Where To Buy Lead In The Tulsa Area

[XYZ]

Just my experience. Tire shops usually have an idea what scrap prices are and price accordingly.

Occasionally you can find a bargain but I had pretty good luck just buying from the scrapyard down here.

 

[Ahall]

Check the local scrap yards, they usually have lead and you can buy the types of scrap you want for your application.

Plumbing lead, if you can get it, is nearly pure lead, and very soft. Its wonderful for muzzle loading, but cut out the soldered joints, and set them aside if you want it dead soft.

Wheel weights contain a fair amount of tin/ antimony and other alloying elements - great for cartridges, but too hard for muzzle loaders.

I usually melt scrap into ingots and keep the ingots handy. This gets reduces the volume of stuff I am storing, and removes a lot of the crud from the scrap.


Melting the scrap into ingots

1) Water is your enemy - warm it up slowly and boil the water off. Don't just toss random stuff into a pot of molten lead. A drop of water below a clip on a wheel weight will flash to steam below the surface of the molten lead and create a violent explosion, sending molten lead in all directions.

2) Fumes - a lot of scrap has other junk with it - tar on roof flashing, caulk on plumbing lead, etc. As the lead melts away that stuff burns and smokes creating a lot of stuff you don't want in your lungs. Work outside and up wind from the heat source.

3) Molds - select a mold that creates an ingot which works well in your lead pot. Garage sale minimuffin trays and similar are popular. I use different molds for different types of lead. That lets me keep the wheel weights sorted from plumbers lead. You can also mark it with steel stamps, or write on it with a scribe.

4) Melting to pour ingots - Weight is an issue. A large container of molten lead, like a frying pan is a bit unwieldy. Half a cup to a cup is about all the more you want to be dipping and pouring into ingots.


Testing

The hardness of a lead alloy is a factor when selecting an application. You can go as far as you want down that rabbit hole. The Bernell scale is usually what is discussed when measuring lead hardness. Hardness tests are a resistance to penetration test. A known indenter is pushed into the sample at known load and a variety of kits are available. Some of the cast bullet reloading guides discuss testing methods and you can spend as much or as little as you want on tools for doing it.

If you just want to compare relative hardness of two samples, put a ball bearing between the samples and hit it. The bigger dent is softer. You can make your own reference test block from some commercial round balls cast in the bottom of a small tin can, or just sort your lead and hope its typical.

 

[J-pitch]

I have moulds but not lead. Your input regarding where to buy locally would be appreciated.

Summit supply sells lead s.e 25th

 

[Shriner]

Rotametal carrys many types of lead - soft to super hard

 

[Ahall]

Oilfield supplies often sell babbit
It’s a lead based bearing alloy for journal bearings

It’s usually far too hard for bullets.

 

[Buck98]

How many lbs of lead are you hoping to end up with? Are you wanting pure lead or wheel weights?

 

[archer]

i use old dead car batteries for weight ,at least the ones that have handles ,,,,scrap price has dropped way low for them,,, use thoses two 15 pounders ,, lead for bullets..

You do know that melting down old lead batteries is extremley dangerous? Look up the chemistry of how the acids affect the lead and the toxicity o the fumes.

 

[archer]

The tire shops that I have checked with have told me that they are under contract with a commercial caster in OKC for all of the lead wheelweights, which are becoming more rare it seems.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have moulds but not lead. Your input regarding where to buy locally would be appreciated.

Check plumbing shops. They have the old lead shower liners that are pure soft lead. If your molds are for fishing stuff, that is what you want. If molding bullets, the wheel weights are the place to start I read, but I'm not into bullets, just sinkers.