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Thread: How much in a 5 gallon bucket?

  1. #21
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    Hello to all,

    As many of you are probably already aware of, Lead WW's have been banned in Europe for new cars and after-market wheels in Europe, starting a few years ago.

    And a push here in the United States to do the same. And to ban lead bullets as well. Old news, yes...

    Internet searches will provide some interesting reading on this topic!

    http://www.leadfreewheels.org/release20070823.shtml
    http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammun...906/index.html
    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...ticle63683.ece

    So, as time goes by, our supply of lead reclaimed from WW's and Range Lead will obviously diminish. As others have done, I track my "yield" (weight of WW's in vs. ingots out). For those of us who track the yield, we will see the downward trend (unfortunately). In the past year or so, my yields for varying batches of range lead have been averaging about 75 percent, and for WW's: about 85 percent. About 2 years ago, I got closer to 80 percent for the range lead (so I have already seen a noticeable decline).

    Some tire dealerships are starting to disallow the tire "mechanics" from selling the buckets of WW's to people off the street. Because I am a licensed company, I don't foresee an immediate problem as of yet - but "Corporate" may want to do business with a company of their choice.

    So grab all you can and if you are dealing with independent garages, all the better!

    In regard to 5 gallon bucket weights, some garages use buckets of varying sizes and height. I had one bucket (taller than the usual, like a home depot 5 gal. bucket) weigh in at 196 pounds! On the average, it is not uncommon to have a 5 gallon bucket (normal size), when filled to near the top, weigh in at around 150 pounds. My service entails going to the job site, weighing the product at the site, and paying for same... so I need to be accurate in regard to the weight.

    However, in my opinion (and others on the forum), buying a bucket of WW's for $20 is very reasonable.... since you can be getting anywhere, on the average, of 100 to 150 pounds (depending upon how full the bucket is). That is like 13 to 20 cents a pound. And I pay by the pound, much more than 20 cents a pound (as incentive for them not to go to a local scrap yard, plus I save them from lugging the stuff and having to show their driver's license at the scrap yard {a law enacted in CT in October 2008}).

    And if you get the bucket for the cost of pizza, all the better!!!

    Scoop up all you can, while you can!!!

    With kind regards to all,

    ~ Kathie

  2. #22
    Boolit Master XWrench3's Avatar
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    i just bought my first 5 gallon bucket of w-w today. i smelted about 1/2 of it tonight. so far, i have 61 ingots from a lyman mold. i did not seperate any of the ww's at all. i just threw them in and melted them down. i hope i am not scewing up the mix?! i figured that only about 5% of what i am getting so far has been stick on wights (which i ASSUME is straight lead) so it should not make the alloy to much softer. i did notice that the zinc ones float out and do not melt into the mix though. which is cool. dont have to worry about those buggers that way. but you guys are right about all the junk in there. so far, i have two brand new rubber valve stems, 2 used metal valve stems, three lug nuts, and more trash than i would care to admit.

  3. #23
    Boolit Master snaggdit's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by XWrench3 View Post
    i did notice that the zinc ones float out and do not melt into the mix though. which is cool. dont have to worry about those buggers that way.
    Yep, that works but make sure you keep the heat low, just enough to melt the weights. Hot spots can develop and if you are running a jet engine on afterburner under your pot you could inadvertantly melt in some zinc.
    "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. " - Thomas Jefferson

    "Mankind will in time discover that unbridled majorities are as tyrannical and cruel as unlimited despots." - John Adams

  4. #24
    Boolit Buddy Nora's Avatar
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    The auto scrap yard I get mine from sells them for the same price as the market scrap value. Last month it was $.22 a lb, this month it was $.38, and was told to get what I can now. He said it's rumored to be over $.50 next month. He had no idea why, that's just what he'd heard from where they send their scrap to. I hope he's wrong but he normally isn't when it comes to things like this.
    If you don't have the time to do it right, when are you going to find the time to fix it?

  5. #25
    Boolit Grand Master

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    http://www.universalwrecking.com/Sections-read-37.html
    This is the site I go to before making a trip to scrounge weights. For the last several weeks the price has been from .22-.23 a lb.
    They also show scrap price on several different kinds of lead,ie Linotype and even lead dross.
    Last trip out, I got 205 lb of soft lead in linked bars of ingots, and disc. I paid .20 lb since it was soft, clean and already in useable sizes. I left about 60 lb. of flashing because it was very oxidized, and I had to come down the mountain in a KIA with 4 0ther people.
    Today I talked to a garage that said they had 8 buckets of WW stored in back. I asked why they didn't sell while the price was up. The answer was, they were waiting for the price to go higher, and waited too long.
    I'll go back next week with pizza, and a hand full of $20. to see just how bad they want to keep stumbling over them.
    Last edited by mold maker; 07-08-2009 at 12:44 AM.

