Wheel Weight Prices - Bottoming Out - .08 Center per Pound

[mfraser264]

Called my local scrap yard (April 13th) to see what they were paying for wheel weights, was shocked to hear them say .08 cents per pound. Was evening up with a source and taking delivery for a load last Christmas. One factor was virgin lead on the London market fell .20 cents per pound lately and with all the steel/iron weights they are having to hand sort at the scrap yards and they have to pay for someone to do that.

[Stephen Cohen]

I find many car wreckers will give it away as will tyre shops, there is that much rubbish in it no one wants to play with it, I am happy I will sort it. Regards Stephen

[Winger Ed.]

The demand for, and use of lead may be on the decline too.

Wheel weights have less of it, and modern rims don't use as much weight as the old days.
Steel or non lead shotgun shot is out there. Indoor ranges not allowing lead boolits.
Lead sewer pipe joints are gone, and Plumbing solder is getting away from it.
Roof flashings are all rubber now. Home shower pans are plastic now.
Modern generation car batteries are smaller, last longer, and may even use less of it for their plates.

Less demand, large supply,,,,,,,, the price will come down.

[Ozark mike]

I find many car wreckers will give it away as will tyre shops, there is that much rubbish in it no one wants to play with it, I am happy I will sort it. Regards Stephen

Not here in mt they think because it is heavy it must be gold or something I walked into a tire shop and he wanted 100.00 for a 5 gal bucket of mixed weights

[bmortell]

almost everyplace I checked I offered dollar a pound and they act weird about it and want nothing to do with me. got 10 pounds free once but I had to sort good ones out for the guy to keep. one tire shop I got 50lb for 50$ but the moon must of been in phase or something that day.

[lightman]

Personally I would not pay a dollar per pound for wheel weights. Not when you can buy it from the members here in the Swapping and Selling section for a dollar plus shipping, already cleaned up. Theres just too much waste involved. Non lead weights, brake pads, lug nuts, valve stems, ect. Even with sorted weights you are dealing with a 10 or 11% waste from the clips, on average.

And don't take this the wrong way, wheel weights are my favorite alloy except for isotope containers.

[RED BEAR]

Most shops around here are contracted with the people that bring batteries to take wheel weights.

[Froogal]

Sad to say, because I thoroughly enjoy casting bullets, but I've resorted to buying lead rather than scrounging it, and I can buy bullets already made for the same money or less, and the lube is already on them.

[centershot]

Personally I would not pay a dollar per pound for wheel weights. Not when you can buy it from the members here in the Swapping and Selling section for a dollar plus shipping, already cleaned up. Theres just too much waste involved. Non lead weights, brake pads, lug nuts, valve stems, ect. Even with sorted weights you are dealing with a 10 or 11% waste from the clips, on average.

And don't take this the wrong way, wheel weights are my favorite alloy except for isotope containers.

Ditto here! I have smelted my last bucket of wheeleights!

[Conditor22]

If you live near large bodies of water people are proud of their lead. Junk lead goes for $1.50

Heard from an old retired caster. He offered me COWW& SOWW ingots for .75 a pound and Linotype ingots for $1 a pound.
Gotta wait until my back feels better then get 500-? ($1,000) worth of lead from him

[00buck]

Remember back when wheel weights were free?

Bring your guys a six pack or a box of doughnuts and they were happy.

[lightman]

I still get some for free and I usually take them a box of donuts. I like donuts because they can be shared with the whole shop including the Ladies in the office and can be consumed during working hours. With beer, there is always the concern of having it in the shop, who actually drinks, when can they drink, ect. If you are only dealing with one guy and he is a drinker then it works great! I have also found that it satisfies their curiosity and even gives them a sense of purpose if you show them a sample of what you use that lead for. One of my guy's Wifes even wanted one of my bullets to put on her desk for a conversation piece!

[rockrat]

I have 4 buckets of unsorted WW's I got 10 years ago. Been more just buying my lead and blending it to what I want. If you were close, I would just gift you with a bucket, although you would have to move it.

[lightman]

That is a very generous offer! My hat is off to you.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I need to get back on the hunt. I figure another ton or so of ingots and I'll be set...

[Hardcast416taylor]

For many years I got my WW free from a friends car dealership. He would give me the pail sitting at the tire repair station whenever I stopped by. I would hand sort these free pails at my barn and smelt them into ingots. I finally stopped taking the free pails several years ago when the `other` metals began to out number the lead ones. I have never had to pay for WW`s in the 50+ yrs. I have cast. Now I am divesting myself of all my lead as I am getting out of this hobby.Robert

[psweigle]

My friend and I scrapped cars for years. I saved all the battery ends and wheel weights, lead pipe, and anything else lead. A few years ago I too a week and melted it all. I have 6, 5 gallon buckets of muffin ingots. Good thing I put them on a flat cart. Those buckets are HEAVY! It's a shame that it is getting harder and harder to find good sources for free lead, but I'm confident that my son will never see the bottom of the last bucket in his lifetime.

[psweigle]

My friend and I scrapped cars for years. I saved all the battery ends and wheel weights, lead pipe, and anything else lead. A few years ago I too a week and melted it all. I have 6, 5 gallon buckets of muffin ingots. Good thing I put them on a flat cart. Those buckets are HEAVY! It's a shame that it is getting harder and harder to find good sources for free lead, but I'm confident that my son will never see the bottom of the last bucket in his lifetime.

[RogerDat]

I don't see free lead but I do get some decent prices from time to time. Wheel weights have to be at a price per pound of lead yield to make them more attractive than buying already made into ingots from someone in the swapping and selling forum. I can still get the wheel weights sometimes, and at an ok price. Have about 75 lbs. in a bucket waiting on my attention currently. I can not get them at a price that makes them worth selling into a one dollar a pound market. At some sources and times when the price is up I can't even make a case for buying wheel weights for the going price. At 75 cents a pound or more I think buying someone else's COWW ingots for $1 makes way more sense.

The price may well fall but the supply in the scrap metal stream may well decline to the point where it is difficult to procure lead from those sources. Look at Rotometals lead price then look at the vendors in S&S forum. That is a significant savings. If I was getting started I would just set aside a budget to stock up on lead. Not going to lose much if anything by having it stocked up at today's prices. Just figure out what you want to have on hand as an inventory, build toward that, once achieved then maintain it by replacing what you use.

My goal was enough lead and alloys to make at least a ton of 3/3/94 alloy. Then it is just replace as used or buy if I find something especially good or an especially good price.

[Ozark mike]

Hmm I have some batteries around here I wonder how hard it would be to get the lead out