Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons => General Interest => Topic started by: Kermit on November 08, 2009, 05:06:26 PM

Title: Lead--maybe?
Post by: Kermit on November 08, 2009, 05:06:26 PM

Just made my monthly run to the local recycle joint, and while there asked if they ever had any scrap lead. Hadn't thought to ask before.

"Sure!"

Took me back where there were a bunch of 5-gal plastic buckets and pointed me at about three of 'em, saying someone had just picked up a couple buckets of wheel weights, but he didn't want these.

They were full of marine sacrificial zincs! No lead.

BUT...

There were a couple of buckets of battery terminal clamps, steel bolts still in 'em, but cut off of the cables. ARE THESE SOFT LEAD or some harder alloy?

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Post by: Ironwood on November 08, 2009, 05:11:24 PM

Kermit... the old saw about pure lead is, if you can dent it with your thumbnail you can call it pure lead.  Hope this helps.  I get some of  my lead from the scrap yard also.  Usually flashing lead is just about pure.

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Post by: R.M. on November 08, 2009, 05:36:00 PM

Should be pure, or close enough, I think.  

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Post by: jbullard1 on November 08, 2009, 06:19:13 PM

The battery terminals should be soft but grab a bucket of the wheel weights they may come in handy in years to come  

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Post by: Kermit on November 08, 2009, 06:49:12 PM

Oh yeah! I've got our only two tire shops hanging on to 'em. I get every third bucket.

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Post by: Three Hawks on November 08, 2009, 07:08:39 PM

Battery terminals are almost always pure or nearly pure lead.  I picked up a gross of clamp type terminals, the ones you see in the auto parts stores, a couple years ago at a yard sale for a dollar.  There turned out to be about six pounds of nice, soft lead, the kind you can spread with a butterknife.  

Three Hawks