  6. #26
    Boolit Buddy Nora's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mold maker View Post
    http://www.universalwrecking.com/Sections-read-37.html
    This is the site I go to before making a trip to scrounge weights. For the last several weeks the price has been from .22-.23 a lb.
    They also show scrap price on several different kinds of lead,ie Linotype and even lead dross.
    Thanks for posting this, it will make for good future reference. I've got no problem paying the $.38 prepared price for what my yard has to offer. They do a nice job of sorting out the crap. Of the 133 lbs I bought last week, for junk it only had 9 valve caps, 5 valve stems, 4 plastic weights, 3 Zn and 2 razor blades. Oh and I almost forgot the partridge in a pair tree.
    If you don't have the time to do it right, when are you going to find the time to fix it?

  7. #27
    Boolit Master & Generous Contributor

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    I remember but just a few years ago that it was thought of as a sin to pay for WW. Shops were glad to get rid of them. Only if I had the foresight to collect all that I could then. At that time I wasn’t casting boolits, I was casting fishing sinkers and a 5-gallon bucket of WW would last me for years. Now I’m in the same boat as everyone else that is collecting WW for boolits. WW are getting harder and harder to come by and when found are usually in small quantities. I stopped at a shop a couple weeks ago and inquired about WW. The guy said he gave them to his grandson and the kid was getting $35 a bucket full for them. I have no idea if that was the truth or not, but $35 a bucket full in my area is a ridiculous price. I have gave $20 for a 5-gallon bucket full before but most of what I collect have been basically free.
    I did make a good haul last week and picked up three heaping buckets full from one of my old WW suppliers.
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  8. #28
    Boolit Mold
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    I did'nt check this week at my local yard, but the other week when I was there, they were giving $.05/ lb for W/W lead and .10 for soft. The one scrapper close to me said he'd give me lead for $.10 and I told him I'll take whatever he comes up with.
    I guess I better get there and see what I can pick up from them before it starts going up again.
    Most of the 5 gal. pail I was getting did ring out about 130-140lbs. With a blown back I usually break 'em down into three buckets just so I can handle 'em. Also I recycle my steel and zinc weights as I balance my own tires, and even thought about reselling them to small garages if the price of steel goes up again.
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  9. #29
    Boolit Bub oleycow's Avatar
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    I just scored, I have been scouring the town looking for any garage willing to give or sell their used wheel weights. I got all NO's except for one guy who wanted an outrageous $.80 per pound. Which I was and am still tempted to take because it has been so hard to find anyting. But then I stopped by one of the few shops that I hadn't asked at yet and I scored. FREE He was a little stingy on which ones he let me take but I managed a solid 20 lbs with permission to come back whenever I wanted and by the end of my picking through he was throwing in weights that he had laying around the shop. So I am feeling good that the stingyness will subside and soon will be in the 100's of pounds.

  10. #30
    Boolit Buddy Bob.'s Avatar
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    Got my first 5 gal bucket today at a local tire store, the guy had three 5 gal buckets and ask me how many weights I wanted.
    I ask him what he wanted for all of them and he said "well we get $20 a bucket" like that would keep me from wanting them all. Then when I said I would take them all he said he would rather not sell them all to one person because there were a few others that buy from him. I felt lucky to get one bucket full so I instantly agreed with him that sounded fair.
    Now I'm trying to figure out how soon I should go there again and if I should just bring donuts and coffee some morning?

    After reading this post it got my curiosity up so I just went and weighed them on some digital scales and got a big suprise, the heaping bucket full weighed 204.4 lb's

    Bob

  11. #31
    Boolit Master snaggdit's Avatar
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    Great score!
    "To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. " - Thomas Jefferson

    "Mankind will in time discover that unbridled majorities are as tyrannical and cruel as unlimited despots." - John Adams

  12. #32
    Boolit Bub
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    fri. july 10th I bought a 5 gal pailful from a tire store for $20. it weighed 140 lbs on the bath scale.sorted out the valve stems and lugnuts and it weighs 128lbs,theres still some zinc in there but that ciphers out to be...$0.15625/lb .gonna smelt that down in one day and then see what it's worth.

    2wks ago i picked up a pailfull for $20 and a small papa johns pizza.
    yesterday i bought 6 cream filled doughnuts from a bakery,but they only got 5 'cause them donuts is gooooood!!

  13. #33
    Boolit Bub
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    monday July 13th......weights all melted...
    outta a gross weight of 140 lbs/5gal bucket i got.............................79 &1/2 lbs.
    that makes my tota cost...$20/79.5lbs=0.25157

  14. #34
    Boolit Bub oleycow's Avatar
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    Bob--"Now I'm trying to figure out how soon I should go there again and if I should just bring donuts and coffee some morning?"

    That's a great Idea! I think that could really boost my lead profits, the more friends the more lead

  15. #35
    Boolit Buddy Bob.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by oleycow View Post
    Bob--"Now I'm trying to figure out how soon I should go there again and if I should just bring donuts and coffee some morning?"

