Free lead

[cbourbeau32]

I am interested in getting into casting and have been given a fairly large amount of lead piping that my boss took out of an old house he is restoring. I am guessing that it will be pure lead after I refine the impurities out of it. First of all does anyone know if those pipes were made of pure lead and if so what can I add to harden it to an acceptable hardness for shooting? Secondly what is the quickest way to retrieve the lead from the pipes? I would guess by just heating it up and skimming the stuff that rises until there is no more to skim. Any suggestiions would be apprecicated. Thanks, Charlie

[John Traveler]

Scrap lead pipe is pure lead.  Very soft, and usefull only for blackpowder bullets.

Just smelt it down in a large cast iron pot and skim off the residue and crap that floats to the surface.  Be careful not to put the pipe pieces directly into the melt...they may contain water and spatter molten lead all over!  Preheat pieces first near the heat source, and get them hot enough to drive off any remaining moisture.

50-50 solder is half tin, and what I use to alloy the pure lead with.  If you have access to wheel weights, mix that about 50-50 with the pure lead for general purpose pistol and rifle bullets.  Increase the tin content to help the mix flow better.

[quickdtoo]

Charlie, As John mentioned, I just use old cast iron pots on a coleman gas stove, outside with a breeze when the weather is nice. Just heat it up enough to melt good and flux it with a candle or a commercial flux like Brownell's Marvelux, if you use a candle, just light it and let it drip into the melt, the flame will ignite the smoke so be aware, skim the impurities off the top of the pot with a slotted spoon, stir and flux again until the melt stays pretty shinny, then ladle it into an ingot mould for later use. I'll let someone else help ya on what to add for hardening, I've always wanted soft left for muzzleloaders. Be aware that any utensils you use will be dedicated to the lead making business, they won't be fit for use with food afterwards. 

Tim

[cbourbeau32]

So if using 50/50 solder then I would just do the math to come up with the formula I want right? What is the best general purpose mix 20-1?

[Idaho Ron]

To be honest you should trade it to guys that already have hard lead but need soft lead.  Ron

[jhalcott]

  chour, it depends on what you intend to cast for. Rifles ,pistols or muzzle loaders all use a different alloy. A 20 to 1 (lead to tin) is okay for pistols and 45-70 loads. An alloy for a 44 mag should be some what harder and a load for a 30-06 even harder yet.
  http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm
 here is a site that might help you. I HOPE it doesn't confuse the issue.

[blhof]

Soft lead is good barter, as it's getting harder to find.  I would save it for B/p or trade for harder lead.

[bufflobob]

You might want to try using it with paper patching --- just another option and then it's not critical as to what hardness it is. Bob.

[John Traveler]

The guys are right.  Your pure soft lead is more valuable as trading stock for someone that wants it.  Try finding a local BP shooter that craves it and exchange for properly alloyed wheel weights.  The local route is the way to go because shipping costs are a deal killer for the trade.

[quickdtoo]

Shipping shouldn't be an issue, you can ship up to 70lb in a USPS flat rate priority box, just $8.95 anywhere in the US. 

Tim

http://www.usps.com/shipping/flatrate.htm

[454PB]

While tin can be used to add some limited hardness to pure lead, it's an expensive way to do it. At anywhere from $5 to $10 per pound for tin, you'd be better off to look for some linotype to harden the lead. Another alternative is to mix the pure lead 50/50 with wheelweights, then drop the bullets into cold water from the mould. This will produce "precipitation hardening" of the bullets.