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walker77
06-15-2009, 09:33 PM
how do you guys approach tire shops to ask for wheel weights? Im assuming hitting up the chain stores is a lost cause. Ive heard they are forced to recycle their lead.

fastgun
06-15-2009, 09:40 PM
I call them on the phone and tell them that I cast my bullets for target shooting and that I would like to buy their used wheel weights. You have to be ready to tell them what you are willing to pay. The worst they can say is no. I have had good luck this way.

Orygun
06-15-2009, 09:42 PM
I tell them that I'm casting fishing sinkers. And I do....some. :wink:

docone31
06-15-2009, 09:43 PM
I show up, and just ask the mechanics. It helps if you show up in grungy clothes also. If they like you, they hand at least some over.

Springfield
06-15-2009, 09:50 PM
Depending on the type of store, I have better luck talking to the service manager, not the store manager. He is usually a mechanic also, not just the guy in the clean clothes up front.

462
06-15-2009, 09:59 PM
walker77,

First off, take at least one 5-gallon bucket with you! Second, be polite.

I ask what they do with their used wheel weights. If they have an agreement with a recycler, and you are willing to buy your lead, you may want to ask how much he pays. So far, I've not had to buy any. More on that later...

I say that I'm looking for a source of lead for bullet casting. Be up front as to why you want it. Besides, you will be surprised by how many shooters and hunters you come across.

I have three stores that "give" me lead. As I said, it doesn't cost me anything, except for the sodas or doughnuts that I give them in exchange. I've found a dozen doughnuts will put a lot of lead in my bucket. You may want to offer pizza, too. However, that can get rather expensive real fast, unless there is a Costco nearby. Ask any employees what they would prefer...the manager will want to take care of them.

The main thing is to offer them an incentive. They are businessmen and don't want to be taken advantage of. Give them a reason to want to do business with you.

snaggdit
06-15-2009, 10:28 PM
There have been several threads discussing what everyone is paying for WW. It seems the common price (if you have to pay) is $20 a 5 gallon pail. Since a full 5 gallon pail weighs around 130-160 lbs and with 20% loss for clips,zinc, junk you should end up with 100 lbs of good alloy. This is $.20 a pound. Obviously free is better, but I refuse to pay more than $20 a bucket. Prorate for partial buckets or 3 or 4 lb buckets. As others said, once yuou develop a relationship with placees, grease the wheels with doughnuts, pizza or even reloads. I had to bite the boolit the last time. Figured I would ask if they shot and what calibers. Of course .357 was mentioned. I have precious little brass for that but free lead is worth a little grease...

fredj338
06-15-2009, 11:41 PM
Every store is diff. I have asked for years; tried lieing, telling the truth, buying, bribing, it just depends. About 4m ago I went to one of the major tire chain stores, but a newer one. Had an oil change & asked the manager about his used ww. He tells me he's got buckets, how much do I want. I tell him all & pay him $100 for 550#. Now I go in & he gives me a 100# bucket free! Life is good once again in Kalif. Seriuosly though, offer paying, no more than $20/3-5gal bucket (about 105#-150#). You'll get about 75#-80# of alloy depending on how much junk is in the bucket.

jack19512
06-16-2009, 02:07 AM
There have been several threads discussing what everyone is paying for WW.








The OP never asked what everyone was paying for WW's. He asked "how do you guys approach tire shops to ask for wheel weights?", don't know how this turned into a "what do you pay" thread. :)


I just stop and ask if they have any used WW's they don't want. They either give them up or they don't.

JIMinPHX
06-16-2009, 02:16 AM
Every shop is different. The best guy to approach varies too. Don't discount the chain stores completely. I walked into one good year chain store & asked them what they do with their old WW. The mechanic said that they threw them in the trash. Just keep asking. The worst they can do is say no.

jack19512
06-16-2009, 02:28 AM
I walked into one good year chain store & asked them what they do with their old WW. The mechanic said that they threw them in the trash.







The Goodyear tire shop in my town is my best source for WW's. Don't cost me anything. I tried Walmart but there's no way I was getting any from them. :(

Leftoverdj
06-16-2009, 03:50 AM
Bring your own buckets, wear working clothes, say you're looking for wheel weights, have a price in mind, and never miss asking when you are hiring another service.