    That's a great Idea! I think that could really boost my lead profits, the more friends the more lead
    Checked around again yesterday at all the closest tire shops but didnt do as good as my first try. Out of the 3 other local stores I tried one contracts them out, one didnt have any and one wanted $30 a bucket.
    I didnt want to pay $30 a bucket but thought I should build up a stock before I get picky about price.
    I told them I would take 2 buckets but when they brought them out they were only a little over 3/4 full? $55 was as low as he would go so I took them.
    One good thing is there was a lot of big truck weights and 3 times as many stick on's as the first bucket I got.

    Oh by the way my first heaping bucket weighed in at 204.4 lbs and made 162 lbs of WW muffins and 2.5 lbs of pure lead or stick on's.

    Going to go check 3 more places but it will be a little road trip.

    Bob

  16. #36
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    Thumbs up NOT a bad price.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob. View Post
    Checked around again yesterday at all the closest tire shops but didnt do as good as my first try. Out of the 3 other local stores I tried one contracts them out, one didnt have any and one wanted $30 a bucket.
    I didnt want to pay $30 a bucket but thought I should build up a stock before I get picky about price.
    I told them I would take 2 buckets but when they brought them out they were only a little over 3/4 full? $55 was as low as he would go so I took them.
    One good thing is there was a lot of big truck weights and 3 times as many stick on's as the first bucket I got.

    Oh by the way my first heaping bucket weighed in at 204.4 lbs and made 162 lbs of WW muffins and 2.5 lbs of pure lead or stick on's.

    Going to go check 3 more places but it will be a little road trip.

    Bob

    Bob,

    To add a bit of perspective to your paying price, today the LTL (less that truck load) price being paid to scrap dealers for WW is $0.21. Your price was reasonably fair since the TR (truck load) price is $0.35. A truckload cutoff is 40,000#. Assuming you got 200#, that works out to 27 1/2 cents a pound so I think that you've paid a fair price. Your processed WW should yield 160# or so and that still a heck of a good price compared to evilbay.

    FREE or less than the price you paid would be nice, but reality is you did ok. I checked at a recycler late last week and they were asking $0.78/pound. IT IS ALL IN PERSPECTIVE, if you see what I'm saying. At least they were willing to deal a bit and they did sell you some. The only caveat would be if you got a LOT of FE and ZN weights in the batch.

    Edd

    A side note...The fellow I get most of my WW from had a guy come in to buy some. Since I have been getting them regularly, except the last month, he had around a 100# that he would sell to the other guy for 50 cents a pound. The guy took them. I pay whatever the LTL price is so the dealer felt that IF this new guy wanted bad enough to pay a higher price, he'd sell them. If the new guy didn't take them, then he'd save them for me at my usual price. He sells the WW to get a little money to buy the guys in the shop breakfast once a week, so I figure he did right by me and his employees. I usually take home-made cookies, pie or cake in once a month for everyone so I do have preferential treatment from them.
    Last edited by badgeredd; 07-14-2009 at 10:38 AM.
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  17. #37
    Boolit Mold
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    Lucky for me that I work at a tire store,so the WW's are mine,mine,mine all mine.

    I also have the other two stores to get WW's from as well.

  18. #38
    Boolit Buddy Bob.'s Avatar
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    badgeredd
    Your right I just got lucky on my first bucket @ $20, it was heaping and running over and it made 162 LB's of WW muffins
    The two not so full buckets at $55 only made 189 lb's of muffins, So I guess I should look at the average.
    But i'm still looking forward to going back to the first store just dont want to go back too soon?

    Bob

  19. #39
    Boolit Grand Master

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    WWs

    Keep their bucket empty. If you don't some body else will.
    Remember the price paid at the scrap yard is for weights sorted and delivered to them.
    What you buy at the tire store saves them a trip to the scrappie.
    By the way, I did get the eight buckets of weights, but had to pay $25. a bucket. Now I've got 8 buckets on the back of the truck and my back wont let me unload them. Tomorrow I'll park in the shade and sort them off the tailgate. Several look as if there is a lot of stick on.
    It sure is hot to smelt now so I think I'll save them for Fall.

  20. #40
    Boolit Bub
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    WOW! I'm Superman!

    Just kidding, I've actually gotten a 5 galllon bucket before and if it weighed 150 lbs., I'm waay stronger than i thought I was! I can move it around OK, so I'm thinking 60-75 lbs or so. I used to take the guys sodas and beer and they looked forward to trading me the lead! I used alot for ballast in sand rails (Ohh the misery!!) and some for 38 practice. Nowadays, it's hazardous waste and it has to be accounted for cradle to grave. If you can get it, I'd say jump on it with both feet. They aint gonna take our razors, but they're tryin for the blades! Deep in the peoples republik of kalifornia, southern division Reddog (sorry for the conspiracy theory)

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
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LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check