Today's haul ‼

[Whitespider]

And I'm thinkin' the good-ol'-days are over.

Yesterday one of my sources called and said they had a 30-gallon barrel two-thirds full of wheel weights for me to pick up.
So today I drive into town with the trailer, hand truck, and tie-down straps. Yep, about two-thirds full (maybe not quite). I strap the barrel to the hand truck and yank it back... whoa... that wasn't as heavy as I expected. I get it loaded, haul it home, dump it on the shop floor, and make a second trip to town to return the barrel. Here's the pile...
195158 195159

So... what do you suppose I was able to get from that in usable lead alloy??
It's friggin' ridiculous. This source has always provided a nice percentage of soft SOWWs, and that didn't change (compared to COWWs)... but... here's what I got...

195162

From left-to-right... if my scale is correct...
Left- 30+ pounds of paper, plastic, rubber, and various disgusting trash.
Left center- 140+ pounds of steel/zinc weights and other non-desirable metallics.
Right center- 80+ pounds of SOWWs.
Right- 90+ pounds of COWWs (which includes the steel clips).

When I think of my time, gas, and they ain't even been processed yet... buying my casting metal is a better option. I ain't never seen so many steel wheel weights in one load before (zinc is still minimal). This may very well be my last wheel weight scavenge... even if they are "free".

Is the lead-based wheel weight going extinct??
*

[slim1836]

170 LBS of lead for the taking is not something I would pass on. Just saying...

Slim

[benellinut]

While out on my pewter hunt last week I hit up a few radiator repair shops looking for solder drippings, struck out on the drippings but one shop asked me what I wanted it for, when I told him for bullet casting he said, "come back next week and I'll have buckets of wheel weights you can have, happy to get rid of them." I told him "I've got buckets I can leave you" and he said not to worry, he has a surplus of those too so I told him I'll bring a box of donuts, he said it was a deal. Don't know how much lead it will yield, I don't really need any more wheel weights, I've got enough to last me a life time but I just can't pass it by..... There are out there, just gotta keep asking around.

[6mm win lee]

While out on my pewter hunt last week I hit up a few radiator repair shops looking for solder drippings, struck out on the drippings but one shop asked me what I wanted it for, when I told him for bullet casting he said, "come back next week and I'll have buckets of wheel weights you can have, happy to get rid of them." I told him "I've got buckets I can leave you" and he said not to worry, he has a surplus of those too so I told him I'll bring a box of donuts, he said it was a deal. Don't know how much lead it will yield, I don't really need any more wheel weights, I've got enough to last me a life time but I just can't pass it by..... There are out there, just gotta keep asking around.

Someone here could use them if you do not use them and care enough to move them along down the road. Charity begins at home (meaning Castboolits).

Just sayin'. :p

[lightman]

The lead based wheelweight is on the way out, thats for sure. But, I would still take that haul. My yield is still holding up pretty well around here. I say, Get them while you can!

[RogerDat]

I can see that for a lot of folks the S&S forum for nice clean ingots of COWW at $1 a pound would be the better deal, but man it is hard to beat free. Me I'll just watch a movie, the game, or something entertaining while I sit there and sort. But I'm a second vote for if you don't want them see if you can do an introduction to hook someone else up.

Also don't forget the cars that come in may vary and so will the WW yield, next barrel might be better. Single data point is not a trend.

[Whitespider]

Also don't forget the cars that come in may vary and so will the WW yield, next barrel might be better. Single data point is not a trend.
That may be true... but this is a New Car Dealership and the "haul" has been trending towards more steel/zinc the last couple times. Still, this particular load contained over 3 times as many steel/zinc as the last... the last time I didn't fill a bucket even after removing the clips from the lead weights.

However... after a nights rest my disappointment has waned and I realize I was looking a gift horse in the mouth and whining last night.
Yeah... whining... and I have no sympathy for whiners.
I guess I can be just as human as anyone else sometimes.
*

[TexasGrunt]

That may be true... but this is a New Car Dealership and the "haul" has been trending towards more steel/zinc the last couple times. Still, this particular load contained over 3 times as many steel/zinc as the last... the last time I didn't fill a bucket even after removing the clips from the lead weights.

