Whats a good price for wheel weights?

[Bwell]

I have a recycling center in town that will sell wheel weights for .50 cents a pound, does that seem like a decent deal?

[osteodoc08]

Yes. Better get it while you can.

Just make sure that you get only lead WW or at least can return iron and zinc for a refund or trade fodder.

[Bwell]

They said most of the WW they have have clips, so I assume most of them are good.

[Beesdad]

.35 cents is the going rate here.. They are paying .12 cents for zinc. .50 cents is not a bad price...

[high standard 40]

Merely having a clip does not guarantee the weight is made of lead. I'm seeing an increasing volume of zinc and iron clip-on weights. The advice of osteodoc is good.

[Shiloh]

Lst time I purchased WW, it was a dollar a pound and he let me pick. There is now a lot of zinc WW.

Shiloh

[mold maker]

The "only lead" WW factor is getting to be a much bigger issue. The % of Fe (iron) WWs is growing, and they are worthless except as iron scrap at a very low value.
Take a magnet with you to discard the iron weights on site. Its quicker than pliers and the seller will probably (make sure) buy the zinc back, along with the cleaned clips, after you reclaim the lead.

[Bwell]

How do you know if the WW have zinc in them?

[inspector_17]

$.50 is the going rate when I can get them. If you haven't already, go to Lead and lead alloys, check the sticky by Revolver. Great info on different WW.

[Bwell]

Should I even bother with the WW's if I have pure lead available?

I need to buy Tin and Antimony to add to it to make it stronger correct?

[Toddlo]

I have a found a mom and pop shop (here in Pennsylvania) that does mostly tire and brake work near me and every time I come in for work they'll give me a bucket to take home for free. Be as nice as you can be, it pays off. Maybe ask places that you do business with, as they'd be more inclined to give them away to their customers. If you spread around your basic repairs (like oil changes) at a few shops you might be able to build a little network and stop in even when you're not having work done and get a free bucket from them. Just don't abuse it and be thankful for their kindness. I don't load lots of cast bullets so I don't require much lead.

[osteodoc08]

Bwell, spend some time looking over the site. Your questions are all good and are covered ad nauseum in the stickys at the top of the sub forums. But to be brief:

Clip on Wheel Weights (COWW) come in 4 main varieties Ive seen. Plastic, Lead, Iron (Fe) and Zinc (Zn). Lead has fallen out of favor and is getting harder to find. The iron ones are magnetic and the zinc ones are very hard and difficult to cut with a set of dykes. The lead will cut easy. The nonlead variety will also sound different when struck. They all have clips on them and that is not a way to tell them apart. Zinc will contaminate so you need to get all the zinc and non lead COWW out before smelting.

Yes, you at least need tin added to pure lead for best fillout. Antimony is optional but strengthens the mix. Ratios are important.

Get the "From ingot to Target" handbook. There is a link running around somewhere. It will go into all this in detail. It is the casters handbook so to speak.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

Read, Read and Read some more. Ask questions. I'm relatively new here and I've been welcomed with open arms. Be sensible and heed the advice of the more senior members here (I'm not one of them, but you will quickly determine who they are)

[Bwell]

I have been reading quite a bit on this site, it seems like everyone has their own way of doing things.. Shoot soft have fun, dont worry about hardness, proper size and lube is all that matters, ect ect.... My head is starting to hurt! lol

[osteodoc08]

Bite off small chunks and digest them young grasshopper.

Yes, there is more information and opinion on this site than someone may know what to do with. I will give you that!

The link to the above book should clarify much of what is discussed here. I ended up printing it out and put it in a large 3 ring binder along with some of my casting notes.

[jmort]

There is some general consensus on some issues and sound practice/ consensus on many/most issues. COWWs are about 2.5% antimony and around .5% tin. Your alloy preference will be dependent on what gun/pressure you are using. I would get the COWWs at that price if they are lead. Many/most add 1% tin. You can mix COWW and lead 50/50 depending. Using lead and 5% tin to make 20 to 1 works well in pistol Boolits up to 1200 fps.

[Bwell]

I will be casting for 40 S&W shooting them out of my Springfield XD40.

Jmortimer, so you are saying I can mix 10lbs pure lead, and 10 pounds COWW and it should be a good mix?

I am just casting for plinking...

[sidecarmike]

I'm surprised you can buy them at all. Around here the recyclers claim it's hazardous waste and illegal for them to sell. The only way you find them here is to bribe the oil change kid at the local tire shop to save them for you.

[jmort]

With a gas check it should work just fine. COWWs will go the way of the Dodo. I only have one hit and miss scrap yard that sells COWW and lead and there is another guy who beats me to it but for $.50 a pound I'll keep checking.

[Bwell]

I didnt think gas checks were necessary for that round...

[dondiego]

They aren't necessary for a .40 S&W. Your 50/50 mix of lead and WW will work just fine.

[triggerhappy243]

Folks, I have to pass this fat tidbit of info in here and I hope EVERYONE READS THIS. The EPA has banned the use of real lead for wheel balancing material... in most parts. it is a 2 part ruling. some states are mandated by the feds to reclaim all of the used w/w's most states have the option to handle it their own way. You can do a google search as to what states enforce this mandate. Calif was the first. Hope this helps.

[osteodoc08]

Folks, I have to pass this fat tidbit of info in here and I hope EVERYONE READS THIS. The EPA has banned the use of real lead for wheel balancing material... in most parts. it is a 2 part ruling. some states are mandated by the feds to reclaim all of the used w/w's most states have the option to handle it their own way. You can do a google search as to what states enforce this mandate. Calif was the first. Hope this helps.

