Where do you go to find free or really cheap lead?

[Anvil]

We all know about the local tire shops and begging the wheel weights but where ELSE do you go to find lead? I live in a city where we have lots of industry but I don't know what kind of industry would discard lead. I'm NOT looking for battery lead or radio active lead shields. But the NORMAL kind of lead that might actually be recycled into bullets.

[Oreo]

X-ray machine service & installation companies. Particularly the smaller local ones that are privately owned. There aren't that many of them out there. When they do new installs they use sheet lead to line the walls of the entire x-ray room. I'd imagine they'd have some scrap left over. NOt to mention these installs can be many hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost. So, saving 50 bucks by reclaiming scrap lead probably isn't high on their agenda. My father used to work in the field & always had a few lead bricks & other scrap laying around the garage.

[cohutt]

:iagree:
oreo is correct, shielding manufacturers are generally subcontracted by med facility general contractors. they make all the panels in their shop per spec then ship to install or do the actual install themselves. their stuff is certified pure lead and soft as butter (well, almost ;)).

they have a good bit of scrap and usually have an arrangement where the supplier picks it up for "credit" vs their purchases. unless they are across the street from the smelter, the credit basically amounts to "we will haul it off for you @ no charge". if they contract with another party for the scrap there are papers to deal with (i must see your papers, pleeeze).

The one I am familiar with boxes the scrap up on pallets and sometimes loads up one of their delivery trucks (stake body type i think) and makes a day trip to the smelter for $ back. they credit rate is less than 50% of the spot lead price, how much less i am not sure. whether they do it depends on their backlog.

side bar:
i asked my friend what the punch out stuff was, he said they contract with a local machine shop to punch the quarter sized disks out of sheet, use them to cover the screw heads after mounting the panels. Didn't think of that but i guess radiation can escape through the little holes. I love this stuff - it melts faster than anything else i've seen, you can smelt it up fast.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/feb25003.jpg

[MullahElRon]

:thumbsup:Br'er 'hutt is everwhere!:thumbsup:

[Anvil]

Good stuff! MORE MORE MORE! Where else should I look?

[layusn1]

Slicks house is littered with the stuff, its everywhere...don't forget your Kevlar though.

[AdamN]

Try the local recyclers/scrap yards, Ask they what they "PAY" for scrap lead then ask them what they sell it for. They usually have a pretty substantial markup.

If you want put an add in the local papers wanting to buy scrap lead. Pay more than the scrap yards (but "less" than they sell for) you should be able to do well if there are many folks "selling"

[Anvil]

Try the local recyclers/scrap yards, Ask they what they "PAY" for scrap lead then ask them what they sell it for. They usually have a pretty substantial markup.

If you want put an add in the local papers wanting to buy scrap lead. Pay more than the scrap yards (but "less" than they sell for) you should be able to do well if there are many folks "selling"


I considered that but when I do I need to have some money set aside... I've got a feeling I'll get ALOT of calls!

[AdamN]

I considered that but when I do I need to have some money set aside... I've got a feeling I'll get ALOT of calls!


Ive gotten a few calls, not a lot. Sometimes a few months between calls, Only one big haul of about 900 lbs. The rest were a bucket full or less