No more lead WW's?

[GL49]

I just read in one of the other forums that lead WW's will be banned nationwide in April, 2011. I knew California was going that way, but tell me what I read isn't true.

[fredj338]

Kalif wnet that way a year ago. The rest of the country was sure to follow. If not by EPA eddict, but manuf praticality. Kalif has more cars than probably half the USA combined. They aren't going to make two diff kinds of wts when the biggest user isn't buying lead. So it's going to be zinc or steel from hear on out. Get what you can when you can & stack it high.

[runfiverun]

lots of the chain stores are already using steel.

[bbs70]

Went to a local Rural King store that had sold me ww in the past.
This time they told me they have to turn them into the battery guy.
I've been told this at other places.

I did manage to talk to a tire dealer and he has 2 and 3/4 buckets of ww.
But the owner won't be back till Monday afternoon and I have to wait and talk to him to see how much he wants for them.
Right now I'm holding my breath that he will sell them to me and at a decent price.

[TXTad]

So where do we get lead after WW are gone?

[zxcvbob]

When they are outlawed for cars, they still may be allowed for big trucks (those are better weights anyway when you can find them)

My best source of lead lately is the pistol range. I keep a gallon ziplock bag and a trowel in my range bag. If I'm the only one shooting, I can scoop up about 15 pounds of lead in just a few minutes under the metal popper targets. I go late in the day during the week to increase the chances that I'm the only one there. (the "only one there" part is not because I'm being sneaky but because I can't very well call a "cease fire" just so I can scrounge lead or brass.

Speaking of which, when the range it crowded I shoot revolvers. When the range is empty I shoot my bottom-feeders so I can pick up the brass.

[Alchemist]

So where do we get lead after WW are gone?


Check print shops that have been in business a long time...they may have linotype lead laying around. Also, roofers may have lead from roof jacks, etc.

It's more expensive, but alloy from a foundry will be consistent and readily available. Check out the vendor sponsors at the top of the page. (Rotometals, lead & brass).

[shoot-n-lead]

All of the tire stores in my area say that they will continue to use lead and they have no plans to go to steel or zinc. I have been surprised to hear this from them.

[RP]

Well I got a ? if they stop using lead in WWs thats alot of lead not being used anymore so why is the price going up? Seems like the price should be falling. Just a thought

[Dennis Eugene]

Ricky P, Ask China. Dennis Eugene

[shoot-n-lead]

Well I got a ? if they stop using lead in WWs thats alot of lead not being used anymore so why is the price going up? Seems like the price should be falling. Just a thought

Actually, the price of lead as a commodity has dropped.

[fredj338]

All of the tire stores in my area say that they will continue to use lead and they have no plans to go to steel or zinc. I have been surprised to hear this from them.
Yeah, sounds good, but they are going to sue the cheapest weights available & that will be zinc or steel going forward. Plus, look for a national EPA ban sooner than later. http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/epa-to-ban-lead-tire-weights/

[fredj338]

Actually, the price of lead as a commodity has dropped.

Not really, it's been on a steady climb back up since 2008. If the world economy ramps up, the price will only go up. Get it while you can boys, it's not gonna get cheaper or more available soon.

[shoot-n-lead]

Not really, it's been on a steady climb back up since 2008. If the world economy ramps up, the price will only go up. Get it while you can boys, it's not gonna get cheaper or more available soon.

Yes, it is less than it was, that means the price has dropped and it not gotten back to where it was.

[lwknight]

Its the electric car craze thats driving the lead price up. A golf cart has probably $150 pounds of lead in its batteries.

[TheOldGreybeard]

A friend brought me a partial bucket of wheel weights which weighed around 50 pounds. Expecting a similar yield of lead (around90%), I started smelting it into ingots. I sorted out the soft stick on weights first, and tried to remove the non-lead weights, but gave up and poured them in. There was so much garbage in it that it was difficult to melt the lead down. The yield was 20 pounds of decent lead, 4 pounds of soft lead and the rest was garbage...zinc, steel, some sort of rubberized strip which I assume is used on Alloy wheels etc. etc. This came from a local tire store and would appear to portend the future...not a particularly bright one at that.:-(

[fredj338]

Yes, it is less than it was, that means the price has dropped and it not gotten back to where it was.
Semantics I guess, depends on what time period but lead prices are currently up form last mont, last year, last 3 yrs?

[*Paladin*]

Today was a bummer for me! I went to one of my old stand-by's only to find out someone else is now competing with me for WW's. They said he stopped by last week and got a full bucket. They gave me the few that they had (about 15lbs) and by the time I had it sorted, I only netted 9 lbs. The rest was a shocking amount of steel and zinc!!! I mean, we're talking nearly half the bucket was non-lead!!! I think the bleak future for lead WW's is getting close. I guess I'll keep on mining in between trips to the few shops that will part with the WW's. At least with mining I got 20 lbs the other day. Get it while you can, I guess. I wish I had started collecting WW's a long time ago. I remember when I worked at a gas station in Wyoming. We would heave full buckets into the dumpster. Man, to go back in time...

[thompsonm1a1]

i have noticed up her in nova scotia, canada that we are seeing a few more steel and zinc WWs. when i pick some up from my local auto repair i have to sort out the junk ones as it makes a mess in the melting pot and makes a funny looking lead.

