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Is there a way to get lead cheaply from local sources? I can buy ingots off eBay and there is a non-ferrous metal supplier I know who sells it for $12 for 5 pounds, but the shipping is nuts.

I considered salvaging lead from a battery, but apparently that is not viable cause the battery is contaminated with a lot of lead oxides, lead carbonates and antimony.

I also considered fishing weights, but I am concerned about alloyed contaminants and also it is getting difficult to find lead fishing weights, especially large ones.

I am interested mostly in "technical grade" just for weighting stuff down (like apparatus stands), but also having a small amount available that is reagent quality.

Shaka Boom
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  • If you are at, say, a university - ask around! You might be surprised what folks have on hand. Otherwise, your cost problem with all lead products is the shipping - it is heavy, after all. Perhaps find a local metal supplier and see what they have and can offer. Since you are concerned about contaminants, that affects all 'non-standard' sources. – Jon Custer Jan 20 '16 at 22:50
  • @JonCuster Right, that is something I have considered, sort of Craigslist type of local pickup option. I am asking the question because I thought somebody might know of a common product (not a battery) that I could just pull lead out of for free. – Shaka Boom Jan 20 '16 at 22:56
  • @ShakaBoom can you pick up from here? http://www.nuclead.com/leadproducts.html – DavePhD Jan 21 '16 at 18:08
  • @DavePhD That's a great find! Thanks for that vendor, I didn't even know they existed. West Bridgewater is a bit of a drive, but not too bad. – Shaka Boom Jan 21 '16 at 18:12

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