Do you buy quality lead cannonballs?

Fish Assassin

Crew Member
Does the quality of the lead in your cannonballs not bother you?

As long as it weighs close to the weight you want are you really good?

I have noticed more and more cannonballs being sold online, which I'd do myself. But I have noticed many of them are made of really pour quality lead full of babbit and other alloys. Tire weights and just general recycled meltable metals. It got so bad I won't even take other cannonballs on trade as one bad ball can ruin an entire pot of lead.

Does this not bother you?

Can you tell?

Ever seen the balls that have a whiteish finish to them? Not clean lead

Ever hit your balls with a hammer :) LOL if they sound tinny they are not made of clean lead.

Ever seen those really shinny balls they almost look chromed..... Again not clean lead

What makes you buy dirty lead balls? The price

I know some guys really don't care.

Sure there's no such thing as a pure lead ball but some of these recycled so call lead cannonballs suck.

I am picky when buying lead yet the guy that walks in behind me will take anything that melts. I just don't get it.

Do you care?
 
Makes no difference to me, just looking for weight. If you are worried about dissimilar metals what about the brass eyes and stainless clips.
It’s another excuse for not catching fish.
 
I use mainly wheel weights, that stuff in your pictures floats to the surface and is easly skimmed off. That fence ball thing must have taken some effort to make, my time is worth more than that.

but if its cased in lead, what problems could you have?
 
I use mainly wheel weights, that stuff in your pictures floats to the surface and is easly skimmed off. That fence ball thing must have taken some effort to make, my time is worth more than that.

but if its cased in lead, what problems could you have?
I am not even going to reply to that.... Cause if I did it could be seen as an attack. :)
 
it seems to all come down to the basic question:-

Does a c/ball made out of mixedmetals fish as good as a c/ball made out of as close to all-lead as you can get it.......

Actually on some of my near-all-lead balls I've added tiny pieces of copper, stainless, and other things to deliberately get a small galvanic voltage charge......and it worked for me.

I have fished "junk balls"......I have a couple that are a little too "chromy" to be all lead........those haven't stopped me catching fish.
 
Or how about this....


I care and you still have those pictures lol those balls came from pender harbour ( the cage ) and Okanagon the (wheel weights) and you could not tell they were in there , both balls bought from surrey both came from members on here. Lol FA your going to get a lot of guys who don't care cause it comes down to price. Guys who don't care will buy whatever guys who do will buy quality it's a simple as that. Maybe it's time for you to make mixed metal tire weight balls and sell them for $20 cause you will make the same using quality lead selling for more. Lots of scrappers separate there lead and now have different grades lots of scrappers have no clue too. These days tire weight are .50% zinc and not even lead.
 
Just ask finished Bussiness on here hahaha he poured his own balls. "If it sinks it's good " tire lead balls. I could not run them on my boat lol but he didn't care I had to tell people I didn't make them, you seem them . I'm only referring to cannon balls all other weights who cares. Lings ,Hali's snappers, trout ,sturgeon the snaggers all don't care. Anywhere guys can save they will but it comes down to what you think that's all. I just made 500 12oz and 1lb balls for my mullets for the summer. I used Lino lead it's a hard lead but the lings and snapper don't care and nor do I cause I lose so many of them. This is not lead I would use to make cannon balls though and sell em Because of weight. A 15lb ball may weigh 12lbs and so on. Buying lead balls is like buying sandwich meat for my kid you got $.99 100grams or you got $3.59 100 grams which one you think my kid wants and which one you think I wana buy hahah.

Cheers
 
Not intending to be or to sound ignorant, but what is the downside to mixed metal or poor quality lead?
 
Could not care less as long as it has the weight I need, a fin on it and is cheap. I'd use a rock if it met these criteria.
 
Could not care less as long as it has the weight I need, a fin on it and is cheap. I'd use a rock if it met these criteria.
LOL.....Going to start weighing rocks at the beach and collect 12 and 15 pounders and sell them as down riggers weights. :)

I am just joking....


But I was at the Lund General Store and they sell 15 pound balls for $99.99. Came to me then before I paid that much I'd be using a beach rock.
 
Just ask finished Bussiness on here hahaha he poured his own balls. "If it sinks it's good " tire lead balls. I could not run them on my boat lol but he didn't care I had to tell people I didn't make them, you seem them .

Oh no you didn't! HAHA.

......the only uglier balls I've seen are hanging from Grandpa...
 
Hahah hey nick there's a bowling alley at the bottom of my street. I'm pretty sure they could be used for dual purpose. Lol
 
This is just IMHO
Dis-similar metals in an ion solution will create voltage. You'll not know how 'hot' the mixed metal ball is acting.
Also, as the metals react, you will leave a trail of metal ions in the water right in line with your troll gear. sniff sniff?? hey that don't smell like bait?? b b b bye
 
This is just IMHO
Dis-similar metals in an ion solution will create voltage. You'll not know how 'hot' the mixed metal ball is acting.
Also, as the metals react, you will leave a trail of metal ions in the water right in line with your troll gear. sniff sniff?? hey that don't smell like bait?? b b b bye

Bingo! That about summs it up
 
i melt my own wheel weights, i sort out the zinc weights and steel ones... however its easy to spot them if you miss them.

the zinc melts much higher than the lead, so i scoop them out when i remove the metal clips. and ive never had one wreck a batch.

sure if i left it in there for ages longer it would eventually melt, but its not a big issue.

i flux to clean up any slag, and i catch tonnes of fish with my dirty lead balls that leave metal ions in the water (lol)
 
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