PDA

View Full Version : No Surprise To Anyone



Uncle Jimbo
03-15-2014, 06:07 PM
Just finished melting down the last batch of wheel weight I got last week. Here are the results. :sad:

Out of approx. 425->435 lbs. of weights.
34 lbs. of soww ingots
70 lbs. of coww ingots
7 lbs. of zinc weights, both clip and stick on together. Not much zinc out here yet.

The rest were steel and the melted out clips from the clip-ons.
:cry:

waco
03-15-2014, 07:18 PM
dang......

Cherokee
03-15-2014, 07:44 PM
25% yield, that stinks....

Bzcraig
03-15-2014, 07:51 PM
That is a surprise to me.

pearcetopher
03-15-2014, 09:05 PM
HOwmuch petrol did you burn through to melt that down

DRNurse1
03-15-2014, 09:11 PM
How much do the steel ingots weigh and what do you suppose 300# of steel is worth?

turmech
03-15-2014, 10:35 PM
what do you suppose 300# of steel is worth?
Right around $30-$40

Uncle Jimbo
03-15-2014, 11:01 PM
How much do the steel ingots weigh and what do you suppose 300# of steel is worth?

I didn't melt the steel down! I just throw them back in the box and take them down to the recyclers and sell. Don't melt the zinc either. It took about a hour with my propane burner to melt them all down and make ingots.

osteodoc08
03-15-2014, 11:07 PM
Ouch. That sucks. Hope you didn't pay for all that.

geargnasher
03-16-2014, 12:14 AM
Right around $30-$40

$12/hundred around here for clean steel or iron. Iron weights and clean clips bring top dollar. So does the zinc.

Gear

TXGunNut
03-16-2014, 12:40 AM
Yield does seem a little low, I was above 50% last time. I have a pretty good pile of steel weights and clips. Not much Zn around here yet but will have a saleable amount someday.

JeffinNZ
03-16-2014, 04:51 AM
Ouch. Hope it didn't cost you too much.

762 shooter
03-16-2014, 07:37 AM
Just to be clear. You got 310 pounds of clips and FE clip on???

I'm shocked. Where is " out here "?

I'll have to go look at my pile with new found respect.

762

Uncle Jimbo
03-16-2014, 11:37 AM
I have a friend who manages a Les Schwab Tire center. He just saves them for me. No charge. Les Schwab was one of the first companies to do away with lead weights. There are no major tire dealers in the area that uses lead weights. Been that way for long time now. I'm just happy to get what I can from my friend.

Walter Laich
03-16-2014, 01:56 PM
we use scrap yards now--lead wheel weights have gone the way of the dodo bird

bangerjim
03-16-2014, 03:55 PM
Guys......this is exactly why we need to forget the "old ways & old daze" of using free or almost free lead alloy WW's. They are gone or rapidly disappearing nation-wide. Stop wasting gas driving in circles to tire stores Save that money to buy clean known ingots to mix your alloys for casting as I now do.

This is also another reason to consider using powder coating. You do not need the hard Sb alloys if you PC your softer boolits. They still need to have some hardness/toughness (do not shoot pure lead) but the old days of shooting and water dropping Sb alloys (COWW's) is gone, unless you alloy you own in your casting pot like I do all the time.

sorry to be the bearer of bad news for all you scroungers out there. It was good while it lasted. But the days of smelting buckets of 100% lead WW's is really over.

Buy whatever you can, but do not rely on getting good yields from your buddies at the local tire shop anymore.

banger