mainly looking for soft lead - and it was there, so grab it while the grabbing was good.

And I can't complain about the price - as compared to folks selling it on ebay, etc.

UG

I live in abut the same size community but my town is a little larger, 14K I think but shrinking fast. I will have to call my local scrap yard and see if they have any and what they want for it.

UG
Watch out for the stick on wheel wts. - the adhesive smokes really bad when you melt it. Good lead but a headache to deal with. That's some of the stuff I'm trying to get rid of. Steel clips float up easy enough but you are getting road salts and what ever also.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LedHed

UG
Watch out for the stick on wheel wts. - the adhesive smokes really bad when you melt it. Good lead but a headache to deal with. That's some of the stuff I'm trying to get rid of. Steel clips float up easy enough but you are getting road salts and what ever also.

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LedHed

Thanks for the tip - hadn't melted any down yet. I will do that on a warm day w/ both O/H doors open. Flux (thanks Tackle Underground) has made a big differance in what I can do (pour) w/ wheel weight lead...

UG

I picked up 350 pounds at a scrap dealer a while back myself...it was soft lead roofing. When I melt it down...its got that bluish tint to it. Good stuff.

Great to hear you scored UG. I was thinking of starting to pour my own jigs but then decided nah since I work in a refinery and melt metals all day allready lol

I'm jealous and lazy.Maybe need to hit a few yards though.

The two small car repair shops that I get my weights from have even learned exactly what I like. They even have sepeate buckets set up for me now. Regular WW and one bucket of the stick on's. I do those on the side burner of my grill outdoors. Usually once they start melting a big chunk of scented candle wax for fluxing takes care of alot of the smell LOL.

But for free I'm not complaining. When I go visit my parents the next time my brother in law who shoots Civil War reenactments has helped tear down some old buildings and they had pure lead water pipes in them.

They cut them in six foot lengths and then shoot a small cable through the center and pull some old rags through and get alot of the junk out. Then they stand them up and let them dry out. A couple good taps on the top of them and the rest of the junk usuall falls out, then cut smaller into the melter adn clean it out and best of all FREE!!!!!!!!!

Fatman

All

I hit a differant scrap yard yesterday. Found some sheet lead (soft) - came from a hospital X-ray room. Grabbed 65# - all I could carry and had cash for. Price was higher @ .75/pd :( :( , but not as high as some I've bought. Overall, this is some nice lead.

UG

You go Grump!

Nice Score!!!!!!!!!

Now don't be in a rush to turn down wheelweights, once you really learn your molds you'll learn which molds you can pour ww lead into even the small sizes. Remember to mark your molds or on a sheet of paper which lead or mix of lead works best in each.

I have alot of ww and by mixing 2 parts ww to 1 part pure and fluxing and really cleaning it I pour down to 1/32nd in all molds, thus saving the pure for really small stuff.

My personal feelings on pouring after 30+ yrs of pouring is anything below 1/32oz is gonna be pure lead, it just makes it easier.

Fatman

That's a good deal for that soft lead.In order to get good soft lead I've paid over $1.50 per pound.I've gotten good lead on ebay but there are some who say it's soft but it's not.It's better to do the hands on buying.

!! "its Up, And Its Good" Right Between The Up Rights"!!:d "!!"

Another great score UG. X-ray lead is as pure as it gets. I like the soft sheet stuff because it’s so easy to cut up and handle. The bricks are a problem. You should be heading back for more……..

JJJ
$1.50/lb. !!!!!! yikes, get mine for free.

FM
Scented candles - good idea. Have 2 or 3 buckets of the stick ons that I can't give away.

Led

The candle wax is from pieces of Yankee Candles. If your'e really having trouble with the stick on's an cleaning them you can send them to me and I'll take care of them for you:p:p:p

Seriously though, when you get ready to burn them down make sure you got a really good exhaust fan, or you do it outside!!!!!!!!! You'll get less smoking if you get a small pot of pure melted then put the stickons in and then use an old cookie sheet to cut the smoking, Helps a little.

If you have 2-3 buckets full that's some serious pure lead sittin there.

I might have my own score of pure, the girl that lives next to me works at a hospital and she's checking to see when their vests are due for replacement. She's gonna try and get it so I get as many as I want. Here's hoping.

Fatman

FM
The stickons are good lead but a real pain to melt. Careful on the vests, sometimes they encapsulate the lead in plastic and it's not that easy to recover.

Not a problem, got some of them before. All I had to do was go to my neighbors and use his bench vise to crack the plastic and it dropped right out. cleaned up the plastic and took it to the dumpster for plastic.

Fatman