I cannot help you out with the question on the casting style, but, as soft as regular round lead wire is, I would think you could cut off a piece the length you need and just flatten it.
As an experiment, I just now took a piece of round lead wire and adjusted my vise jaws and flattened the wire by inserting it in the jaws and closing them. Did not take long at all and flattened it nicely. Just something for you to try if you already have round lead wire.
Last edited by WarrenP; 03-07-2013 at 01:17 AM.
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.