[dpretired]

While visiting over on the lower west side of the state last fall, I stopped in at one of the few bait shops I was able to find over there. Got talking to the owner and mentioned that I made my own sinkers and started griping about how the price for lead ingots that I buy on Ebay keeps rising every year. He said he also made his own sinkers for his store. Then he started bragging to me how he saves a whole lot of money on lead by picking up old discarded sailboat keels and then chopping them up into small pieces with a regular chain saw. I asked if that wasn't rather hard on his chain saw, and he said it wasn't as hard on it as cutting certain types of hardwood. Anybody else ever heard of anybody doing that? I have to admit that I've never even seen a sailboat keel so I have no idea how large they are and how much they might weigh. Aside from all that, the way I see this sailboat keel thing is no matter how much you might be saving on lead, what is your time and physical effort worth as opposed to just buying ready-made ingots? I don't know, maybe it's a good idea. Just never heard of this sort of thing being done before. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

[frenchriver1]

Not with my chainsaw unless I was going to replace that chain anyway. Novel idea and I would surmise that you would be gifted with mucho pounds of raw lead for your effort...

 

[junkman]

It would be well worth the effort.

 

[Waif]

Probably want a dust mask...

Wheel weights are being made of a variety of alloys today.
The older ones should still suffice.
A junkyard with older vehicles might be the ticket...

I've a jumbo ingot squirreled away. More than I'll want to lift should it get dug out. Might get cut next time.

A guy had slabs from a hospital x-ray station once . (We used to scrounge for casting lead roundball.)

I had access to a couple hundred pound block.
I might nab it if it's still around for using as a tractor counterweight...

Have not encountered any sailboat keels. (A landlubber thing when scrounging probably).

A guy wanted to keep the lead valve/pipe the city replaced in his yard.
Guessing the cities take old lead pipes/ect. to a salvage yard.
Pipes would have a lot of crud in them though and be a pain to get the slag/dross out of and extra flux to do so.

 

[6Speed]

Look for a demolition company that tears down old houses or other structures. Homes built in the first half of the last century used lead weights to counter balance the windows. there will be two weights for every window and I think I remember them being 10#?

 

[Petronius]

Look for a demolition company that tears down old houses or other structures. Homes built in the first half of the last century used lead weights to counter balance the windows. there will be two weights for every window and I think I remember them being 10#?

The counter weights I seen from old windows were cast iron.

 

[Crestliner 16]

Demo of older bathrooms with showers, have lead floor liners. Had around 60 pounds under mine. Cut with a heavy scissors.

 

[captainshotgun]

If you are gonna cut lead mechanically, you better wear coveralls, gloves, and at least a mask, if not a respirator.

 

[Ray Duve]

I have 15 five gallon bucket full of soft stick(no clips)on type wheels weights and 25 lead hammers used in machine shops. Just needs to be melted down into ingots. I would be willing to part ways with some since there is no possible way I will ever need to pour that many jigs or sinkers for that matter.


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[cruzer]

I sent you a PM Ray!!!!

 

[on a call]

I have 15 five gallon bucket full of soft stick(no clips)on type wheels weights and 25 lead hammers used in machine shops. Just needs to be melted down into ingots. I would be willing to part ways with some since there is no possible way I will ever need to pour that many jigs or sinkers for that matter.


Sent from my iPad using Michigan Sportsman mobile app

Hopefully my personal message goes through to you

 

[Royal Whaler]

Often wondered how dangerous it would be to use the lead from my discarded deep cell boat batteries?

 

[22 Chuck]

Post your offer in the reloading section. Still some bullet casters out there and wheel weights are not lead anymore.
Many would be glad to get/buy a bucket or so.

 

[mbirdsley]

Often wondered how dangerous it would be to use the lead from my discarded deep cell boat batteries?

Very very dangerous!!!! there really isn’t that much lead in batteries to make it worth the danger.

I have melted down battery connectors that are made of lead

At the moment im probably sitting on 200-300 lbs of wheel weights and other lead.


If I were to cut sail boat keels with a chain saw I’d probably go to Harbor freight and buy one of their cheap respirators with removable filters. Lead is not as dangerous as it is made out to be with common sense precautions. however, cutting that much with a chain saw would put a lot of particles in the air. I would for sure do it out side with respirator and than take a shower


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[salmon_slayer06]

tons and literally tons of lead up by blue water bridge from years of guys fishing the wall. typical sinker weighs 2 pounds plenty of lead there for the average Joe pouring handful of jigs for the year. scuba divers frequent the area but don't know any of them anymore. used to get them 25-50 cents before the electric car companies drove lead prices through roof

 

[22 Chuck]

I have 15 five gallon bucket full of soft stick(no clips)on type wheels weights and 25 lead hammers used in machine shops. Just needs to be melted down into ingots. I would be willing to part ways with some since there is no possible way I will ever need to pour that many jigs or sinkers for that matter.


Sent from my iPad using Michigan Sportsman mobile app

The bullet casters like cheap (free) lead also.

 

[Fishndude]

If you know someone who owns, or works in a steel fabrication shop, ask if they have a decent Shear you can use, to cut up lead sailboat keels. If a Shear can cut 2" Steel cleanly, it will cut (shear) a sailboat keel made of lead. Clean cuts, no dust. And they are hydraulic, so your effort is pushing buttons.

 

[Crestliner 16]

We had our bathroom remodeled and had a 4×4 sheet of lead. Had 400 pounds of clean lead from the mill, it came in ingots and must have been there for about 60 years, because there was a smelting department that was locked up as long as I can remember. It was decided to remove it. We all thought it was something secret and mysterious. There were 4 locks on it. Lead was stacked on steel skids, we got our share before the EPA came in to clean up.