My paternal grandmother used to make sinkers in the kitchen, melting the lead on the stove in a cast iron skillet. Unbeknownst to my mother, I, at single digit ages, helped. I loved to do the pouring. Safety first! LOL
Casting your own stuff is a great money saver. Scrap is a great way to maximize savings. Beware the danger of melting scrap metal containing even slight amounts of water. FYI- The time lead explodes is when metal containing encased water is placed into the liquid metal that is in the pot. The enclosed water flashes into steam and explodes the contents of the pot. Always melt scrap by starting with a cold pot. Be safe!
We used to be able to go to tire stores and get buckets of used wheel weights, but now they seem to be made "lead free", I guess so if they come off and get back out in nature again, they won't damage something. I really don't think thats a real thing, but its hard to get that stuff now.