Some of these guys are very chary of anyone remotely official looking. Almost all of them are protective of their buckets.l Most of them don't need to be told why you want WW. If they are willing to listen to an offer, you need one ready. I'm glad to pay $10 a bucket. Mostly , those who ask for an offer are glad to take $10. The sole exception to date was a guy who had his WW in cardboard boxes so we worked it out to ten cents a pound and the boxes to about 50 pounds each. That was close enough to satisfy both of us.

cajun shooter
06-16-2009, 07:54 AM
FTF works better than phone. And as a lot of people have said don't show up looking like a guy with a brief case from the EPA. A lot of the chain stores in our area of Louisiana are on a recycle program where they exchange the old ones for new ones and will not give up any. The small shops are our best targets.

jcdean
06-16-2009, 09:22 AM
Interstae Battery pretty much has the market tied up in Oklahoma City. I have been buying from them. Maybe I need to go out a bit further and see what I can find.

inuhbad
06-16-2009, 10:26 AM
The company I used to work for had an open business account with a tire shop in the city... I was in Landscape Operations & Management, and we freqently took them truck tires, tractor tires, lawn mower tires, OffRoad Utility vehicle tires - everything went to this one shop. We'd give them a couple 2-3 thousand dollars business each year!

This tire shop was owned by three brothers... Their father who started it waaaaay back in the day still worked there part-time in his retirment years, but for the most part the brothers run it all. Management, and the actual shop labor too! Over time, I got to know the three brothers fairly well, and recently I just approached them to talk about wheel weights...

I just walked into the shop through one of the open tire bays, I showed up in my dirty black scrubby work jeans & an old torn up M-65 field jacket. I asked them what they did with their WW's, and they told me they take them to a non-ferrous metal recycling place in the warehouse district. I asked how much they wanted for wheel weights. I offered them $.50/pound - the same that the metal recycling place charged me.

Remembering how much business I brought them between 2003 to 2005 (probably around $7500 to $8000), and their father just shouted from the back of the shop "Just give 'em to him!"

They led me off into a side-room just off their main shop area, and they had a bunch of old 55 gallon drums & 5-gallon buckets. I was told I could take as many as I want, so I then proceed to fill up two 1/2 full 5-gallon buckets whenever I stop into their shop! They even let me take my time, digging through the old weights to read the 'Type Codes' to minimize the number of Zinc or Steel WW's I put into my buckets. I try not to take more than ~15 minutes digging through their barrels/buckets of weights, but they were happy to get rid of some.

I didn't even tell them what I was using them for - they just remembered me, and gave 'em to me no questions asked. Come to think of it, I should probably head back there again pretty soon. I need to pick up another load of lead. It's almost like getting free money or something!

Being able to 'pick' through the piles to get the good ones helps minimize percentage of Zinc/Steel I pick up... My last bucket I checked last night was only about 5% unusable weights! :)

The recycling place charges me $0.50 per pound, and the last time I was there, one of the employees in his mid-20's asked me what I was buying up Lead for??? I asked if he ever went shooting once in a while... He says of course he does, but it's getting expensive! I pulled out a spare 1911 mag from my pocket, and showed him a 45 ACP round with a Cast Boolit, and told him how I melt down the lead, skim off the impurities, and cast my own Boolits for dirt-cheap! His eyes bugged out of his head and he just said "HOLY S#!T THAT'S COOL!!!"

montana_charlie
06-16-2009, 12:57 PM
Because of the things you guys say, I occasionally ask about wheelweights at tire shops...but only when I am actually paying for one of their services.

So, I am in there to get a flat fixed (or something) and either helping the guy get a grip on the tire, or trading stories while handing him tools.

If my eye lands on the weight bucket, I remember that I am looking at 'gold' so I ask if a guy could just haul them away.
I have always been told that I'm welcome to load them up, but I just say that I 'know somebody' that might have a use for them.

It seems that a face-to-face paying customer who is willing to lend a helping hand has a good chance of scoring...

CM

Trey45
06-16-2009, 01:19 PM
I always keep a few samples of my cast boolits in my pants pocket when I go wheel weight hunting. I have 3 shops I get them from regularly, but that doesnt stop me from going out looking for other resources! I usually approach one of the bay mechanics and ask him (or her) if they have any used wheel weights, I always get asked, "oh, do you make fishin' weights with them?" Then I reach in my pocket and produce a few cast boolits to show them exactly what I do with wheel weights. It's amazing how much interest there is in boolit making! Since I got a Cast Boolit hat, I wear that when I go too, and usually make reference to the website if they have a lot of questions. 9 times out of 10 if they have wheel weights, they let me have them, sometimes free, sometimes at a cost, usually at a cost. +1 on bringing 5 gallon buckets with you, I usually have 4 empty buckets in the bed of my truck and a tupperware 20 gallon tub when I go ww hunting. If you are polite and friendly you can usually score. Since i started carrying a few samples of my boolits with me when I go, I have had more good luck than bad,one manager of a tire shop even told me they'd rather let me have their used ww instead of letting someone else have them to make fishin weights with.

inuhbad
06-16-2009, 01:28 PM
Talking with some people about this, it sounds like they'd prefer you NOT making fishing weights with them - they often feel it's just polluting lakes & such with lead. If you're going to ask for the lead, be honest and tell them you recycle the lead into bullets. Which are fired into a backstop, and the recycled AGAIN into more bullets...

