Who sells lead in New England,

[Harbormaster]

or more specifically in Maine?

I'm cleaning my bilge and the lead pigs don't really go down as far as I'd like, and they are also wicked heavy. So I thought if I could just buy some smaller ones of about the same total weight I could cram 'em in a little farther (further?). I don't really want to spend the time melting the big ones down this close to the sailing season, and I want to save them 'cause I may want to add an outside ballast keel next year.

So, does anyone know if there's a company around here that sells lead? I did a google search and I got bored. Thanks.

[Phil Y]

You might be able to just cut yours into smaller chunks. I think a hand saw will do it.

[JimConlin]

Try Broomfield (http://ibroomfieldandson.net/)in Providence.

[George Ray]

http://www.maycoindustries.com/

Not located in NE, but they will put it on a truck and send it to you.

Call around to scrap yards, I recently got 800lb of lead shot for $0.05/lb ..... rather less than I paid for 2000 lbs of same stuff a couple of years ago.

[Garret]

I know a guy who got lead in Portland. Spread 2 55 gal. drums worth (out of 10) all over I95 on his way back to Bath. :D Just don't remember where in Portland though.. I can make a call tomorrow & hopefully find out.

I'll post back one way or 'tother,

[Harbormaster]

Thanks, that's be great.

[Garret]

I know a guy who got lead in Portland. Spread 2 55 gal. drums worth (out of 10) all over I95 on his way back to Bath. :D Just don't remember where in Portland though.. I can make a call tomorrow & hopefully find out.

I'll post back one way or 'tother,

Well, I didn't get a name. The guy who picked it up has fallen off the face of the earth, so I had to talk to a friend who helped him. All he could remember was that it was a scrap yard in Portland or possibly just south of there. Definitely Maine though.

One place to try is:

E. Perry Iron & Metal Co., Inc.
115 Lancaster Street
Portland, ME 04101
775-3181

If they don't sell it, they may know who does.

Sorry I couldn't get the exact info -

[Nicholas Scheuer]

You may have a local shooting range that will sell you spent bullets.

Molds can be short sections of channel steel with the ends closed by steel plates . The plates are clamped onto the ends of the channels by means of threaded rod and nuts parallel to the channel and through holes in the plates (outside the channel cavity).

A propane "turkey fryer" will melt a couple of hundred pounds of lead in short order. I used an old stainless steel sin k with the drain hole welded shut for a pot. I had a pair of pipes u-bolted tot he flange for handling the pot like a ladle.

Moby Nick

[Jon Agne]

I bought 1000# of lead in 2001 (in 20# ingots) from:

New England Lead Burning Co.
Woburn, MA
781-933-1940

Mike Salemi

[Harbormaster]

Oooh, I'll give them a call too - sounds like a good excuse to visit the Woodcraft Supply store too...

[paladin]

Don't know if it's still possible with all the regs these days...but I started with some old buckets and went to several tire shops in the area and asked if I could have the old wheel weights....as long as I picked them up every week and left a clean bucket I was fine...collected a helluva lotta wheel weights in six months. Every couple of months I'd start melting them down, cleaning off the slag, and pouring the lead into small loaf pans...the 3 x 5 sizes.....ended up with a lot of clean ingots by the time I needed the keel. Unlike a lot of folks I didn't pour my own...I took the lead and a pattern to a local foundry to have it made.

[Garret]

Don't know if it's still possible with all the regs these days...but I started with some old buckets and went to several tire shops in the area and asked if I could have the old wheel weights....as long as I picked them up every week and left a clean bucket I was fine...collected a helluva lotta wheel weights in six months. Every couple of months I'd start melting them down, cleaning off the slag, and pouring the lead into small loaf pans...the 3 x 5 sizes.....ended up with a lot of clean ingots by the time I needed the keel. Unlike a lot of folks I didn't pour my own...I took the lead and a pattern to a local foundry to have it made.

Nowadays, garages have a dozen or more people coming in asking to buy wheel weights. Not that they pay a whole lot, but a # of scrap metal dealers have regular routes where they do this.

Same thing as fryer oil. 3 or 4 years ago, any average guy could make a deal for oil for his veggie-car. Nowadays, bio-diesel makers are collecting every bit they can.

[Harbormaster]

Yes, yes, I've also melted lead. I've even got a collection of wheel weights, flashing, pipes etc., all set for down the road. But here it is the end of April and I want to go sailing this summer. I have a porch to rebuild, a garden to plant, a lawn to mow, spars and hull to paint, family to visit, and lets not forget my job and my girlfriend.

I just thought that buying the lead all cast up might be a worth while investment of money to save me time.

[Garret]

I have a porch to rebuild, a garden to plant, a lawn to mow, spars and hull to paint, family to visit, and lets not forget my job and my girlfriend.


Hope your girlfriend doesn't see the ordering of this....:D

[Harbormaster]

Good point, I'm going to have to change my name too.