Lead wheel weights in Washington state

[Lunk]

So I tried to see about getting some wheel weights yesterday. Had some interesting results.

First I went to the local metal recyclers. They had 20 or 30 pounds and wanted $.75 per pound. Mentioned some guy was just in a couple days ago and bought over 200lb off them so they did not have much.

Then I went to the closest tire shop to my house, a Les Schwab. They have there's picked up by the local battery recyclers usually so they were out at the moment but he would save them for me since he knew I was looking for them. He wanted $45 for a bucket full. Then he told me something that just floored me. The manager stated that as of Jan1 Lead wheel weights would be illegal in Washington.

I then went home and looked it up. If lead wheel weights were going to become illegal I wanted to know.
This is what I found: Bill 1033 (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1033&year=2009)

I then went to a mom and pop tire place in the next town over. The manager there told me the same thing. He also wanted $60 per bucket of weights.
When I told him that only California was outlawing them as of Jan1 and Washington's did not go into effect until 2011 he stated that his distributor was no longer carrying lead wheel weights and all he could get was steel.

I then went home again and did some more research and found an article announcing that all Les Schwab stores were going lead free as of the first of the year for "environmental reasons". Now they have many many stores over the western states and I imagine that it was just easier for the corporate office to just say everyone goes to steel instead of the 30 or so stores in CA go steel and everyone else can still use lead. Also that they have enough buying power with there wholesaler that when CA made it illegal and Les Schwab said to all go "green" that they could see the writing on the wall and just dropped carrying lead entirely. In today's corporate market efficiency is king and only having one line of products for everyone is more efficient.

I take from this one very important lesson, if you live in any western states GO GET YER WEIGHTS! The clock is ticking and time is almost up!

[knifemaker]

I am surprised that your Les Schwab store is still using lead wheel weights. The stores in CA. stopped using lead about the first month of this year. A full year before the ban starts in CA.

RELH

[HammerMTB]

It is becoming troublesome here in WA.
One thing, tho, it's not the new ones they use, but the old ones they remove that you really want.
One local tire joint, Discount tires, "says" they trade all their WW old for new pound for pound, so don't let any get away.
When I said I'd trade all the steel and zinc they wanted for lead lb for lb they just gave me a funny look.
Fortunately I still have some friends in the industry, so will keep trying to increase my supply until the low cost WW dry up.

[mpmarty]

fifty cents a pound here in Oregon at the recyclers. Lead, WW, old pipes whatever, it's all fifty cents a pound. Haven't bought any yet, we'll see as I still buy five gallon pails of ww from tire shops for fifty bucks each and they throw in the bucket. Weight is around 135 to 150 pounds per five gallon bucket. Very little scrap or waste in these. No chew, valve stems or cigar butts. About five percent non lead weights.

[Lead Fred]

Those commies know how to get around the second amendment.

There is no reason to ban lead in washingrad. NONE

Guess tomorrow Im headed down to my local recycler and empty his barrel one last time

[Springfield]

Not to say I told you so or anything, but some people always get all superior and say stuff like "that's just you Californians, won't happen here". Well, some corporate offices don't care about state borders, they just do what is the easiest, and sometimes you all get dragged along with us here, whether it is the law there or not. Moving out of California or Massachusetts or New York isn't going to save you, we're all in this together eventually. We just get screwed first.

[partsman]

try any local roofers, i have been getting lucky found a couple of roofers with piles of lead gutters and flashing........

[Lunk]

I'm going to do some more checking. I live a little ways out in the sticks and was thinking of making a pilgrimage to the city this next week, maybe I'll plan on hitting some tire stores there and see what that gets me. Worst they can say is no.
On the other hand Lead and Brass' modified wheel weight alloy is starting to look quite nice, given it's a guaranteed alloy.

[Daddyfixit]

Darn! just got into casting to save $$. So much for that idea! The Seattle founeries want a fortune!

[Lunk]

Darn! just got into casting to save $$. So much for that idea! The Seattle foundries want a fortune!

It's still cheaper. If I buy ingots from a vendor for $2.00 a pound I'll get about 45 158 grain .357's thats under $.05 a round. buying new is $.15-.20 per. With the higher prices and coming scarcity it'll be more expensive than it was but still cheaper than jacketed.
And allot cheaper than buying new ammo.

[Shuz]

The diminishing supply of inexpensive wheel weights should drive us all toward shooting at targets and places where we can recover our boolits.

[captain-03]

The diminishing supply of inexpensive wheel weights should drive us all toward shooting at targets and places where we can recover our boolits.

This has been my major effort for the past 2 years and have been able to put back about a ton of the stuff in ingot form ... Try to leave each range session with more than I left in the berms !!

[BSkerj]

One thing to remember...the tire shops maybe going green on the 1st, but they will still be pulling lead off for quite awhile when they are replacing tires, so make sure you still hit them up for at least 6 months or so. My local Les Schwab went to steel already and I am still getting alot of lead from them. I have noticed that it is drying up though. I have a 50 gal drum plus another 600 lbs of ingots so I should be set for awhile. That being said I still am stopping and retrieving WW's.

[justingrosche]

Tire shops have been the bread and butter of our sport. But I had thought that things were in a decline for quite some time for getting WW from the tire stores. More and more Zn and Fe in the buckets.
It's rather unfortunate that the people that know the least, have the most control. I dont even know what they are so damned scared of. Do they think their Organic Free Range chickens might eat a piece of shot?

[shaune509]

this state is run buy know it all gov types that could not find there butt while sitting on the jon. several years ago they made mercury a for botton item, no more new mercury thermostates, tilt switches etc. only thing that is still in state is floresant bulbs. even are cars if made after 2001[??] must have klifornia emissions, if you move into the state with newer car that is non calfi emission it can not be registured in the state.
shaune

[pls1911]

Search out a supplier of babbit bearing material, then mix it about 20-25% with pure lead from pipe or roofing flashing.
I have at least 1.5 tons of stock squirreled back, and another 600 pounds of flashing waiting to be smelted.
Unfortunately about 50% of my linotype drum is collectable (Large MONOTYPE) blocks and artistic advertising castings. but I till have a few hundred pounds of babbit bars.
I stretch my current "#2" by mixing with pure lead , then heat treating.
The result is the hardness of linotype, but not the brittleness. It measures 20+ Brinnell.
I can drive 30-30 and 45-70 gas checked boolits to 2000 fps velocities without worry of leading or boolit break up on animals.
These penetrate pigs end to end or through the shoulders with ease.