They have less of a problem if they know that it's still going to be recycled, pretty much over & over again.

Most people think fishing weights should be made of steel or something that won't harmfully 'pollute' our lakes & rivers... Making boolits with them is no big deal if you tell them they'll keep getting recycled over & over - again & again.

Down South
06-16-2009, 01:55 PM
I’ve always used the FTF approach with mixed results. I haven’t looked for any WW since metal prices dropped but it should be a little easier now since WW are not worth as much for scrap. Earlier when metal scrap prices were up I found myself competing with those who were willing to pay more than I would for the scrap metal value.
I devised a plan that helped. I had the opportunity to get a bunch (about 30 pair) of new Mechanics work gloves cheap. I used the gloves for trading material. The guys doing the tire changing wanted the gloves and the manager liked the idea since his employees were now wearing gloves to protect their hands. I gave a pair of gloves per full 5-gallon bucket of WW. I had a couple locations start saving WW for me but I don’t make those rounds anymore due to a work location change. I guess those guys wonder what happened to me, LOL. I do have one local that saves WW for me because I do business with him.

mikeh3
06-16-2009, 03:40 PM
I do the same as Trey45. Bring your own bucket, wear working clothes as someone else said. Be polite and friendly. I've never had to pay. They'll usually give them to you for free if they like you and are not saving them for someone else.

finishman2000
06-16-2009, 04:43 PM
I'm going to try a new tactic...i came into some new boxed WW's. I going to see about some tradin old for new. I know they cost the guys quite abit.

vanilla_gorilla
06-17-2009, 02:39 AM
I just wander into the local shops and ask what they do with their wheel weights and if they have some, can I buy them. I've had every response from "Take them out of here and they're yours!" to threats to call the cops.

squid1230
06-17-2009, 09:14 AM
threats to call the cops?????

woodsman1st
06-17-2009, 10:03 AM
I am just getting back into casting my own boolits after about 20 years away from it and many things have changed; whch leads me to four questions.

FIRST; I notice that some of the WWs are square and flat without the iron clips on them; also when I scratch one against the other, the new (to me) flat ones will NOT scratch the older standard wheel weights, and the older standard wheel weights WILL scratch the newer (to me) WWs; which tells me that the newer square WWs are softer than the old traditional wheel weights. My last batch of WWs I got yesterday has a lot of these newer type flat square WWs mixed in. What do I have with these flat square WWs? Do they have less tin in them? What are they exactly?

SECOND: How can I tell the zink WWs I read about in here from the regular WWs; and are they any good to cast boolits with?

THIRD: I tried one of Lees Aluminum molds yesterday for the first time and they seemed to work pretty good. I notice that if the boolits are bright and shiny they are wrinkled and weigh much less than they should. If the boolits are frosty, indicating a hot mold or lead I believe, the boolits come out perfect in shape and weigh very close to each other. Is this due to the molds being made out of aluminum?

LAST QUESTION: I sat down last night to order the sizing die and top punch for these boolits cast from Lee molds and could not find any sizing dies or top punches listed from Lee that will work in my Lyman 4500; what gives? Am I going to have to order from Lyman and just kind of guess at the top punch for shape? The sizing die doesnt seem to present a problem; I just order the size I need...am I right?

One more question; what is the general opinion of Lee Molds? The price is sure good; and the frosty boolits all seem good to me. Your opinions???

Thanks guys
Ken

badgeredd
06-17-2009, 10:45 AM
I am just getting back into casting my own boolits after about 20 years away from it and many things have changed; whch leads me to four questions.

Maybe I can help a bit here.

FIRST; I notice that some of the WWs are square and flat without the iron clips on them; Commonly called stick-ons here on the forum. also when I scratch one against the other, the new (to me) flat ones will NOT scratch the older standard wheel weights, and the older standard wheel weights WILL scratch the newer (to me) WWs; OK...the ones you have tried SO FAR are a softer alloy that some say are "PURE" lead. I don't buy them as being "PURE' but they are apparently quite a bit lower in antiminy and/or tinwhich tells me that the newer square WWs are softer than the old traditional wheel weights. Right on! My last batch of WWs I got yesterday has a lot of these newer type flat square WWs mixed in. What do I have with these flat square WWs? Do they have less tin in them? What are they exactly? I melt the sick-sons separately from the clip-ons to keep the softer allow for softer boolits and muzzle loader boolits.

