Give a lead for lead

[Gordonmc]

After a Sunday's work lifting the floors and shifting well-manky rusted iron pig ballast to clear strum holes in the bilge I am sufficiantly motivated to return to a project to replace the iron with lead ingots.
When I started investigating the costs scrap lead was quoted at £300 - £400 a tonne. A check today says £1080 a tonne.
OK, I know the reasons... our friends in China buying up every commodity they can, whatever the price. The lead I am looking for is where I can get ingots or scrap at realistic prices, preferably in Scotland.
I am prepared to cast my own ingots if I can get the scrap. This project would be done over some months until I have enough to do the job.
The boat is 8 tons TM, so I guess I will need about three tons.
Anyone had experience of this sort of project?

 

[PeteCooper]

What about a place that strips old buildings and then sells the bits? They might have some scrap lead off an old roof. A mate of mine knows such a place near Glasgow, if you want me to ask him where it is pm me.

 

[Talulah]

Did a similar project many years ago. Father was interviewed by police as to source of lead!
Used a roofing torch to melt the lead into a saucepan.
Good fun and took several months.

 

[Keith 66]

I cast a load of lead pigs some years ago, i used lenghts of steel channel cut at a slight angle at the ends with plates welded on, these moulds worked perfectly with an old soup kitchen boiler to melt the stuff.
Whatever happens you will most likely have to pay the going rate for scrap lead and it is getting harder to find.

 

[BrendanS]

Yes, police are starting to question the sources of lead scrap, particularly roof flashing

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2666481.ece

 

[oldfrank]

There's often a lot on old church roofs........

 

[orizaba]

go round your local tyre centres,they often have buckets of old wheel weights,might not be alot but it all helps

 

[Bosunof]

What about the balancing lead weights taken off wheels when tyres are fitted. Would local quikfit have some you could buy?

 

[Peterduck]

Peter Sellers did a movie about a chappie who was recovering sheet lead from the roofs of churches. 'Tis a shame that the churches were still in use . . . . . I can't remember the name of the movie. I have been able to buy wheel weights in the past. Building demolishers were another valuable source of lead piping and flashing.
Peter.

 

[Dayspring]

In the middle of the same project. I have twisted my dad round my little finger to give me all the scraps he doesn't want. (He's rebuilding Irene, the west country trading ketch - www.ireness.com ), who in turn has got the local plumber in cahoots. I melt it in a metal paint kettle over a gas burner and then pour into the top of bricks. Labour intensive, but good fun - also amusing to have the 'London brick factory' in mirror letters on my ballast! Good luck finding a helpful local plumber.

 

[BrendanS]

Another possible source are big research labs, research universities doing biological sciences etc. Tiny 5ml radioactive marked DNA markers etc turn up in little lead containers. However, if they have active research going on, and are willing to collect them, they can make a pretty big collection in a year. Research students are always looking for beer money.

 

[Shuggy]

Hi Gordon

I got mine from a glazer who specialised in 'architectural glazing' and therefore replaced lots of leaded windows. He's down south but you might find someone here (stained glass window maker?). Photos of process below!

 

[phil_tiz]

Warm up the mould first to get it really dry, otherwise explosions! Oh and don't breth in the fumes. Might seem obvious.... unless you've already breathed some in!

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Be extremely careful if melting down lead pipe. It has a nasty habit of exploding, sending showers of molten lead in all directions. Wear leather apron, gloves and boots, and a full face mask and hard hat.

Batteries are another source of lead, but the acid is an additional hazard I suppose.

 

[jhughes]

Ther is only a miniscule amount of lead in a modern car battery, its just a coating layer on a matrix. Thats why car batteries are relatively cheap nowadays.

 

[Shuggy]

Thanks but I managed to survive - did this a year ago and ballast has been safely in Tafna all season! I wore a mask and full face/arm porotection all the way through.

 

[Rameling]

We used a tar boiler (cleaned out, of course) but then we did smelt 1.5 tons over two days