Stick on wheel weights??

[CGC]

I went to a tire shop today after work to buy some wheel weights. The guy wanted $25 a 5 gallon bucket. I seen they were all stick on wheel weights. He admitted there was some other kind of metal in there other than lead. He had some clip ons on his balance machine and when I asked about those he said he uses them and wasn't going to sell them.

My question is do you think these stick on weights are worth getting? If so how do you go about using/mixing them?

I do have some clip on weights that I have been saving for some time.

[Beagle333]

This should help.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?61171-The-Definitive-Answer-page-for-Lead-and-Alloys!

[RogerDat]

This thread has pictures and XRF gun results from assorted stick on WW's http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?229666-Stick-On-WW-XrF-Data

Look at the pictures will give you a good selection of SOWW's that are lead. You can check the bucket with diagonal cutters and a magnet. I think lead SOWW's are good, they have arsenic which will help with water quenching in even a tiny percentage.

Most lead SOWW's are pretty close to plain lead with just a touch of extra goodies in the alloy. So if for example you were to mix with linotype that mix would water quench better than if you used plain lead for the mix.

[mac1911]

If it's all stick ons and say 75% lead that's not to bad.
Locally in recent years it's getting to be 50/50 lead/other and many places won't give it up for less than 80 cents #

[Yodogsandman]

That's a good deal! More than 100 lbs of lead for $25! More if full to the brim.

I sorted my SOWW's by the XRF sticky. The ones that are supposed to be close to COWW's would make a "tink" when dropped on concrete and the others, described as close to pure lead, "thunked". Just as expected, using the XRF data and photos!

[Mitch]

SOWW here tend to be about the same as COWW around half steel and Zn.The lead weight are just fine.just make sure you are getting a decent price for what is in the bucket

[sqlbullet]

A number of years back I was in a major national tire retail store getting new shoes for my Excursion. I asked if they had any scrap lead, and the store manager said he was sorry but they didn't.

When I left he mentioned he left me a surprise behind the drivers seat. It was two full boxes of brand new stick on wheel weights. I mixed them in with isotope lead and they made great bullets.

Given the cost of the tires, I am not sure if I consider it free or the most expensive lead I ever have used.:)

[lightman]

Their worth depends on how much you need or want it. Around my area thats a fair price. I second what the others say about reading the XRF sticky, its very informative. The soft weights can be mixed with your clip-ons or used to cut other harder alloys. Remember, there are zinc and iron stick-on weights just as there are in clip-on weights. To me, they are easier to sort than clip-on weights are.

[runfiverun]

even if you only get 50 lbs of alloy after it's all said and done you got it for 50 cents a pound.
try and beat that price anywhere.

[CGC]

I honestly dont mind paying for them and sorting them out. I knew the SOWW were softer than the CLOWW. For those of you that would run into them I just wanted to know if you used them with the CLOWW or just set them aside.

If you did mix them what would the ratio be? I looked into other threads and some are mixing them 50/50. One guy said he mixed them 75 CLOWW/25 SOWW.

I looked at some alloy recipes on a site suggested by beagle and their was a 10#CLOWW to 4#SOWW. Some have suggested adding some solder or tin in.

Just to let you know I will be loading for a 9mm using 135gr.and maybe heavier boolit at around 900-1000 fps.

[odinohi]

25.00! Buy it and keep buying it

[Chris24]

$25-30 is usually what I pay for a full bucket from my supplier. It took asking about a dozen places before I found one that would sell me WW on a regular basis. They give me mostly clip-on, with some stick-on and zinc and steel mixed in. The last bucket was about 70% lead. That's good for my local area.

[scottfire1957]

I mix approximately 50/50 and add pewter. 24lbs/24lbs and 1lb pewter. Thats about all my pot will hold.


Edit: I cast for pistol only att, and PC.

[Pumpkinheaver]

Most of the stick on weights I have come across lately have been iron. Very few lead ones anymore. If you can inspect the content of the bucket and they are mostly lead then go for it, otherwise you might be paying for something you can't use.

[scottfire1957]

$25-30 is usually what I pay for a full bucket from my supplier. It took asking about a dozen places before I found one that would sell me WW on a regular basis. They give me mostly clip-on, with some stick-on and zinc and steel mixed in. The last bucket was about 70% lead. That's good for my local area.


I have one supplier now, since I don't pay anymore. All I have to do is cast some fishing weights for him. Picked up 200# today, unsorted, but most of it is Pb. I'll cast 10# of weights and we will both be happy.

[fredj338]

Except for the glue on the stick-ons, it's either near pure lead, steel or zinc. Sort them out & melt them down. The adhesive makes a huge stinky mess though. I have about 150# sorted I have yet to melt due to that. Some day if I need them.

[Whiterabbit]

I find SOWW is much softer than COWW. I melt them for round balls. I would also melt them and add eutectic solder for non magnum handgun rounds if I had any non magnums. But they make a fine roundball.

[boho]

My mix is 7/4 clip/stick + whatever the alloy calculator says to add for 2% tin. It works well in all my non magnum handgun loads. Get em!

[Budzilla 19]

103# of SOWW XRF tested at 99.94% PB, so I guess I got lucky with this sorting exercise! Now I have to get more to sort! Vicious circle, I tell ya, vicious! Hahaha! Good shooting to all.

[CGC]

Thanks guys for replying. I went and sorted through two buckets and got about 125 lbs. of SOWW and about that much steel. Seemed to be 50/50.

I have two rolls of lead free solder (coil type) 96% tin and 4% copper, pound each from work. Is this solder good to work with?

[Magana559]

I pay $5 a bucket but sometimes I get hosed and only get 10 to 15 lbs a bucket. Takes about a hour to sort a full bucket.

[DW475]

I just picked up 4 buckets from my local supplier to go through and i'm finding about 60% of the wheel weights are steel or zinc. Luckily he only charges me after i sort it and find out how much lead is actually there. I did find the local hospital had quite a supply of 25 lb lead source containers they were paying storage fees on. They are happy now that they don't have to pay for storage or disposal!

[lightman]

CGC, that solder should work fine for what we do. If I had a steady source for isotope lead I would drop wheelweights like a bad habit! Its good alloy, its usually very clean, and there is no sorting. Win-Win!