Jump to content
Uncle Grump

Scrap yard lead

Recommended Posts

I called an area scrap yard this morning to see if they had any lead - they did - so I made the trip.....

In the bottom of a 55 gal barrel - mixed with ice and snow....I found an assortment of stuff....

Picked up 42# for $6.30 - this seemed cheap as compared to Ebay and some of the fishing sites - ie Barlows, Stamina, etc...

Found 1 round hunk - stamped 'National Lead' and the number 25 - this I am fairly certain is soft lead. The other stuff I found was a bunch of small retangular ingots - got 27 of those - am guessing -based on trying to cut in to them w/ a utility knife - that these are melted down wheel weights. These are similar to those shown in the pics on Ebay - but have no lettering. Both the round hunk and the small ingots are very dark gray in color - although shiney on the inside when I scratch them.

The last hunk I found looks to be a old peice of lead pipe - looks to have been buried in the ground - also has a white mineral deposit in the inside - am guessing it was fresh water pipe.

There is more there - but was all I could get out of thie ice w/o tools. The owner of the yard said to come back in about a month - when the barrel thaws out - also a 5 gal pail of wheel weights was sitting there....

Is there anyway to detirmine what I got is - hard vs soft?

Price was good - or ?????????

Thanks

UG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The lead pipe you have will be the softest of what you bought. Compare it to the rest of the stuff and you will be able to tell the difference in hardness

I called an area scrap yard this morning to see if they had any lead - they did - so I made the trip.....

In the bottom of a 55 gal barrel - mixed with ice and snow....I found an assortment of stuff....

Picked up 42# for $6.30 - this seemed cheap as compared to Ebay and some of the fishing sites - ie Barlows, Stamina, etc...

Found 1 round hunk - stamped 'National Lead' and the number 25 - this I am fairly certain is soft lead. The other stuff I found was a bunch of small retangular ingots - got 27 of those - am guessing -based on trying to cut in to them w/ a utility knife - that these are melted down wheel weights. These are similar to those shown in the pics on Ebay - but have no lettering. Both the round hunk and the small ingots are very dark gray in color - although shiney on the inside when I scratch them.

The last hunk I found looks to be a old peice of lead pipe - looks to have been buried in the ground - also has a white mineral deposit in the inside - am guessing it was fresh water pipe.

There is more there - but was all I could get out of thie ice w/o tools. The owner of the yard said to come back in about a month - when the barrel thaws out - also a 5 gal pail of wheel weights was sitting there....

Is there anyway to detirmine what I got is - hard vs soft?

Price was good - or ?????????

Thanks

UG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a score! - wheel weights up to $40 per 5 gal bucket here & now with more steel ones in the mix a solid 15#(clips + steelies) waste. The round block if 4-5# is almost pure plumber's lead - save it for when harder lead won't pour like in tiny ball heads. The other stuff, drop it on concrete from about a foot up and if it thuds, it's soft - if it dings, it's hard. Drop the ingots so they land flat side down.

Edited by hawnjigs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just be very careful when you melt the lead pipe down. If there is ANY moisture insode the pipe it will explode. I know from experience. Good luck. Sounds like you got a good deal.

Tony

I have a large cast iron pot wire tied to a turkey fryer burner, I always start the burner with cut down lead pipe just for this reason. Much safer to start with this than to put it in when melted.

Mr. Grump, you had a good score there. I have places around me that charge $.25 a pound for wheel wts., and have local plumbers I know save me pipe when they re do houses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice Score!!!!!!!!! The lead water pipe use a coat hanger and pull an old rag through it and stand it up to let it dry out. I'd melt all your wheel weights and flux and clean it and make some bricks out of it.

National Lead is probably pure stuff and I'd treat it as such. The other bricks are probably as you say tire weights.

You can always melt them down and flux and clean it all up then cast it back into clean bricks then you know it's all cleaned.

fatman

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a score! - wheel weights up to $40 per 5 gal bucket here & now with more steel ones in the mix a solid 15#(clips + steelies) waste. The round block if 4-5# is almost pure plumber's lead - save it for when harder lead won't pour like in tiny ball heads. The other stuff, drop it on concrete from about a foot up and if it thuds, it's soft - if it dings, it's hard. Drop the ingots so they land flat side down.

Hawnjigs

I thank you for the tip about thud vs ding....tested the new lead and some stuff I got this summer (about a 5 gal pail full)...turns out - I have just about half soft and half hard lead - much more soft that I thought....

UG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


×
×
  • Create New...
Top