Can you provide an actual link to an actual federal law?

I found this:

http://www.epa.gov/wastes/hazard/wastemin/nlfwwi.htm
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opei/rulegate.nsf/byrin/2070-aj64?opendocument

But no FEDERAL laws outright banning them.

It's not that I doubt you, but I'd like to read the actual ruling on it if there is one.

[triggerhappy243]

I had it in an email, but cleaned out the in box 4 weeks ago and it was in there. look into calif. epa laws they and a few upper midwest states passed it quick.

[osteodoc08]

I had it in an email, but cleaned out the in box 4 weeks ago and it was in there. look into calif. epa laws they and a few upper midwest states passed it quick.

OK, I'll look into the state regulations to see if GA has anything brewing.

[gcsteve]

I have given up trying to get lead COWW's here in NYS. This has been a state law here for a while now:

"On and after April first, two thousand eleven, a person shall not sell or offer to sell or distribute weights or other products for balancing motor vehicle wheels if the weight or other balancing product contains more than 0.1 percent lead by weight."

If a lead COWW is removed from a wheel, it can not be reinstalled. It can only be replaced with a non-lead substitute. All the used lead COWW in NYS must be sent to a distributor for exchange (if they will do it), or to a recycling center or scrap metals dealer.

[newmexicocrawler]

I get mine for FREE......I just go around to local tire shops and get the weights they can't reuse.

[Bwell]

All the places around my area take theirs to a recycling facility or have someone that comes and picks them up on a regular basis.

[gtgeorge]

I gave up on WW lead and buy from a foundry instead. I have to by 1K at a time but ends up cheaper than ww lead after you figure in gas, waste product, propane etc. I also end up with a product that is super clean and requires minimum fluxing as well as a known alloy. They only way I could see buying WW is at @ 30¢. And then only if you don't have something to do with your time worth more $. Everyone around my area either won't sell it outright, is already spoken for or much higher than what seems to be the going prices.

[Bwell]

If I do buy WW's is a 50/50 mix needed with my pure lead to shoot 40 caliber? Or should I just add 95/5 solder to the pure lead?

[osteodoc08]

If I do buy WW's is a 50/50 mix needed with my pure lead to shoot 40 caliber? Or should I just add 95/5 solder to the pure lead?

Straight COWW is fine. I add 2%tin, usually with the 95/5 solder. Make sure it is pure solder and not the rosin or acid core solder. (some here advocate that rosin core solder is fine, I'd rather not complicate things)

[Bwell]

I would like to get some good use of the pure lead I have which is about 50 lbs...

Do you use the whole lb roll of 95/5 solder when adding it to the WW's?

[triggerhappy243]

if you have pure lead, why not try and trade strait across for w/w's

[Bwell]

I guess I could, trying not to ship 50lbs of lead...

[osteodoc08]

I would like to get some good use of the pure lead I have which is about 50 lbs...

Do you use the whole lb roll of 95/5 solder when adding it to the WW's?

I add 2% (by weight). If you have 100# of COWW, you need 2 pounds of Solder. That's actually 1.9% (because it 95% tin and 5% antimony), but close enough.

Now, I'm sure you know this, but these COWW need to be processed and fluxed, you just cant toss it all in a melter and turn out boolits.

So then the question begs to ask, when to add the solder? I process my COWW and pour them into muffin tins. When I'm ready to churn out bullets, I take a small scale and weight them out and put them into the pot. Then I add 2% solder by weight. Experience tells me how much to snip off. I weight it and toss it in.Give it a little stir and cast some boolits.

I usually add 10-15# of processed COWW and 3-5 ounces of solder usually works fine. Take the pounds of COWW, multiply by .02 to get the weight of the tin in pounds and then by 16 to get ounces.

Ex:

10# of COWW x 0.02=0.2 pounds of tin

0.2 pounds of tin x 16= 3.2 ounces of solder.

There are several calculators available, just do a search. I like to keep things simple though. There are more ways than 1 to skin a cat, but that's how I do things. Could be right, could be wrong, but it works for me.


BTW, just another tidbit to add

7000gr in a pound. You can calculate how many boolits you "should" get per pound of melt.

Ex: There are 28-250gr boolits in a pound of melt. It's also helpful to figure out how many reloads you can reload with a pound of powder.

[triggerhappy243]

Trade with someone local. a muzzleloader shooter would love to have pure lead. let him do the legwork to come up with the w/w"s

[Bwell]

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m135/gtup/Mobile%20Uploads/197E07C2-79BF-4A2F-B594-1CBC6D767ECA_zpsvdsqjcee.jpg (http://s103.photobucket.com/user/gtup/media/Mobile%20Uploads/197E07C2-79BF-4A2F-B594-1CBC6D767ECA_zpsvdsqjcee.jpg.html)
This is the lead, after looking at it more I don't think it's pure lead. It does have a tinny sound when hit together. I took a flathead screw driver to it and it doesn't penetrate very easily... Is the only was of finding the hardness is to buy the tester that cost 80-100 dollars?

[Bwell]

There is a name of bunker hill on the ingots

[Bwell]

Osteodoc08, that's some great information! Thank you very much for that.

[str8shot426]

I pay my tire guy for the weight of the lead after smelting. A dollar a pound seems steep, but his three buckets a year go to me guaranteed. I also patronize his place for my fuel and tires.

[Cadillo]

How do you know if the WW have zinc in them?

The first time you hold a zinc weight in your hand, all doubt will flee. They are not at all heavy. If in doubt try to dent it with a pair of cutting pliers. It's a lot harder than lead.