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Thread: Wheel Weights, Lead Vs Steel

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    Wheel Weights, Lead Vs Steel

    I just got done sorting through three five gallon bucket of wheel weights that I had picked up in the last 8 to 10 months at a well known tire dealer. The buckets were not got at the same time and I found it interesting to find that the newest bucket had about 25% steel wheel weights and the oldest was only about 5%. There were some zinc mixed in but not a great deal.

    The reason I was sorting the weights was I was concerned that there might be a lot of Zinc but was pleased to find that was not the case.

    Skeet1

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Cowboy T's Avatar
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    Yep, not surprised about the 25% steel weights. And that percentage is going to go up as time marches on.

    Get your lead while you still can.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
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    I sorted and smelted a partial bucket I recently picked up - almost 30% zinkers (along with some steel). oddly enough, 90% of those were the same brand and looked uninstalled, like someone dumped excess unused inventory in the bucket with the scrap. Definitely not what I used to get, in fact if I were offered another bucket with the exact same contents I might turn it down at this point. Only got about 23 lbs of ingots all said and done.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master




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    My supplier told me that his boss (company owner) is only getting in steel stick-on weights. Just the beginning of the end so to speak.

    Edd
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  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master fredj338's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by badgeredd View Post
    My supplier told me that his boss (company owner) is only getting in steel stick-on weights. Just the beginning of the end so to speak.

    Edd
    Yep. Especialyl since Kalif banned lead ww. Think about it, there are more cars & tires in Kalif. than in 20 other states combined. The ww manuf are not going to produce lead ww in a dieing market. I would expect lead ww to be completely gone form the roads by 2015, probably banned nationwide before 2020.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    The increase in non-lead weights, I feel, is due not only to any state bans, but their use by the automobile manufacturers. It would not surprise me if the wheel weight makers have made a 100% switch over to steel and zinc.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I talked on one guy at a tire company and the store will not let them use lead ww at all .....all steel

  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy
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    I must have gotten lucky. I picked up two buckets of ww this summer in south west wyoming and only had 10 fe and 3 zn in the lot...but I did have more stick on weights than I have had in the past

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    Couple days ago I visited my local lead source. We got to talking about various lead bans, and pointed out everyone is going to the Fe stick-on weights.

    One of the guys brought out a new box of weights and said, "they're still lead, see?"

    To which I pointed out the 'Fe' on the label.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master dnepr's Avatar
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    well it is going the same way north of the 49th too, had 2 new tires mounted up for the truck , the bill says " lead free balance " at least I took the old wheel weights off before the rims went in for tires , lead wheel weight are dissapearing , fortunately I have a fair bit of lead and have started using bullet traps to " manage the resource"

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Every new car I have looked at recently has had steel, with a few having zinc.

    Some of the shops here don't use clip-on weights at all, with most installing Fe stick-ons.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Their saving the lead for the electric car batterys !!

    Mike

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I get very few zinc and about 10% fe clip on weights. The stick ons are becoming fe fast, but lots of the iron impregnated rubber also. Funny thing is I find a few zinc stick on too.
    Times are a changing and it ain't for the better.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master
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    my last sorting I ended up with a lot of
    Iron clip ons and some bright metal stick ons ?

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

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"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check