However... after a nights rest my disappointment has waned and I realize I was looking a gift horse in the mouth and whining last night.
Yeah... whining... and I have no sympathy for whiners.
I guess I can be just as human as anyone else sometimes.
*

There's your sign. All new vehicles come with non-lead weights.

[ioon44]

Your steel and zinc weights still have a scrap value, I have 5 -5 gal buckets of steel weights and clips to sell next trip to a scrap yard + 68 lbs of zinc weights to sell.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP...

When I think of my time, gas, and they ain't even been processed yet... buying my casting metal is a better option. I ain't never seen so many steel wheel weights in one load before (zinc is still minimal). This may very well be my last wheel weight scavenge... even if they are "free".

Is the lead-based wheel weight going extinct??
*
I came to that conclusion (in regards to MN) about 3 years ago...and quit scrounging at tire shops and dealerships.
My last two scores were from auto salvage yards, and I got a nice high percentage of Lead alloy WW...that was a couple years ago and wouldn't hesitate doing a deal today, if I know the source is old cars.

[Whitespider]

There's your sign. All new vehicles come with non-lead weights.
Yes, that is true... but new vehicles rarely require tire replacement.
I'm assuming the service department's customer base is largely made up of people who purchased their vehicles at the dealership (as was ours when we owned a dealership)... and the "new" vehicles sold over the last few years are now due for tire replacement. I did notice the dealership is still using what appeared to be new lead alloy weights at their tire balancing station... so this might cycle out to where a lessor percentage of steel/zinc end up in the barrel over time.

I do know one of our tire shops in town (the largest) separates their used weights as they remove them... lead, steel, and zinc each have their own bucket (no doubt the occasional mistake is made). The reason, according to the owner, is he gets better scrap price for separated weights. I tried working a deal with him for lead weights a few years ago, but his price was just too darn high (at least it seemed so at the time). I don't remember what that price was, but maybe it would be worth my time to revisit that negotiation??

It's just darn difficult for me to start "paying" for my wheel weights... I've always gotten them for free (or the occasional box-o-beer to select sources...).
*

[Mitch]

Then new vehicles are not new anymore and need new tires.It was just a matter of time.Time flies when we are having fun lol

[Whitespider]

Well, it rained here all day so I spent part of the day melting down the lead and making the bricks I store.
The COWWs filled my mold that makes 10 pound bricks exactly 7 times... 70 pounds.
The SOWWs filled my mold that makes 5 pound bricks 11 times, and both of my 2 pound molds once... 59 pounds.
Figuring in the clips and trash I skimmed off the melt(s) today, I got around 200 pounds of trash, steel, zinc, and other unusable metallics to the 129 pounds of lead alloy... less than a 40% yield by weight from the barrel.

And since I was at it, I had a small bucket of boolits and bullets that I've picked up on my range after the snow melts in the spring. A little bit of everything from some jacketed stuff, soft swedged, shotgun slugs, hard-cast commercial, and some of my carefully crafted... which gave me just short of 40 pounds in 2 pound ingots. Since it's of unknown composition I ain't really sure what I'll use it for... but I have it, for when I may need it.
*

[BrutalAB]

Be positive, major score on the Dewalt drill. Id also be questioning the bud light not that it's there, but how did it not get crushed. Super strong aluminum right there.

/s

I'd be happy with free wheel weights, about the only way it's worth the effort to me. Also I'm saving up all my zinc for when lead is too difficult to obtain or use for whatever the future may hold.

[lightman]

I don't take it like you were whining, more like just passing on info to others. You could save a little time by obtaining a barrel to swap out next time other than making two trips to town. Each of us has to make the decision whether we want to buy ready to cast lead or scrounge and process it ourselves. It does look like that barrel had an unusual amount of trash in it! I would have took it!

[crowbuster]

I was thinking the same thing lightman. Didnt take it as whining, just that it's getting harder to get the good stuff.