SECOND: How can I tell the zink WWs I read about in here from the regular WWs; and are they any good to cast boolits with? Many of the stick-ons that I have gotten were marked with a "ZN" indicating they were indeed zinc. SEVERAL others were not marked but wouldn't twist if I held both ends and twisted, also indicating that they were likely zinc. They looked identical to the lead stick-ons but are a lot harder and to double check I try to cut an edge with side cutters. If they have a noticable resistance compared to known lead weight, they are zinc.

THIRD: I tried one of Lees Aluminum molds yesterday for the first time and they seemed to work pretty good. I notice that if the boolits are bright and shiny they are wrinkled and weigh much less than they should. If the boolits are frosty, indicating a hot mold or lead I believe, the boolits come out perfect in shape and weigh very close to each other. Is this due to the molds being made out of aluminum?Actually you are completely right about the lead or the mold or both not being up to temperature. That would be the reason for wrinkles, likely. The aluminum heats up faster and cools faster so in a way, that will cause the problem, but only if you're not casting hot enough or fast enough. Some frosting is ideal for me. One can get too much frosting which will show up as crystals-like on the surface.

LAST QUESTION: I sat down last night to order the sizing die and top punch for these boolits cast from Lee molds and could not find any sizing dies or top punches listed from Lee that will work in my Lyman 4500; what gives? Lee doesn't make top punches or sizing dies that are compatible with your sizer. They do make "push-thru dies that mount in your reloading press that require one to prelube the raw castings before sizing, generally.Am I going to have to order from Lyman and just kind of guess at the top punch for shape? Yes, and there are some top punches reference in a sticky or a member article. Sorry I don't remember exactly where at this time.The sizing die doesnt seem to present a problem; I just order the size I need...am I right?Correct...

One more question; what is the general opinion of Lee Molds? At first, I hated Lee molds, but as my experience has grown, I feel comfortable with them. One DOES have to get used to their use and maintenance. Casting is greatly improved if one runs the mold and the lead somewhat warmer. For myself, I find about 750 to 800 degrees for lead temp, depending on the mold. The price is sure good; and the frosty boolits all seem good to me. Your opinions??? My opinions...I am sure others will chime in with theirs.

Thanks guys
Ken


I hope all of this helps you to get going in fine fashion.

Good luck...

Edd

badgeredd
06-17-2009, 10:49 AM
One thing I neglected to mention, there are a lot of FE or iron wheel weigh around here so that adds another dimension to the sorting process. I save the zink to sell to the recyclers by the way. It helps to defray the cost of buying used weights. Any questionable WW should be sorted out to be sure not to contaminate your melt. Of course the cautions about keeping your melt temp to below 700 degrees always applies, just in case you miss one or more zinc weights.

Edd

Randall
06-17-2009, 11:02 AM
Interstae Battery pretty much has the market tied up in Oklahoma City. I have been buying from them. Maybe I need to go out a bit further and see what I can find.

You ain't kidding about Interstate,almost every place I go has an Interstate sign in the window and will not sell weights. I have to find some new sources as the last place in town,a recycler has went to selling for .50 cents a pound.Oh yeah I am just east of Tulsa.

462
06-17-2009, 11:11 AM
woodsman1st,

As you sort through your weights, you will start to recognize the zinc and steel by their shapes. Generally, zinc will be marked Zn and steel Fe, but not always.

http://www.castpics.net/. has a top punch reference chart for Lee moulds.

My Lee moulds cast as good as my Lyman and RCBS, but they may require a bit more work to get them to that point.

woodsman1st
06-17-2009, 11:20 AM
Edd;
I am extremely impressed with your detailed answers; and the way you seperated each question with your answers had to take some thought and time. An exceptional reply!

Apparently then zinc does not stand out in appearance from lead; either in color; or being brighter or shinier; is that correct? And it would seem from your answer that zinc has a melting tiemp close to lead; is that also correct?
Is it your opinion that I could use the "stickons" to cast for my muzzle loader then; and could the "stickons" be used to slug the bore on a couple of my firearms that I have a question about?

Again I thank you for your detailed answer...best I have ever seen in any forum!

Ken

snaggdit
06-17-2009, 11:26 AM
Edd;
Apparently then zinc does not stand out in appearance from lead; either in color; or being brighter or shinier; is that correct?