[bbs70]

Went to a local Rural King store that had sold me ww in the past.
This time they told me they have to turn them into the battery guy.
I've been told this at other places.

I did manage to talk to a tire dealer and he has 2 and 3/4 buckets of ww.
But the owner won't be back till Monday afternoon and I have to wait and talk to him to see how much he wants for them.
Right now I'm holding my breath that he will sell them to me and at a decent price.

Its getting bad.
Yesterday I went back to the tire dealer to see about those 3 buckets of wheel weights he had.

Guy behind the counter said the guy I needed to talk to was out.
He told me someone else who casts boolits had been in before and decided he didn't want the ww because of so many zinc and steel weights in the buckets.
Now thats getting bad when a boolit caster turns down buckets of wheel weights.

The counter guy also said he thought the guy I needed to see was thinking about keeping the weights to use for fishing weights.
Maybe he and I can come up with some kind of deal to keep us both happy.

[imashooter2]

All of the tire stores in my area say that they will continue to use lead and they have no plans to go to steel or zinc. I have been surprised to hear this from them.

The factories aren't going to keep 2 lines going, one for lead and the other for non lead. Non lead will soon be all that's offered. Your stations will use them just like everyone else.

[HiVelocity]

Well, answer me this folks. WIth the United States planning on building 9 more nuclear reactors, how are they going to insulate [shield] the reactors? Nope, can't use steel, nope, not zinc either.

Yessir, has to be lead. The EPA can't change that. Hopefully, "we'll" have lead around for quite a while. In the mean time, check out the flea markets, flea-bay has it but pricey.

Just my $.02 worth.

HV

[imashooter2]

Well, answer me this folks. WIth the United States planning on building 9 more nuclear reactors, how are they going to insulate [shield] the reactors? Nope, can't use steel, nope, not zinc either.

Yessir, has to be lead. The EPA can't change that. Hopefully, "we'll" have lead around for quite a while. In the mean time, check out the flea markets, flea-bay has it but pricey.

Just my $.02 worth.

HV

All you need to shield radiation is mass. That mass can be lead, steel, zinc, concrete or even dirt.

[Matt_G]

Well, answer me this folks. WIth the United States planning on building 9 more nuclear reactors, how are they going to insulate [shield] the reactors? Nope, can't use steel, nope, not zinc either.

Yessir, has to be lead. The EPA can't change that. Hopefully, "we'll" have lead around for quite a while. In the mean time, check out the flea markets, flea-bay has it but pricey.

Just my $.02 worth.

HV

You're applying logic to the situation. You should know better than to do that, especially when you are dealing with the gubbermint.

[Frosty Boolit]

Went to a truck tire center and they are using ALL steel with no WW available for me.

[TXTad]

A local scrapper has WW, all lead supposedly, for $0.55/lb. I think I may buy a $100 worth this weekend.

[mold maker]

Lead wheel weights and the Do Do bird will soon be on the same page. if you haven't already laid in a supply, you will have to pay the price or do without.
Get the few that you can and treat them like poor mans gold.
The roofers and plumbers will be required to change to other alloys like zinc and tin so that those sources will follow WWs. Beyond that all it takes is a stroke of the pin to outlaw lead in boolits.
Didn't you know that big brother doesn't want you shooting. If he can't outlaw guns, he'll just outlaw ammo. Same difference, no guns or no bullets.

[fredj338]

Lead wheel weights and the Do Do bird will soon be on the same page. if you haven't already laid in a supply, you will have to pay the price or do without.
Get the few that you can and treat them like poor mans gold.
The roofers and plumbers will be required to change to other alloys like zinc and tin so that those sources will follow WWs. Beyond that all it takes is a stroke of the pin to outlaw lead in boolits.
Didn't you know that big brother doesn't want you shooting. If he can't outlaw guns, he'll just outlaw ammo. Same difference, no guns or no bullets.
Exactly what is going on here in Kommifornia & thru the EPA nationally. Somehow lead bullets are decimating the birds of prey? Yeah right, like there is actually lead fragments in what's left of a carcus after a hunter shoots & cleans &/or packs it out. Nope, it's a way to control people. make it harder for you to hunt or shoot & most will not hunt or shoot. Lead ww will be gone form the tire shops withing two years in many locations, about the life of a set of tires.

[shotman]

better get them now usps is going to drop the FR so last chance .
do you know what 50lbs will cost to ship??? best buy all you can NOW
NEED any lead???

[shoot-n-lead]

better get them now usps is going to drop the FR so last chance .
do you know what 50lbs will cost to ship??? best buy all you can NOW
NEED any lead???

Postal service is not dropping the flat rate priority box.

[jsizemore]

I talked to my local tire store and it was news to him about a ban on pb ww. He said the fed might pass a law but with no funding for enforcement it would be largely ignored as long as he could buy pb ww. The economy being so bad could work to our advantage. Especially here in backwoods NC.
I'm still going to hoard. 280lbs from the recycler for $56, 40lbs from one tire guy for $10, 24lbs from the other tire guy for $6, and a 35.5 lb ingot from a fella that used to make his own battery posts for free.