Try a plumbing supply shop for your virgin lead. A little pricey,
but always pure. I had a chance to buy scrap lead at 10 cents a
pound 10 or 12 years ago and bought a couple hundred pounds. Keep
your ear to the ground and speak to your local scrap yard, they may
put you on a notification list for scrap that comes in. Another
source of soft scrap lead is old building demolition. Much of the
flashing material found on slate (and other) roofs from way back when
was pure lead. They want it gone because it's a poison, you want it
because it's poison to targets and game animals!

Keep making smoke!

John
Camp Verde, AZ