Hello,

I've recently purchased a melting pot to make jigheads for the endless amount of tubes I use on the St. Croix River.  These things get expensive when you lose a jig every other cast when they lodge between the rocks and break off.

I've read that the best place to get SOFT lead is from a junkyard.  My question is: What do I ask when I go to the local junkyards/scrapyards?

Well I don't know about the junk yard thing but I have been making my own heads for going on 6 years now and all that I do is go down to my local tire factory like Les Schwab and take them a Five gallon bucket and ask if they can just throw the old tire wieghts in to the bucket and I will pay them for it.  Ussually I can get a bucket of weights for under $20.  These weights work great.  Just make sure that you scape the junk off of the top of the lead after you have melted it.  By doing this you lead heads will look better and weigh the same.

Good luck and I hope that this helps.  

Scott

I want to avoid the tired weights because I've heard they don't weigh the same and it's not a good metal.  It's a dirty metal and I want a clean metal that friends can purchase from me and use.  Thanks for your advice though.

Its only a dirty metal if you don't take off the impurities on the top of the melted lead.   And you do that buy just taking a metal latel and scopping it off.  As for the weight being the same I will tell you this.  There is hardly any difference at most I put them on scale after ward and they are all with in the same tolerance as pure lead is when I use it.  So I'm not sure who said they are different weight but it was probable becasue the didn't take off the impurities and babit for the top of the melted lead.  This is b/c they have differeent densities so the impuities and babit flots and is a totally different color.  Its easy to seperate.  

Scott

cabela10,

I've read that the best place to get SOFT lead is from a junkyard.  My question is: What do I ask when I go to the local junkyards/scrapyards?

Your looking for tire weights.....

I am with Master_Hunter_1977 on this. I have used the $1.00 a pound ingots that tackle shops sell and used the old lead tire weights, there is little difference in the total weight of a jig head once poured. Again as for the dirty look just skim the impurities off and there is no difference.  

It is called recycling, tackle manufacturers do it everyday.

Tight Lines!      

Thanks guys...I know someone that owns a service station, so I will give him a bucket to fill up with tire weights.  

An easier way to get the impurities out of lead once it is melted.  Stick a wax candle in the hot molten lead for just a second and remove.  Most of the impurities come floating to the top.  Scoop up impurities and go back to casting

Mike

TIRE WEIGHTS ARE THE ONLY WAY TO GO. I'VE USED THEM FOR YEARS.