where is a good source of Lead and Tin
 

for making my own jigs in the SE MA area (or online)?

My friends grandfather used to get the spent bullets from the shooting range.

I use to get free wheel weights as a kid and use them but I would like to get a few bars of lead and some tin from a metals dealer some place.

Try a plumbing supply warehouse or a metal salvage recyler.

Jim I got 300 lbs here....$1 a lb all ingots

A $1 a pound ?
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Not for the tin?
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I bought 40,000 lbs. just this morning, and it was over $4.00/lb. Sandman, I can get quantities of both - It's what I do, but I'm in Ct. If you really get stuck, pm me.

Bill

billybob,
Are you buying tin futures or are you actaully take possession of $16K worth of tin? (thats a lot of jigs!) If I get desparate I will contact you. (I would only like 50 # of each)

Salty, where did you get the ingots or did you smelt them yourself? (Salty's probably has a Lead mine...in his back yard!!)
;)

Sandman - That would actually be $160k of tin, I'm only taking 1/2 this month the bal for Jan. I buy over a million pounds of metal a month, used to be 3 million when things were good. Mostly copper, but tin, zinc,lead, and nickel for alloying.
We make strip.
If you get stuck, let me know.One of my suppliers is a big fisherman, I'm sure he would hook ya up - might cost you a jig or 2.
Bill

Tire shops will often give away their old wheel weights. Not the purest stuff aroud, but the price is right.

We bought the keel of an old 12m sailboat years ago, melts nice, makes decent sinkers...
Just chop off pieces with an axe and melt it up....:D

Yes tire shops are an excellent idea...They usualy save all there old lead weights for balancing tires..I know when I ran a shop I would have given you all I had..Usually 2 garbage buckets full...
Also you could drain the Canal...:D

Wow Salty that's tin!! Show us the cedar stash!:laughs:

I got some clean pure lead .40 per lb

U got lead?

wheel weights
 

Sandman I was just school in this for an hour they other day by a long time jig maker. He says that any other lead than wheel wieghts is to soft including old bullets. The lead in wheel weights have an alloy mixed in which makes harden much more. I have about six hundred pounds and the jigs. Just have to find the time. If you see a truck tire repair guy on the island like Sullivan tires or another company cut him off and ask him for what he has. Most of those guys readily will give them to you.

all totaled about 2500 lbs not all is for sale . I can sell aprox 500+- I have a few jigs to make with the rest.

who ever borrower my jig molds .I need them :soon:

Thanks for not telling me while I was there.:smash:

I have about a 100 pounds or so, But I use to mix with zinc, but I have no idea were to get that any more?? Is putting Tin the same thing??

I like to use pure virgin lead from the plumbing supply store. its melts and pours better. I've used all kinds of scrap before but the easiest to use is the virgin lead from the plumbing places.

tire wieghts do not pour well, not pure enough. Lead flashing from home Depot works well. I think it comes in 50lb spools, just cut it up and melt......

When I was I kid I got tire weights and made jigs out of them but they are considered "hard lead" as there are several other metals in there as well as lead. You can have some pouring problems with hard lead in some molds...like creases or voids. However I found if the mold is hot you can get away with tire weights. But lead is pretty cheap so I don't mind buying flashing or ingots.

Tin has a nice shine to it (poor mans chrome) and I like to add some to lead when I pour jigs...Tin melts at around 232°C and lead at about 327°C in the combination 62Sn 38Pb the resulting alloy melts at 183°C. (magic eh?) But you can get a good pour with the lower melting temp and a harder metal with a shine if you add a little tin to it. (my dad showed me that) The specific gravity of lead is 11.35 and tin is 7.31 so adding tin makes it slighlty lighter though.
I paint my jigs anyway so it really doesn't matter but I may try to pour a couple of pure tin jigs. (a la C. Graves)

I have not poured any jigs in 30 years but the reason I ask is I got my kid several do-it molds and some pouring equipment (to be done outside with MY supervision only) for an Xmas gift. When I was a kid I spent many hours down my basement painting and tying jigs, he likes to tinker with tackle, I know he will enjoy this.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am on my way to order some tin and pick up some lead.

