Blake Walker | 08 Jun 2014 12:20 p.m. PST |
link Someone decided to steal one ton lead ingots from the Doe Run Company's Smelting Division in Herculaneum, MO. I worked there about twenty years ago as a lab tech on night s in their production lab. At the time, people stole industrial grade tin from the plant. But they were eventually caught. Lead production ceased there as of December 31, 2013. But the facility is still casting specialty alloys for car battery manufacturers and running their strip mill until at least the fall. Did anyone need several metric tons of lead for casting their minis? Lol. Still, I thought it was strange enough to post on TMP. Regards, Blake |
andygamer | 08 Jun 2014 12:22 p.m. PST |
And I'm sure you have an alibi, Blake. Right? |
JasonAfrika | 08 Jun 2014 1:15 p.m. PST |
Well, if a new model figure company pops up on TMP next week AND they happen to be from Missouri AND, their figures are really cheap
you might have your thief Blake. BTW, how much do those 2x2 blocks each weigh? Thanks for posting
that was very interesting and bizarre. |
jeffreyw3 | 08 Jun 2014 1:49 p.m. PST |
Or if Baccus suddenly releases an 8mm line
|
tberry7403 | 08 Jun 2014 1:54 p.m. PST |
Might be a militia group casting their own bullets. |
Oddball | 08 Jun 2014 3:11 p.m. PST |
Militia unit going old school with Brown Bess muskets. |
Happy Little Trees | 08 Jun 2014 4:08 p.m. PST |
Anyone want to buy some doorstops for bank vaults? Cheap. |
Grinning Norm | 08 Jun 2014 4:08 p.m. PST |
Probably an alchemist looking to turn it into gold. |
zoneofcontrol | 08 Jun 2014 5:20 p.m. PST |
Maybe it was the gang from "Gilligan's Island." Wasn't there an episode where a meteor landed on the island and they were afraid it was radioactive? They all wore lead coated clothing until they were able to destroy the rock with a lighting rod during a thunder storm? |
The Gray Ghost | 08 Jun 2014 5:20 p.m. PST |
A local company here was robbed of $10,000 USD of copper ingots, guy pulled up in a panel truck saying he was there to pick up the copper, went into the office while they were loading and asked for directions. When he came out he told the loaders he had left his invoice with the office, got in the truck and drove off. It was several hours before anyone found out. |
goragrad | 08 Jun 2014 11:18 p.m. PST |
Might be a bit awkward fencing those. One ton ingots aren't that common and recasting would be a lot of effort and time consuming. |
nevinsrip | 08 Jun 2014 11:35 p.m. PST |
Might be a bit awkward fencing those. One ton ingots aren't that common and recasting would be a lot of effort and time consuming. Not really. No thief is going to go through the trouble of stealing something he cant get rid of. Besides, a ton is not something that you can just fit in your pocket and walk out with. Heavy machinery was involved here and that takes access and planning. This was no crime of opportunity. So, either whoever took it needed it for himself or he had a buyer lined up prior to the jo. Eh, Watson? |
bsrlee | 09 Jun 2014 12:02 a.m. PST |
Check out the yachting marinas, specially any repair yards, that deal with ocean going (or Gt. Lakes)yachts. I'd say someone is either just about finished building their yacht or they are repairing one that has lost its keel weight. |
Cerdic | 09 Jun 2014 4:59 a.m. PST |
Here in Britain we've had big problems with metal theft. Scrap metal fetches a good price these days, it is sent to China where the demand is huge. Stuff like lead, aluminium and especially copper is even more valuable. It got so bad, thieves were nicking brass plates from cemeteries and war memorials. Even iron manhole covers in roads were going missing in the night! On the up side, if you buy a new fridge or washing machine and want to get rid of your old one you just leave it outside your house and a couple of hours later it will have disappeared
. |
Chortle | 09 Jun 2014 6:21 a.m. PST |
In the past someone mentioned tyre weights being a free source of lead. Not sure if that is true. But one guy on here had cast a large army from lead he got free at an old garage where they dumped old tyres. |
Zephyr1 | 09 Jun 2014 2:16 p.m. PST |
The older tire weights were lead. I think that they are made from something different now. 15 years ago I melted down a large bucket of them (in small batches), a stinky process, and ended up with about 100 lbs for playing with. Probably haven't used a pound or 2 since (it's pretty much been stockpiled for when I build a perpetual motion machine. ;-) Don't know what I'd ever do with 2 tons of it
. |
goragrad | 09 Jun 2014 6:47 p.m. PST |
I am not sure nevinsrip, I have seen several reports of criminals who stole items that were nearly impossible after the fact to dispose of
Last quote I got for tire weights at the recycler was 52 cents a pound about a month ago – unchanged for a couple of years. Probably influenced by the smelter shutdown as the economy is a bit slower than it was two years ago. I had read on a forum that reloaders were paying a dollar a pound at that time. Made a hundred or so recycling some old car batteries that we had setting around (two bits a pound for those and didn't even have to drain them). Local tire shop is still using lead, but it is now a case of having to turn in used weights on a pound for pound basis. EPA is requiring a phaseout over the next couple of years. P.S. My brother picked his son up a lead soldier casting a couple of months ago and I went back to the tire shop and got 20 pounds or so of weights to use with it. Paint them up well when we are done and make him an army
P.P.S. As to stealing metal, in France apparently the new targets are wind turbines. Around 20 have been gutted - link Estimate a tonne of metal each (mostly copper at 4500 euros per tonne). Beats the return on lead. |