How much do you pay for WW's??? Hears One 4 U!!

[Greenhorn44]

Went to a Pull-A-Part today Told him I wanted to gather some wheel weights off his Mountain of rims. Told him You-wrench-it down the street just lets me have all i gather. He told me 50 cents a WW, (Yes I said Per WW, 50 cents)
50 CENTS!!!! I said, your outta your mind. His conclusion was he charges 50cents per lugnut, why are wheel weights any different. I said, Have you ever sold 1000 lugsnuts??? He starts back pedaling......LONG Pause..... I about lit in to him for being silly, on a sunny afternoon. But I gathered my thoughts, took a deep breath... and told him alright, I'll take 5 buckets full.
Young buck drops his coffee, coffee goes everywhere!!!
Just Then, My cell phone rings....it's my loving darling wife, I answer... Hello.. hey Bill... 10 buckets... ready to go... good deal, thank you, be right there.

Young buck still standing there. Mouth slawwed open, looking dumbfounded, I look at him and smile. And I say to him, I.... left my wallet in my truck.. I'll be right back...... I walk outside to my truck. Wife calls back, So im standing there on the cell, telling her what I have done, I turn around and see Young buck staring me down like a buzzard on a branch. I open my truck door, pull my wallet outta my center console, put it in my pocket. and shut the door. I turn toward the building, and he's flat gone. Across the yard I see Young buck running out the side of the building holding a empty bucket in each hand, heading towards his retirement
I hope he is still picking off them WW from those puttwood vehicles he's got.
Hope this brought a smile to all yall's faces:lol:

So as you all probably guessed, Just bought some WW's today. From a tire store. I know, I know, you'r all right. Hat of to all. I guess I wasnt looking hard enough. And Tired Of Dealing With Junkyards.

So How Much Do You Pay Per Pound Of WW???

Thanks Guys!!! For all your support:lol:

[Blammer]

lol that's too funny!

Let him set on them buckets of ww's for a little while and the price will come down really quick. :)

oh, and I don't pay anything for mine. :D

[dragonrider]

I've never paid for WW's. Right now I believe I have enough to last the rest of my shooting life.

[outdoorfan]

That was too good!

[Ole]

I have paid anywhere from "a 150lb bucket for free" to $.80/lb for wheel weights.

I have no issue paying for wheel weights. Considering they will be harder to find in the future, they are still a heck of a lot cheaper than buying bullets. I've finally built up a nice stash so I look for good deals only, now-a-days. :)

[chris in va]

Scrapyard sells mixed WW for $.60/lb. They allow me to pick out the good ones though, but that takes time and looks a little funny sitting on the floor sifting through all that ****.

I *was* getting my WW from a tire store, but a different manager informed me they "return the wheelweights to corporate for recycling". IE, he wasn't interested in selling them to me. Guess I'll have to keep searching.

BTW, do those truck tire stores use lead wheelweights?

[Fugowii]

I guess I am paying around .25/Lb since I pay $30 for a full five gallon bucket of around 125 lbs (usable). More if the mix has a lot of zinc/steel/small weights. I would like to get some for free but that's not going to happen around this neck of the woods.

[462]

I consider myself lucky that I don't have to pay for them. I understand how frustrating it can be, though, as many stores have turned me down. Forget the national, regional, or state-wide stores, as they usually have contracts with recyclers or battery companies. Concentrate on the locally owned Mom and Pop stores. Develop a relationship, with them, in which it is worth their while to give you the weights.

[AKsoldier]

About two weeks ago, I paid $25 for a full 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights from my local tire shop. So far I have smelted about a quarter of the bucket, yielding much more than I expected.


The WW's are VERY low zinc content. I only picked out five or so weights that were not melting as fast as the lead ones. I now feel confident that I can discern lead from zinc. And my first bucket will yield WAY more boolits than I can normally shoot in a year.

I guess it's time to "up the ante"!:bigsmyl2:

[Guesser]

I recently paid 100 bucks for 117 #s of ww and 90 #s of lino smelted into Lyman ingots. Was given 175 #s if sheet lead and 220 Lyman ingots of lead. Sometimes I get ww for free, but I don't ask much any more, I don't think I'll shoot up all I've got.

[Greg in Malad]

400 bullets for each heaping bucket. That is what I give to a friend who works at the tire shop.

