Stick on confusion, maybe?

[Changeling]

I have heard so much about stick on WW being anything from pure lead to an alloy to being steel, I am really getting confused. I'm working on a deal to get WW but it will include clip on and stick on, probably more stick on according to my source.

Question: There was only 2 makers of WW's in the US according to some really knowledgeable people. Are the same 2 companies providing all of the "Stick-On's) are has this market opened up?

And is there a basic industry standard on SO's yet so one can tell just what the composition is?
I doubt seriously that if 2 major companies are making all the SO's that there is any change up in there composition, it's just to expensive for them to change often if at all.

Does anyone "Actually" know the composition of SO's?

[high standard 40]

I've seen about a dozen different designs of stick-ons. Some are cut sheet lead (pure I assume) and some are cast and somewhat hard like clip on. Some are steel, some are zinc. There may be only two domestic manufacturers, I can't say. But what about all the import car factory weights?

[badgeredd]

My source for scrap WW told me that there has been an influx of CHINESE made WW recently. Considering the amount of scrap lead they've been buying out of the US, I see no reason to dis-believe my source.

Generally, the stick-on lead weights seem much more flexible so one has to believe there is little or no antimony in the lead stick-ons.

Edd

[mold maker]

I'm finding almost as many zinc and steel stick on weights as lead. So far a pinch, with the wire cutter on pliers, show the lead to be all nearly pure.
I too have found a great number of different markings on the steel and zinc.
I did a search for WW mfg a couple years ago and came up with quiet a few. It seems the economy might have eliminated most of them now. Imported cars and imported WW are filling the PC void today at the expense of American workers.

[KYCaster]

Seven or eight years ago I separated a bunch of stick on weights and identified at least a dozen different types, none of which were zinc or steel. I compared specific gravities and found that they varied from pure lead to slightly less dense than clip ons.

The most recent batch that I separated included about one third unusable junk, including steel, zink and some heavy rubbery stuff I'd never seen before.

I no longer try to separate the stick ons and I find so much steel and zinc in the clip ons that I'm considering giving up on WW completely. It's getting to be too much of a hassel to deal with all the garbage.

It's getting to the point that Rotometal's price doesn't seem so high!!!

Jerry

[lwknight]

i've heard that you can get lead delivered from Doe Run mines cheaper than Rotometals right now.

[leadman]

I've been finding plastic tubes that are slightly flattened with both ends sealed. I haven't melted any yet but it appears there is very small shot inside these.

If you have to pay very much for a bucket it maybe worthwhile to look at getting lead elsewhere.

Sportsmans Warehouse was selling reclaimed shot for $25 a #25 bag. Casts pretty good as is, but better with 1% tin added. Very little waste.

[fredj338]

Anymore, stickons vary quite a bit. I get mostly soft lead, but quite a bit zinc as of late. It's getting tougher & tougher to get good cheap casting metal, especially here in Kommifornia. My guy that used to give me a 110# bucket for $20 is now selling to some other guys for $60. Considering the amount of **** as of late, only about 70% of it is useful. For $1/#, I cam almost buy purel lead in bulk. There is always range scrap for now..

[WHITETAIL]

Go ahead and give up on WW!
More for ME!

[runfiverun]

i think once the companys started the "give em back for credit or no more for you" thing, when lead went way up, the bets are off as to the stick on composition.
they have been getting harder as time goes by it seems.
also messes up alloys.
i have mostly old ww's from when sorting a bucket meant valve stems and cigarette butts.
and zinc was really watched for cause you might get one in a bucket.

[Changeling]

Thanks to everyone, you guys brought up some really good points. I think I better look over the weights this guy has before I make any kind of offer. One thing you have to consider also is your time and effort, with all these stick ons it is definitely impacting that, and then God forbid a zink one slips through in the smelting and there gos that batch plus all the cleaning.

[Changeling]

Thanks to everyone, you guys brought up some really good points. I think I better look over the weights this guy has before I make any kind of offer. One thing you have to consider also is your time and effort, with all these stick ons it is definitely impacting that, and then God forbid a zink one slips through in the smelting and there gos that batch plus all the cleaning.

I looked over his deal and told him he was asking way to much, he said take im or leave im. I said fine I'll leave them and started walking off. As I was getting in the truck he had came down over half in price and was saying we could at least talk about it. I just smiled and said no thanks.

Where did he get his pricing information, more than likely a forum like this that is in panic!

[HangFireW8]

Thanks to everyone, you guys brought up some really good points. I think I better look over the weights this guy has before I make any kind of offer. One thing you have to consider also is your time and effort, with all these stick ons it is definitely impacting that, and then God forbid a zink one slips through in the smelting and there gos that batch plus all the cleaning.

I separate Stick On WW from the Clip On WW and then smelt them in separate batches. Shoot, each pot of any kind of wheel weight is a separate batch, in case one potful gets contaminated, the next will be OK as it starts with an empty pot.

While sorting out SOWW I also pull out all light COWW and ones with rivets. Then, I do each potful as a separate batch, use a casting thermometer, keep the temps low and mark them with a different batch number. If temps start getting too hot, I just throw in a few cold ones and lower the flame, temps come down in seconds.

In my last few batches of clip ons, there have been a significant amount of floaters, both iron and zinc. Stick On WW are the worst, almost a third have been Zinc lately. I no longer rely on SOWW for pure lead, but go find sheet roofing lead or cable sheathing.

I'm pretty confident in my temperature control now. I have to be.

-HF

[Changeling]

Is there a listing anywhere that shows what materials contain near pure lead/or what other minerals in percent. I hear about roof flashing, plumbers lead, plumbing pipe, etc. However it's hard to remember it all as to % contents. Making a listing print and keeping it handy would be a big help/time saver.
For instance I'm looking for some basically pure lead and thought I found what I was looking for on the classified section, till I read it might contain 1 to 6% antimony. That is not what I want.

So a materials list of percentage of content would really be helpful.

[HangFireW8]

So a materials list of percentage of content would really be helpful.

Helpful, but not authoritative.

Other components in lead depend on when and where it was mined, as much as what it was made into.

-HF

[giz189]

Go to this website for some composition and markings on some of the wheel weights from China. http://hb-ok207.en.alibaba.com

[DukeInFlorida]

There's a link on the Doe Run page which indicates that the current London Metal Market price for lead is almost a buck a pound!!

http://www.doerun.com/

i've heard that you can get lead delivered from Doe Run mines cheaper than Rotometals right now.

[Changeling]

After reading some of the links it seems everyone in China (practically) are making WW.

As for why I canceled out on the guy, they were piled in the back on the floor (I was supposed to load) and there were only a few clip types visible, all the rest were stick ons of one type are another. In other words he lied. They looked already picked over. But the Kicker was he lied, I don't do business with people who are obviously liars.