Wheel Weights

[RogerDat]

Wheel weights are good but not the only source of lead. Much of their mystique comes from them at one time being free and pretty darn good casting alloy with a little tin added. Range scrap needs a little "boost" to be the equal of COWW's but only if the application (caliber/velocity) requires it.

You have to hunt, consistently, and over the long haul to get a good supply by scrounging. You may pay less for it but one should factor in ones labor, time, vehicle fuel, and cost of smelting.

The S&S forum here one can often get ready to use ingots for just a bit over $1.00 a pound, considering many sources of scrap want that much for lead you have to process into ingots to use... it does make S&S purchases very competitive.

If you find a source, take care of it, nurture it. Corporate tire stores will have corporate rules that prevent selling out the back door. Corporate scrap yards generally don't want folks wandering around the scrap yard searching for stuff to buy for liability reasons. Lead being involved just makes it even more of a liability to the corporate attorneys.

Right now a 100# bucket at 30 cents a pound that yields 50# of lead WW's after sorting out zinc and steel costs more than that amount of lead can be purchased for in S&S. Sweater alloys are often no more expensive as scrap than any other lead, or at most a bit more. So if you can find a scrap yard and visit it regular...

Don't forget your own trade bait. Maybe you can't find WW's but can do well scoring solder, pewter, or some printing alloy. Or can score plain soft lead then purchase sweeter alloys to harden it to suitable for other uses. You can cut plain with some linotype and have hardball with BHN of 16 or a good pistol alloy at around BHN 10 for a reasonable cost.

COWW's are just a handy form that was once common, not magic beans. Lots of other ways to scratch that itch.

Buy more than you use and you will accumulate a stash. A little can go a long way. A lot can go a bunch further.

[Huskerguy]

I just picked up a couple of buckets from a truck shop. I looked in the buckets and drooled over the large weights! Then I started sorting and found the majority of those were steal. It was probably 60-40 steel to lead. Not complaining but I had almost a full bucket of steel and zinc. All it cost me was a dozen donuts.

[baragasam]

I'm looking to get Ingots as well, if anyone has any for sale at $1/lb shipped PM me!

[DDJ]

Plumbers are another source of led-lead pipe and the lead that was used for cast iron pipes. In my area we have a grocery chain called HY Vee. they put out a trader paper every week so I was placing "Lead wanted" ads and that yielded a considerable amount of lead for my. Craig's List might be another place to put wanted adds in. The Hy Vee adds provided me with over 600 lbs of lead. I know where there's 2 5 gal buckets of lead at a very small out of the way town with a tire shop. I don't need lead but I may just go and get it. The lead is still there., You just have to look for it

[Iron369]

I’m picking up ten full buckets tomorrow. The 10 I got already were about 95% lead. After melting it down, I’m getting right at 100lbs per bucket. They are costing me $50 per bucket though. Still, $.50 a pound is not bad.

[reloader28]

I need to find some more WW I suppose. I'm down to about 3 or 4 buckets.

I cringe every time I think that when I sold my race car years ago I left over 400lbs of lead cakes in there to make the weight limit. That would have made me a few more boolits

[Mitch]

More than one way to get it done.I agee with Roger on that.you have to be out and about lookin all the time to get a good stash built up i lost my best source when manager moved on to a new job.Here most scrap yards just put anything lead in the bin.so you can find most anything there from pure lead to solder. And anthing in the bin is the same priice.

To me WW is Just another alloy like Harball.Lyman #2.Lino type or any other.i find alot of sheett and pipe mostly pure.ones in a while i get something else like solder or antimonial lead.I have everything tested so i can mix any given alloy i want at any time by use of the alloy calulator found here.i keep a supplie of everthing i need to make any alloy.If all else fails finding tin and antimony Rotometals has it.Get on there email list they will email you when there is a sale.

I have never found any type metal.I do find solder often enough to keep up with my casting.I have a problem with finding enough antimony and buy super hard from rotometals.I need to get back out more often an talk to people again been slacking the year or so.You cant find it id you are not looking.tell all your friends you are lookin for lead and solder in any form.a bar of solder or a foot or 2 of 1/8 slder or a few ww all add up.I have found that you have a better chance in the smaller mom and pop places.most of the bigger place wont sell to the public. the little guys need to make a few bucks and will treat ypu right.and rember always show up with dounnuts in the morning or some beer at quitting time.i have bees so i drop a few bottles of honey every time i go. they rember the honey guy lol. good luck to all happy lead hunting.

[mazo kid]

30+ years ago there was a tire shop about a block from the buildings I worked in. I stopped in one day to see if they had any WWs. They told me they had a guy who stopped by regularly to get them....BUT....hadn't been there in a while. I got 4 five gallon buckets full for $5.00 per bucket! After retiring, there was a small tire seller 2 miles down the road. I took a tire in to them for repair, came home with 2-1/2 buckets for $25.00. Went back again a while later and came home with 2 more buckets, $15.00 each that time. The good thing was that there was a large bunch of truck weights, 4-6" long. Went back a while later and found they had closed down. I am not a high volume shooter/caster so I still have some of those left. Sigh.... the good old days seem to be gone now.

[ACC]

I still find wheel weights at the tire shops


I know they wont be around for much longer so get-em while you can.

Where did you get that cool ingot mold?

ACC

[toallmy]

While out and about today I stopped in at a local tire service shop that I occasionally get a bucket or two from and the manager had me 2 x 5 gal buckets set aside . So tomorrow I will go back with a couple empty buckets and 40-50 bucks to exchange .

[Mitch]

here is a thred that shows the igot molds.I have some made of heavy 2 inch angle.gangs of 5.igot are about 4 lbs.they work great for stacking and fit nice in the casting pot.if i made more i would use light duyty angle.if you get the joints tight no need for weilding the inside.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ron-Ingot-Mold

[fredj338]

Totally depends on your state. The lead ww went bye-bye here almost 7y ago, so the effort to gather & sort just isn't worth it. Berm mining at a local shooting hole will return more usable alloy IMO.

[fredj338]

I'm looking to get Ingots as well, if anyone has any for sale at $1/lb shipped PM me!

Go to swapping/selling. There are some reliable guys there selling ingots @ a fair price. Consider the work & propane used to melt ww, $1 is a bargain. Though I tend to berm mine anymore. Plenty hard for 90% of the pistol shooting I do. I have enough clip ww & lino to harden the berm stuff for the other 10%.

[ACC]

Luckily my dad was a plumber and my step dad is a plumber so I can get lead. All the joints are 50/50 solder.

ACC