[captaint]

Haven't had to pay yet. I did agree to buy my next set of truck tires from the last guy I got WW's from, which will be in a month or so. In fact tonight I got 40lbs of lead pipe from a guy at work. He had it laying around his basement. Like to do that more often. enjoy Mike

[HammerMTB]

BTW, do those truck tire stores use lead wheelweights?

Yes, truck tire stores use lead WWs, and truck tires is one of the few places steel/zinc is not replacing lead- yet, anyway.
I get my WW from a truck tire store. Most of it is from car tires. They gotta sell tires to make money.
I usually pay 2 dozen donuts for all the WW they can scrounge up for me.

[cptinjeff]

Started with some mono, lino, and tin I inherited from my Grandfather who passed away 10 years ago. Was given 148lbs of fishing weights because the hole was too small for the leader. I thought I was going to use em for fishing..but not now. Got my first two full buckets of ww for $10 a little over 2 years ago when I started casting. The next month I scored 550lb of free boat balast in 55lb brick form. The next month I scored 60lb of free boat balast in pellet form. At that point, I thought it was going to be easy!

Over the last two years I was probably turned down 50 times and procured exactly 35lb of WW. Two month's ago I started buying some ww ingots from this forum (110lbs worth so far for under a $1/lb). Two days ago My boss of all people asked me to take his caddie in for some new tires and told me which shop to use as one of his business partners knew the owner. YUP. A free bucket and a promise to get all he has once a month! I hope it works out.

I have enough to hold for me a couple of years at my current rate of 150 lb/year but I won't stop asking because you never know when it will all dry up! Not to mention it just feels like Christmas when you get a fresh batch.:cbpour:[smilie=p:

[fredj338]

I've never paid for WW's. Right now I believe I have enough to last the rest of my shooting life.
Indeed you are fortunate. I was getting 100#+ buckets for $20, then the guy had someone come in & pay him $60. No thanks. the last bucket was only about 65% lead, the rest zinc & steel. WW are fast becoming the next item to hard.:cry:

[Greenhorn44]

Update on "Young Buck." I guess he caught on quick. Says I owe him 500 bucks for a full bucket. Chuckle, chuckle. Told him I left my wallet in the truck.

[maddog2020]

I just got close to 400 lbs today FREE and was promised the same every two weeks

[AKsoldier]

maddog - thanks alot! You just made everyone else here jealous!

[Greenhorn44]

FREE!!!! Share the wealth :)

[Firebricker]

That is a good one. FB

[44fanatic]

Went down to a farmers shop today that has tires. Got the run around from the guys who run the tire shop and was directed to the store manager. Guess I found an assistant manager, he wanted to sell the wheel weights at a compromise between recycle rate of .30 a lb and bolts sold at 1.29 a lb. Asked him if they were tossing them or recycling them and they were tossing them. Tire guy brought 11lbs of WW up and they guy wanted to sell them to me at $1 a lb...I was about to walk out when the store manager who was listen to us just told him to give me the weights. Wont go back there again. Went up the road and picked up a 161lb bucket for $40.

Also have two car dealers and 3 small tire shops that are giving them to me for free. Figure I will be gettin about 3/4 a bucket from them each month. Gonna give em all buckets with my name and number on them, and find out what their favorite beer is.

[Dutchman]

I just got my first nearly full 5 gallon bucket for $20. I'm in the process of sorting the stick-on and clip on. The stick on are small numbers.

I'm real concerned about ww availability as I'm in northern California. I have now only about 250 pounds with some linotype. This bucket I just got will raise my inventory quite a bit but I'd sure like to have a lot more.

Dutch

[pistolman44]

I have been paying .25 a lb. from a recyling place for WW. But I just found a scrap yard that has a 55 gal. drum full of WW for the same price. I'll take the whole drum if they can load it on my 1/2 ton trailer.

[fatelk]

What's with these tire shop guys thinking that they have gold? I had one tell me they get $1 a pound today, too. I was thinking he must be on drugs or something, but do some people actually pay that?

I've struck out completely around here (Oregon). All the guys here that brag about getting buckets per week sure don't live around here. Of all the places I've checked, I was able to buy one bucket for $40, and was glad to get it.

[Greenhorn44]

Even if your paying for it. Sorta feels like christmas.

So now im sorting out my WW and im wondering if there is anything else I need to check.
Im taking a magnet to them, Im checking for rivets, Looking for a Ze or Fe stamp.
Sqooshing them with pliers. Dropping them on the ground listening for a ting.

Am I missing anything? Thanks guys.

