Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Hey I am trying to make some new ballast bars and cannot find any lead shot to fill them around here. Does anybody know where to get some? If anybody has any and are going to the National Open in Pierre, SD next week I would purchase it from them. Maybe there is omething better out there. Any ideas? Thanks!

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

shooter supply or plumbing supply places

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

And it ain't cheap anymore.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I don't think it will help you for next week. But you can get lead ingots on Ebay for about $1 per pound. They usually are in 50 pound lots. Shipping is usualy about $13 priority mail flat rate.
I bought some this way.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Wait till the EPA starts on NHRA. Let's see Lead Fuel and Lead Shot?? There was a article I seen last week, kinda think it was USA Today about the EPA wanting to Band leadsinkers for fishing and so many fisher men lossing them in the water. O' well what is next? No more Lead for bullets too many people dying from lead in the gut?

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I found out about lead fishing weights last year at Pinewood derby time. So now they sell Titanium weights for fishing because some lakes don't allow lead lures!Obviously they aqre more money and they don't catch fish any better. It might be cheaper to by Ti lures and melt them down for my new valves...:(:(

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Like said earlier. Shooting/Gun shop. And it is not cheap. I paid $50 a for 25lb bags, 4 years ago.

Sean

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

try this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lead-Ingots-47-l...item3a5ebe0b56

Or this
http://cgi.ebay.com/25-lbs-Lead-Smal...item19bedbbb33

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

The NRA is fighting that fight already.Most shotgun shot is lead being replaced by bismuth
and other metals.Maybe the gun phobes will be satisfied with sponge bullets.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Have you tried the local tire store for wheel weights?
Seems to me , you could chop them up with large bolt cutters.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

In So Cal, they phased out lead wheel weights. Now they are zinc. Wheel weights were cast from an inferior grade of lead that made them bad for firearms reloads. The lead used to smear in the barrels making gun cleaning more difficult. Anything that the green weenies do out here to screw things up usually goes nationwide sooner or later. Get ready, it's on its way.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I bought shot from these guys. I couldn't believe that shipping was free, but when it came I understood.

http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/...eclaim_bag.htm

It was shipped by regular post office in their fixed rate priority boxes where it didn't make any difference how much it weighed, as long as it fit in the box. My mailman wasn't too happy about it, but it was a great deal and perfect for ballast bars!!! BTW, it only took two days from my order, all the way across the country.....

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Like Mark said, I went to my friendly local tire store and they gave me a bucket of discarded wheel weights (about 80 lbs.). They were happy to get rid of them.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

If the tire shops does not pan out, try your local scrap metal yard or a
battery manufacture.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I had a local sporting goods store that sells guns order my #10 lead shot, was cheaper than a gun shore that I checked, but still very expensive. If you get these, be careful when you handle it, do not breath the dust while you are pouring them into the bars and wash hands afterwards.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

A friend did the wheel weight thing. He melted the weights down and seperated the steel clips then poured the molten lead into steel 2x3 tubing. Stinkin' things are HEAVY too !!!

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Along time ago (1980's) I made my own lead weights for the
weight box. Got scrap lead from my brother-in-law (my former
boss @ scrap metal yard) and melted it in a cast iron frying pan
over a propane camp stove and poured into molds I had made.
Probably not the safest way to do it in hinsight.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I went to one of my lift truck battery suppliers and they have a heater for lead that they use in the making and repairing of batteries. They filled a bar up for me. Much safer.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I buy buckets full of weight from a local tire store for $25.00. I cut the ends of the longer weights and drop them into square tubing with a cap welded on one end. I then use a torch to heat the tube. As the weights melt I drop more in until the bar is full. Finally I weld another cap on the top to enclose the lead.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

we have purchased lead from a roofing company...they use it for flashing. melts easy and makes good bars.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I've thought about using zinc anodes for boat hulls. They come in plates and various sizes. Here's a sample:

http://www.zincboatanodes.com/hull-z...te-anodes.html

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I used to get the wheel weights, melt them down, pull the metal out, pour them into a Chevy small block valve cover and inset 5/8th's bolts in them, once cooled you just pry them out of the valve cover and the are ready to bolt anywhere using the threaded ends of the exposed bolt.

JimR

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

The last time I made up lead for my car, I bought some lead plate from a local metal salvager. I called around and happened on a guy who happened to have a ton of excess new lead 1" thick plate. He even sawed it to size on his plate saw for me, and delivered it.

I've dealt with weight tubes and lead shot, after one spill I didn't want to go with shot again.

Depending on how much you need, 1018 steel plate is a cheap, easy to get option, especially if you live away from an industrial area... and if you care about toxic, it's pretty inert, easy to cut up into usable chunks.

Unlike depleted uranium counterweights used in some aircraft, we don't have the most dense metal available to fit in some confined space :D

I imagine more and more racers will be getting away from lead all together. Salvaged steel plate can often be had for less than 25cents/pound and weighs 70% of lead (lead is .4 lbs/cu inch, steel is .284 lbs/cu inch)

I'm not sure where us civilians would get depleted uranium, but at a dense .7lbs/cu inch, it's no wonder the the stuff has found its way onto the battlefield

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

I went to a local handgun range and offered to sweep up the bullets at the target end if they would let me buy some. They brought me out a bucket on a hand cart and said take all you want no need to sweep thanks for taking them. They are not all the same size but if you are melting them down or putting them in a box or tube nobody would ever know and its a whole lot cheaper than buying lead shot at the sporting goods store.

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Very good idea.
We where fortunate enough to find a guy that was retiring from making fishing lures and acquired all his surplus lead. I came in the form of small bread loafs approx. 28 - 30 lbs. each

Re: Lead shot for ballast bars
 

Is it legal to mount metal free weights on a bracket with bolts welded to the nuts.Also is this a legal weight box for superstock.