Get 'em while you can lads, they are fading away.
I agree! I started casting sometime in the late 60's as a kid helping my Grandfather. Since then I've seen lead go from free or cheap and plentiful to hard to find at any price.
I still get a partial bucket of weights from the local tire shop every 4 to 6 weeks. I sort them as I get them so as to not get hopelessly behind. The lead yield is still running 60-65% lead, pretty good compared to other places. Me and a buddy get together in late winter or early spring and have a joint smelting party.
I have a pot and Propane fired burner that will melt 400# of lead in 20 minutes or so, although only filling it to 350 gives us more room to stir and flux. We run about 7 or 8 of the Lyman style ingot molds.