Yes

And it would seem from your answer that zinc has a melting tiemp close to lead; is that also correct?

Around 750* IIRC, with your WW melting around 650*

Is it your opinion that I could use the "stickons" to cast for my muzzle loader then; and could the "stickons" be used to slug the bore on a couple of my firearms that I have a question about?

That's the common uses! You are spot on.



Welcome back to the fun

woodsman1st
06-17-2009, 11:28 AM
462
Thank you for the additonal information; and for the link to the top punch reference chart. Very helpful.
Ken

Jaybird62
06-17-2009, 11:37 AM
It's all about building personal relationships with the guys working at the tire shops. When I first approach a tire shop I let them know that I'm looking for looking for scrap WW. Their answer dictates which approach I take next. I pay up to $20 for a 5 gal. bucket. Most I get free. As I get to know these guys I learn their names, which makes a big difference when you walk back in the second time and ask for someone by name. The owner of one independant shop is owned by an avid fisherman, so I bring him sinkers and fishing lures. I also talk about lead WW being phased out and that I'm trying to hoard as much as I can now... so my boys and I can have enough fishing weights to last us for the next 50 years. Works pretty well. I remember a Sears tire shop at a big mall in Maryland a few years ago. The manager tells me "no." I look him in the eye and ask him if he's sure he can't spare some for a school project my oldest boy is working on. (It wasn't a lie. My oldest son was writing a paper on making fishing weights and needed some weights to show the class.) He breaks down and says "Sure. Just back your truck up to the last bay." I left with four 5 gal. buckets. It really helps if you take your tire business to the shops that give you weights, too.

sheepdog
06-17-2009, 11:42 AM
threats to call the cops?????

Yup Ive had a close call myself. Once I even had a service manager grab a tire itron and point it at me telling me to F off. Good times.

But 95% of people are pretty cool. At worst they'll give you no weights but tell you why.

I rarely pay for weights as I hit chains but when I do its usually for the 18 wheeler weights.

WILCO
06-17-2009, 12:33 PM
I offer to pay and when they refuse, I say thank you and then proceed to give them a $5.00 gift card for a popular chain of coffee house.

woodsman1st
06-17-2009, 12:42 PM
snaggidit;

Thanks for joining in on the information party and your contribution.

A scary thought just occured about the 350 9mm boolits I cast last week and fired over the weekend.
I just dumped all my wheel weights in the pot and made ingots out of them, without sorting through them; I was unaware of any changes in WWs over the years. Only curiosity made me take a closer look at the stickons last night, and I noticed the difference in hardness; that is what prompted my questions today. I obviously didnt have any steel WWs; but I know I had some stickons mixed in; I may even have had some zinc WWs mixed in; I will never know what alloy was in the pot now! I then cast the 350 boolits for my 9mm and shot them. But I now wonder just what kind of mishmash alloy for boolits I was shooting? I got some exceptionally good groups for my 9mm after some experimenting with different loads; but I will NEVER be able to duplicate those boolit alloys again.
I used that same hodgepodge of WWs to cast 160 of the 150 grain 30 cal boolits that I planned on loading for my 30/30 today for whistle pigs and other assorted varmints. WHAT A DUMMY I AM! As I said I had NO IDEA that WWs had changed in any way over the years; it was only my natural curiosity that made me check out the Stickons because they are obviously so different in appearance.
I just got through "testing" the hardness of my mishmash boolits against some cast boolits that I purchased at Cliffs Reloading in Boise ID; a "VERY SCIENTIFIC TEST! lol"; I used a pair of sidecutters and both smushed them, and used the sidecutters to cut into them; the hardness of my mishmash boolits seems slightly softer than the cast boolits I purchased (due to the stickons I believe); but noway near as soft as some pure lead muzzleloader balls that I have on hand. Because of my "SCIENTIFIC TESTING" that I just did, I feel that this mishmash alloy I stumbled into will be safe to use; do you agree?
Now I kind of feel like the "mad scientist" that found a formula to turn me into a monster, but doesn't know the formula to make me normal again; calling myself "normal" could be debated by everyone that knows me. lol

If I have hijacked this thread I do apologise; but the information everyone is giving me really is important.

Regards and thanks to all;
Ken

462
06-17-2009, 12:55 PM
woodsman1st,

You don't say if your .30-30 boolits are gas checked or have a plain base. If gas checked, you shouldn't have any worries. If plain base, the worse case is that you will get some leading.

