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

[RogerDat]

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

I hope you are kidding. Several threads including sticky on why batteries are a dangerous way to get a tiny amount of lead. Not worth risking death from the chemical fumes for a few ounces of lead used in a battery.

[glicerin]

I brought in 140 lbs. of sorted steel WW and was paid $0.28Can each pound(northern Ontario.). I didn't lie and they didn't ask, they assumed it was steel with lead. Received $1.83 per pound for scrap yellow brass cartridge.

[Ozark mike]

I'm very familiar with lead acid batteries Ive restored my bikes batt probably 15 times besides there empty been bone dry for 3 or more years now. I have taken dry battery's apart before but for other reasons they didn't yield as much lead as I thought not for the weight. If you have common sense and a few brain cells you can accomplish most anything. Besides I don't believe everything I read especially on the internet Apu fuel which is hydrazine that I refilled in f16s is way more deadly than 20% sulfuric acid with ever be

[RogerDat]

I brought in 140 lbs. of sorted steel WW and was paid $0.28Can each pound(northern Ontario.). I didn't lie and they didn't ask, they assumed it was steel with lead. Received $1.83 per pound for scrap yellow brass cartridge.

You are lucky on the scrap yellow brass cartridge. Some scrap yards won't take them at all. And one will only take them if totally crushed due to some city or county ordinance about them having to be destroyed. I understand they get less for that brass too. In part I think because the occasional live round or primer going pop when it gets melted.

There is only one area scrap yard that will take my used brass. They also don't give me as much for it but they do take the spent primers with the brass so that helps put some weight in the coffee can.

[Martin Luber]

Ozark mike, How do you restore a battery to life?

[Ozark mike]

You completely drain it and wash it out with water then freeze it for 24 hrs pour boiling hot water into the cells what this does is break up the lead in the bottom of the cells that has precipitated off of the cores then you spend quite a bit of time rinsing out the powered lead. Then you go to Napa and buy a bag of batt acid and fill er up. Probably too much work for most but I've spent a good part of my life to poor to buy the things I need at the drop of a hat

[RogerDat]

You completely drain it and wash it out with water then freeze it for 24 hrs pour boiling hot water into the cells what this does is break up the lead in the bottom of the cells that has precipitated off of the cores then you spend quite a bit of time rinsing out the powered lead. Then you go to Napa and buy a bag of batt acid and fill er up. Probably too much work for most but I've spent a good part of my life to poor to buy the things I need at the drop of a hat

One can expect a reduction of some amount in battery capacity from doing this. The lead washed out from the bottom prevents plates from shorting and the calcification removed from the plates allows the plates to interact with the acid again but there is some loss of plate lead so a loss of storage capacity. May still be enough capacity to perform since the original battery may have had some capacity above and beyond that needed for your application. As the man says, cheaper than buying a new one and can work if your on a budget.

Here in Michigan the best way I have found to not have car trouble in the winter with an older car is the biggest capacity battery that fits. Makes up for quite a few wear and tear deficiencies in the engine.

[leeshall]

Two days ago I hauled 1,382 pounds of hand sorted wheel weights to the scrap yard. All the lead COWW and SOWW had been sorted out. It was almost all steel with just a little bit of zinc thrown in. They barely looked at it. I got 10 cents a pound and walked away with $138.20 cash. That was the second load of steel wheel weights to the scrap yard after I finally finished hand sorting many pallets of mixed wheel weights. I've now got over 40 buckets filled to the top with sorted COWW and SOWW plus another ten-twelve buckets of range scrap to process. It's going to be a long, hot, back breaking Spring and Summer.
I know the bullet jackets in the range lead have some scrap value but is there any scrap value in the steel clips I'll recover when smelting the COWW?

[Walks]

I haven't seen a COWW from California in almost 20yrs. And there are no gas stations or Independent tire shops anymore.

Any COWW's I buy are from a member here, He sells in ingot form and IT IS CLEAN and the best packing of lead I have every seen.

It is truly GREAT STUFF..

[tomme boy]

The shops saying they contract the lead to the battery people is **. They are telling you this to get rid of you without being an Donkey. I asked the Interstate guy and a Exide guy this. They both said as far as they knew they were not doing it. And laughed and said it was their way of saying NO!

[dondiego]

Two days ago I hauled 1,382 pounds of hand sorted wheel weights to the scrap yard. All the lead COWW and SOWW had been sorted out. It was almost all steel with just a little bit of zinc thrown in. They barely looked at it. I got 10 cents a pound and walked away with $138.20 cash. That was the second load of steel wheel weights to the scrap yard after I finally finished hand sorting many pallets of mixed wheel weights. I've now got over 40 buckets filled to the top with sorted COWW and SOWW plus another ten-twelve buckets of range scrap to process. It's going to be a long, hot, back breaking Spring and Summer.
I know the bullet jackets in the range lead have some scrap value but is there any scrap value in the steel clips I'll recover when smelting the COWW?