Tin is considerably more expensive than lead. I understand using tin for some things like eel squids which need to be a little stronger but for a simple jig , why increase the cost with tin??? In one year we poured 1400 jigs. that's a lot. as we gained experience , we got away from junk lead and alloys. now we only work with pure virgin lead.


When melting lead , try to keep the temp down to a minimum. the amount of lead fumes that comes off the melter goes up somewhat exponentially as the temp of the melt increases. heating the molds is a good idea as this will allow you to keep the lead cooler in the pot and still get a good fill. After a few jigs , the molds will be plenty hot!! i also rest mine over the lead pot to preheat them. you should never eat or drink while working with lead. you shoudl aslo wash you hands well when done. young children are particularly susceptible to health porblems associated with lead so be careful.

Saltheart = pro jig pourer! 1400 jigs in one season? I doubt If I poured 400 in my lifetime. (but then again I don't fish the canel much:laughs: )
BTW I was lucky enough to get my paws on a large handful of his jigs....HD is clearly his motto.

Saltheart...with that many jigs....what is you souce for bucktails? I use to ask hunters to give them to me in exchange for some fish or jigs. (and I buy a few)

George at Murats used to special order me bucktails in bulk. Now that he's closed the shop , we have been getting the bucktails through Smokey's brother. I have no idea where he gets them. I just get a big bag full handed to me. :)

SOL used to sell "salt water grade" bucktail. They were very nice with extra long hair. I don't know the cost. If you only need a few , try there.

Moores lures has nice bucktail at good prices as well as Stamina

I agree, but you should see the stuff Mike has. Doesn't get any cleaner than that.

Laed from Commercial floor installers
 

Sandman,
You might want to check commercial floor guys on the i sland. Many times in high end jobs they used lead to level different types of surfaces before installing flooring in high end jobs. A buddy of mine have me three ingots which I still have because he didn't want to carry bring them back and someone allready paid for them. Its pure lead as pposed to tire wieghts , which you have concerns with.

The book "Reading the Water" is a love story!

i forget how much i pay but rolled lead for roofing applications is pretty cheap. ill look into it tommorow

I get it from the plumber supply for like $7 for 10 pounds

Do urself a favor if somebody offers u tire wieghts politley decline.they have barely any lead in them anymore.not worth the trouble.Sand man thats funny 60-40 is one of my favorite combo's in my eel squids.It flows nice.I used to make some jigs out of tin to utilize the larger hook but the sizing got to confusing.so I altered the molds to accept the larger hooks In a 1.5 smilin bill I use a 8/0 34185.in a 2 oz I use a 9/0 34185.hard to find Its like a small gaff.I jig in some serious current an i trust my tackle NOW

Where did you get the molds for the squids? (If you don't mind me asking?) I know you can clone an old one with a rubber mold but does anyone make metal molds for tin squids?

I always wanted to pour my own but C Graves makes so many great squids in so many styles for such a reasonable price i figure its not worth my time.

A few yeas ago I almost purchased a small (desktop style) NC milling machine to make a few designs of my own and it could do light metals but decided in the end to pass on yet another hobby I didn't need to get into. If there was a easy source for molds I might pour a few for fun.

My squid molds are a treasure from the past.A gift from the widow of Mentor of mine.I would more likely give u a pint o blood then part with one.Sorry.Now with the milling machines an computers they can copy almost anything.If u now a good machinist ask him about it.

I figured as much... I don't want to take anything from you and I would rather come up with my own model then copy the work of others. (that is just me) For now I am satisified with the fine work of others. I was just wondering if a local guy in your area was making molds.
I think the old original molds were made from bronze...what are yours made out of?

IMO this lure style for some reason never really left the LI- NJ area. I see few guys on the cape and islands with them in their bag. In fact one rather experienced surf fisherman said to me..."I don't think I have ever seen a jig like that...where did you get it?" It was a Charlie Graves tin .:confused:
I have always loved them. Very versitle and long lasting good casting lure at an affordable price. I am really surprised more shops don't carry them up here. I know SWE does but it is few and far between up here.