If your 9 mm didn't lead, use your remaining ingots to cast for it, and start your sorting and smelting anew, now that you know how to seperate your weights.

woodsman1st
06-17-2009, 01:12 PM
462;
Sorry about the ommision; they are gas chack boolits.
Ken

skeet1
06-17-2009, 01:45 PM
I just took the advice of 462. He said that you should go by and take some dougnut or sodas to the manager that gives you some wheel weights. Two days ago I went to a local tire store that I had gone to before without sucess and asked again this time the manager told me that they were suposed to send them to a battery manufacture but still gave me about 1 1/2 buckets of weights.

After reading 462's post about how to say thanks I went to a dougnut shop and bought a dozen dougnuts. When I went to the tire store and delivered the dougnuts and said thanks, the manager told me to call once a month and I could have more WW. He was very surprised about the dougnuts. This works.

Skeet1

captaint
06-17-2009, 02:21 PM
Some very good advice here. I only see maybe one thing omitted. SMILE - BE HAPPY. People like happy people. Trust me, I spent a lot of years in sales. Best advice I ever got.
SMILE!!!! Enjoy Mike

inuhbad
06-17-2009, 03:17 PM
Edd;
I am extremely impressed with your detailed answers; and the way you seperated each question with your answers had to take some thought and time. An exceptional reply!

Apparently then zinc does not stand out in appearance from lead; either in color; or being brighter or shinier; is that correct? And it would seem from your answer that zinc has a melting tiemp close to lead; is that also correct?
Is it your opinion that I could use the "stickons" to cast for my muzzle loader then; and could the "stickons" be used to slug the bore on a couple of my firearms that I have a question about?

Again I thank you for your detailed answer...best I have ever seen in any forum!

Ken

Woodsman, check out this thread - it should help answer MOST if not ALL of your questions about Zinc & Steel wheel weights, how to identify them & sort them out, etc...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=40765

I'm relatively new to casting too, and this thread has helped me immensely!!!

I highly recommend the 'wire cutter' / 'pliers' method of checking your wheel weights BEFORE puting them in the pot and smelting!!!

Zinc has a melting point around 750 or so... Lead can melt at a lower heat, but there still have been some reports of zinc melting & harming an alloy because some heat sources are difficult to control accurately (such as bonfires or some propane burners)... As such, I recommend the pliers/cutter method of checking each one, and THEN smelting a bunch of clips and scooping out the 'floaters'.

This will give you MUCH more confidence in your sorting & removal of Zinc & Steel wheel weights!

Welcome to Casting & Good Luck! :drinks:

vanilla_gorilla
06-18-2009, 02:59 AM
threats to call the cops?????

That only happened once. [smilie=1:

WILCO
06-18-2009, 03:24 AM
[QUOTE=captaint;593289] SMILE - BE HAPPY. People like happy people. /QUOTE]

Yep. I was never inclined to do business with a cranky bastard who sneared at me with green teeth...... :coffeecom

windrider919
06-18-2009, 04:04 AM
I have had good luck collecting WW up until recently. Some recycling company is going around making contracts with all the shops to take their unusable WW. Severl people on this thread said to go ahead and tell what you were going to use the WW for. The problem I had with that here is that I frequently got the response "Oh, we couldn't have anything to do with guns. You might cause us some bad publicity if you make bullets anf they found out the lead came from here." Everybodys afraid of the lawyers today. Only in a couple of shops were the workers interested in bullet casting and hence friendly. However, I am still getting WW for $10.00 a 3/4 to full 5 gal bucket by telling them I am collecting lead for a sailboat keel. Since I am on the Gulf Coast and boats are being built here it seems reasonable and they feel comfortable. Actually a friend is building a 52' schooner and will have a 3000lb keel, I just talk about his boat if asked details. I just don't say his keel will be cast iron either!

woodsman1st
06-18-2009, 09:35 AM
Now that I have the Stickons seperated from the WWs I want to melt them down for the "pure" lead that they contain. I was surprised at the amount of stickons that were in my wheel weights; I had 160 pounds of WWs total and got 58 pounds of lead stickons. My supplier works on a lot of big rigs; did I get a high percentage of stickons, or is that amount normal? I used a magnet and side cutters and checked every single piece.

I use a Lee's cheapie furnace without a thermostat, the Precision Melter; is there anyway to get ALL, or most of, the WW lead out of my furnace so that I can melt the Stickons and obtain the "pure" lead available? How much of the WWs can be left in the furnace without contaminating the pure lead too much? Or should I just buy another furnace (that I really can't afford) and keep it exclusivly for the "pure" lead from the stickons?