The clips will be considered steel scrap and will bring a few cents per pound.

[lightman]

The clips will be considered steel scrap and will bring a few cents per pound.

This has been my experience too. I keep them until I have enough other stuff to justify the trip. Back when I was working I would sell a 55 gallon barrel of copper about once a year and I would load up all of my scrap metal and junk cartridge cases for the trip. I think it helped sell the junk because they wanted the copper.

The price in the original post suggest that they were offering scrap steel prices for wheel weights.

[fatelk]

I haven't even looked for wheel weight in well over a decade. Too much steel and zinc, and they all had "a guy".

One of my pet peeves was how people here used to give the advice on how to get a good supply of wheel weights: you bring the tire shop guys donuts and beer, supply buckets with your name and number on them, tell them you make fishing weights, tell them it's for the kids, etc....

When I got serious about trying to find wheel weights some years back, I probably asked at every tire shop in the area. Pretty much every shop told me the same thing: "We've got a guy. He brings us donuts and buckets with his number on them. He makes fishing weights, for the kids."

Nowadays it all steel here on the left coast. I pick up 5 or 10 pounds of scrap off the berm once in a while at the range. It's probably only a matter of time before I can't do that any more.

[lightman]

Back in the day before maintenance free and low maintenance batteries I cut a few open for the lead. Most of the lead was heavily oxidized and the yield per battery was very low. By the time it was melted and the oxidation skimmed off there wasn't much lead left. I quickly decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

These were lead/acid batteries. Probably not as dangerous as the newer ones but still not safe. I have not messed with a battery in 40 something years, and won't.

[mvintx]

I called a scrap metals place in Abilene, TX yesterday and they're selling wheel weights for $1 per pound and plain lead for $1.50. I think I'm going to pick up some lead to mix with my dwindling supply of COWW but not sure about buying more WW because of the increasing presence of zinc and steel.

[scotner]

I visited the local scrap yard today to recycle some brass. They were paying the same for cartridge brass as they were last time, 90 cents/lb. Their offer on lead had dropped from 27 cents to 20. "Shreddable steel" (steel and zinc wheel weights) was bringing a nickel, down form 16 cents last trip. Since the lead price had dropped I thought I would ask about what they were selling it for. Still selling for 70 cents per pound. They had a large bin full of roofing lead sheet and boots. Also lots of wheel weights but you would have to sort on-site or pay the 70 cents for mixed.

[Walks]

Back in the olden days (1960's-70's) I could still get COWW's by just asking. I always took in a box of Donuts.
My DAD did the same thing. He had a deal with a gas station and a tire shop in our Neighborhood.

We still went in to Beverly Hills to see Mr. Art Green. He had a small foundry. We bought raw Linotype, Pure Lead and bar tin in 4oz, 8oz or 1lb bars. What ever you wanted. Just call ahead. COWW's too if ya needed them, in 3lb ingots. And any type of alloy; 20/1 , 16/1 or 40/1.

He was a true Gentleman of the old School.
Just like jetsfan-24 here on this website.

[RogerDat]

The scrap yards sometimes will have "premium" lead in that $1 a pound scrap bin. Either solder, or printing lead, or some harder lead. Or just really good soft plain lead in say plumbers ingots straight from the foundry. Even some ISO containers will show up once in awhile. I once walked into 63 lbs. of Linotype at $1 a pound as scrap lead. Also once landed on a couple of bags of shot for that same $1 a pound. At $25 for a full unopened bag of shot that would normally be around $37 per bag that was a pretty good deal.

If one can take the time to sort before buying then WW's at $1 a pound are potentially the best deal. Harder lead, suitable for rifle bullet casting, or can be cut with the more commonly available soft lead for some handgun round, or as a plinking round in rifle with some PC. Plain lead is too soft on its own. But if a place has that cheap then it can be worth it to use as "filler" with harder lead for revolver or 45 acp.

Corporate shops want a vendor and paper trail for any scrap sales and income. Not going to sell them out the lobby for cash as a rule.

Dropped a couple of tall boys on the two guys at the scrap yard to start the holiday weekend. They look out for me, I appreciate it. Sometimes I show that appreciation with a beer, donuts, or pizza.

I will say it takes a lot of driving around and looking to find sources, then it takes even more searching to find the sources with the best lead selection or best prices. I hit places that are 25 miles from my house in more than one direction because that is where the lead is good or the price is good. So bulk supply or basic lead from cheapest, looking for the "good stuff" going to a completely different source.