[Wayne Smith]

Even if your paying for it. Sorta feels like christmas.

So now im sorting out my WW and im wondering if there is anything else I need to check.
Im taking a magnet to them, Im checking for rivets, Looking for a Ze or Fe stamp.
Sqooshing them with pliers. Dropping them on the ground listening for a ting.

Am I missing anything? Thanks guys.

Roofing lead, lead pipe, lining from x-ray rooms, pewter, deals on solder ... what else?

[mpmarty]

I pay $50.00 for a full five gallon bucket and the tire shop loads it into my pickup for me. About 90% lead wheel weights and the rest steel and zinc. I'm in Oregon also.

[rb dave]

I work for a very large dealer group and am able to get weights from 3 of the larger dealers for free as i have shooting buddies there. One buddy shoots large bore handgun and we load his brass at my place and thats allright. One of them wont shoot lead cause he says he likes to shoot more than clean. lol. I tried to enlighten him on cost of ammo store bought vs home grown but he had a case of not for me. Oh well I just pich up his bucket when he calls me to let me know its full. have enough for now, or sooooooooooo

[Greenhorn44]

I guess I have lost much of my muchness. Nobody gives nuthin away in the big city.
If i was in Kansas City, Lead was free. I would make sinkers for fishing big ol' 8 and 10 oz.ers,
catching flathead, and white cats during my river ratting days. We should all chip in and buy our own Lead Mine. Couple biguns in Missouri

[Greenhorn44]

We shall set the mines afire. And stand by waiting with our molds

[William Yanda]

I'm still chuckling! Junkyard here gets $35/5gal. CraigsLlist had an ad for 96/2/2 for $1 per lb

[Jkallen83]

i aint checked around too much since i aint had my mold but about a week. but i went to the local scrap yard and they told me $0.85 per pound for lead.....i had a choice of WW, clean lead and some other lead.....i chose clean lead because someone already had some LYMAN ingots in there...$9.35 later i had 11 pounds of ready to go lead....melted it down and it was already clean...its a little harder than i wanted but it works great...

they told me $0.85 per pound, my choice of anything they had.

[williamwaco]

I can buy all the wheel weights I can carry in a dualie here in Texas.

Unfortunately, I can't buy them.

Everyone is asking a dollar a pound for them. I can buy them from members here on this board already smelted, fluxed, and cast into cute little one pound ingots, delivered to my front door for that.

.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Like Blammer, I get mine for free. It`s nice to have friends at 2 car dealerships that do tire work and a friend that owns a bump shop/wrecker service. They give me the weights just to get them out of their business. I try to give them money for the gift weights, they prefer doughnuts and a case of sodas.Robert

[badgeredd]

I count myself as one of the fortunate ones when it comes to getting WW. I've gone to the same place for several years and pay a reasonable price for them. The manager asks me what the going price is for WW every time. Last time was last week and he let me have about a 175# for $.35 a pound. Well not really; he charged me $40 for the lot which is a normal occurrence. That worked out to be $23 per pound. He figured out the price and then said "Is $40 okay?" Often I take in homemade cookies or a cake or donuts and he says it's a wash.

Edd

[Harter66]

I get mine at work from our tire shop ,probably 2 buckets a year maybe less. On the other side all the walkers that know pick them up when they see them for me too.

When I went to pick a part I filled my pockets and bought a spare wheel for my Caddi.

About a year ago a QC here at work gave me a virgin can of Alcan 5 and 2 bags of "super hard"shot.

My other duties also allow me to "service" trap boxes on the public shooting range.

Technecally I guess I get paid to collect mine.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

I have been getting WW from a tire store chain the past three or four years. Then the stores started telling me they had to save them. Orders from corporate. It seems the WW companies are asking for 90% return by pound per pound of new ones.

I went to the regional office, and asked the boss there about the WW. He tells me they get one of those baby dumpster buckets (36" cube) full every three months or so. Then he tells me that the WW companies are actually paying them about 45 cents a pound as a credit on the next order. I offer him 50 cents a pound, and a dozen donuts of his choice for the whole thing. Deal!
The last run netted me almost 1200lbs of smelted 3lb ingots.

Soooooooooooooooo, it might be in your best interest to ask your local tire store for the regional office manager's name and phone number.

this is my good deed for the month!

Rich

[yovinny]

Great story :)

I just got 275lbs for $.25lb from a local tire store.
He told me thats what he gets from the junker, so same for me.
First place I've found lately that was even willing to part with them.