One thing I am still not clear on is how to tell if any of my WWs are zinc or not. I used the side cutters and any difficult WWs were put aside; every one of those difficult to cut WWs also happened to be attracted to my magnet. Does a magnet work on zinc; is it ferrous or non-ferrous? I remember the suggestion that zinc will float to the top once the WWs have turned mushy and almost melted; is that the best way to tell if I have zinc in my furnace?

I printed most of the advice that was given on this thread; and saved every link that was suggested. I take my casting and reloading seriously; so my thanks once more to all who gave advice. I am still amazed at the response and the knowledge that was so freely given.

Ken

462
06-18-2009, 10:04 AM
woodsman1st,

The weights that are attracted to your magnet are steel, most of them will be marked Fe. Zinc is a non-ferrous metal and weights made of it are usually marked Zn. Zinc clip-on weights, most of the time, will have the clip riveted to the weight (look at the back). Zinc stick-on weights, generally, are rectangular in shape whereas lead weights will be more square.

woodsman1st
06-18-2009, 10:40 AM
Thanks for the answer 462
Ken

briang
06-18-2009, 10:55 AM
Zinc weights will be larger in size than the same weight lead weight. The wheel weights will have their weight in ounces stamped on them.

sheepdog
06-18-2009, 11:26 AM
I made my own 30 pound homemade bullet trap out of rubber mulch and boxes. 100% lead recovery sure makes it easier on my lead stash. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=593745#post593745

SciFiJim
06-18-2009, 03:40 PM
I use a Lee's cheapie furnace without a thermostat, the Precision Melter; is there anyway to get ALL, or most of, the WW lead out of my furnace so that I can melt the Stickons and obtain the "pure" lead available?

You really, really, REALLY don't want to melt down stick on weights in your Lee furnace. The tape residue will smoke a LOT more than clip ons and leave a black smear on your furnace. Check out the local thrift store in your area and look for a 3 or 4 quart stainless saucepan. I got one for $2. If you have a side burner on a gas grill, this will work for melting down those stick on weights. A wood fire with the pot supported by bricks will work also.

woodsman1st
06-18-2009, 05:21 PM
SciFiJim;

I got a pretty good chuckle at how you emphasized your advice on not using my furnace to melt the stick-ons; I really, really, REALLY did. lol
And I will take your advice; and I appreciate your advice. This is the kind of advice that I would be a fool to ignore. What do you think about my using my old Coleman 2 burner stove outside to melt the stick-ons? It sounds like I better stay away from low hanging limbs on my trees when I do this; unless I want the leaves falling off.

Thanks for the advice SciFiJim
Ken

SciFiJim
06-18-2009, 05:57 PM
The Coleman stove will work great. A lot of casters have gotten their start with that arrangement.

fallout4x4
06-18-2009, 11:28 PM
I still use a coleman stove after melting a thousand pounds.

Oakvillian
06-19-2009, 12:19 AM
Drifting back to the original topic of finding sources for lead. Today while having a set of new tires put on my trailer at the store I have dealt with for ten years now, I was told that they had no more lead weights because of EPA regulations. Rats. Does any one out there know of other sources for usable lead?
KW

windrider919
06-19-2009, 12:18 PM
Oakvillian - I was told the same thing at Wallyworld tire service center. So I investigated it and found NO such law. What I did find was a major recycler in the area had signed exclusive contracts to take all their old unusable weights. The shop guys were told that there was a law requiring proper disposal. I actually called Washington DC to the EPA and asked. I was told that such laws had ben proposed but none were in effect. There has been a law proposed in Kalifornia to ban lead weights prevent lead poisening along roads. Of course anyone who knows anything about lead knows that it does not 'leach' and contaminate surroundings. Its just more junk science to scare people who don't know better.

Oakvillian
06-20-2009, 12:25 AM
Today I went to the "big city", Olympia, for a doctors appoint. So that the day would not be a total loss, I went to as many tire shops as I could find. At the first one, I bought about forty pounds of only lead WWs for twenty dollars. He told me that a five gallon bucket of unsorted goes for $100. I can by already smelted ingots from the guy on Ebay for that price or less. I was not very hopeful after parting with my twenty, but pressed on just the same. Les Schwab is the chain that I refered to in my last post. I hoped the Olympia store might have a different policy, no such luck. Many of the chain stores I approached today told me that they have a contract with a recycler or with Interstate Battery and that they could not give me any WWs. I did find a few managers who were glad to [B]give[B] me their stock of used weights. I am guessing, but I think that I brought home atleast two hundred pounds of weights. I tried to follow the advice I found here and had a pleasant day while running errands and scoreing lead for boolits. I always prefer to talk to people in person rather than over the phone. It is always more difficult for some one to say no to you when you are looking them in the eye. Everyone I approached today was interested in what I wanted to do with the WWs. When I said that I wanted to cast boolits(why are we spelling it that way) they were even more interested. I am very excited about this project and that seems to have a positive effect on those I talked to today. Even those who were not able to give me WWs did talk with me about it and then offer suggestions as to where I might be more successful. I do plan to take donuts to a couple of shops that were very generous.:-D

45nut
06-21-2009, 12:36 AM
When I said that I wanted to cast boolits(why are we spelling it that way) they were even more interested.
See my signature. And welcome aboard!

jdgabbard
06-22-2009, 03:12 AM
You know you guys show up on work cloths, looking like you've been out rough necking all day... But when I tried that I got zero results.

What I do is show up in a pair of jeans, a decent shirt and veteran's hat. I walk up with a 12-pack of beer, set it down just outside the bay door and then ask what they do with them, and if they'd sell me some. Been working good enough

Oakvillian
06-23-2009, 12:06 AM
45nut thanks for the info. It all makes sense now that I see that you are from Orygun.

evan price
08-27-2009, 05:16 AM
I've worked as a tire tech. If you call on the phone, it's easier to say no than say yes.
Show up in person, and the best time is when the shop isn't busy- like right when they open, or right at closing- and you might talk to somebody who can help you out.
I've had one shop that I walked in and asked, the mechanic told me to ask the manager. I asked the manager and was told they don't save WW, they go in the dumpster, and I was welcome to have whatever I could find. Since I had seen a 3-gallon plumb full under the balancer, I headed over that way- and the mechanic started screaming at me and picked up a big wrench and told me to get the he** out of the shop before he called the cops.
Obviously, he was saving them for himself.


Anyway, if someone asks what I do with the lead, I always say fishing weights. I make a couple for a friend (he brings me his lead, but that's beside the point). He nets for fish off of the UP. I take a soda can, cut it in half, pour it full of lead, then stick a 1/4" eye bolt in the middle and let it harden. about 4# or so.

So when they ask, that's what I describe. I've had people come out and say that's good, at least I'm not making bullets (they hate guns) several times.

If they give me lead, I feel better about taking it from folks like that.

Places under contract, if you go in there for other work (especially if you have one of those lifetime tire balance & rotation warrantees) you can often slip the tire tech a $5 or $10 to let him look the other way while you dump the lead buckets into your bucket. Just make sure the manager isn't watching. Works for me at two places that are usually 100% against selling lead.

Fugowii
08-27-2009, 03:53 PM
This is a depressing thread. I have to pay $30/bucket. I get very little for free.

zxcvbob
08-27-2009, 07:48 PM
I stopped by the scrap metals dealer today to buy some lead pipe. (I bought WW's from him 6 months ago and they were crap. *Way* too many iron and zinc weights) He asked how much I wanted and I said "that depends on the price. Probably a couple o' hundred pounds" He said 85¢ a pound. :shock: That's over double what it was last time I was there. I said "no thanks" and left. (I'll go to the pistol range and get 20 or 30 pounds for free)

Has scrap lead gone up that much in price lately?

outdoorfan
08-27-2009, 09:03 PM
It all depends. I'm also in Minnesota, and I just scored on a great deal with a good quantity of lead. Some guys give ya a good price; others just wanna gouge you.

45Spades
08-29-2009, 07:52 AM
I went to the local service stations and offered 0.25/# and I got 3 out of 4 takers. 1 refuses payment. And it does help to have your on bucket. The reason for the 1 turn down is because they reuse the wheel weights.

My dad is retired and I have him hitting these places on a regular basis. I also have him looking in nearby towns.

But the basic approach is wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt or dirty work clothes. My town and the area towns are small. So they like the idea of casting sinkers and bullets. It may help to try the small town service stations and tire stores. Wal-Mart turned me down.

It helps to take something by for lunch or snacks. It may help you get a phone call rather than someone else getting them before you.

TNshawn
09-23-2009, 03:35 PM
I am new at this but I have a little advise for anyone who is hesitant in asking for WW, just go ask and do not wait. I kept making excuses for not stopping by a local tire shop to ask about their lead. Finally I had my Dad go by and ask since he knew the owner better. Well I got a call from my Dad this afternoon asking if I was home and said he would be right over. Pulled into my driveway and in the back of his Jeep he had a 5 gal bucket full. I smiled and thank him for getting it, then he said well you missed getting more. I asked what he meant and he said the shop had 2 more 5 gal buckets of WW that they just threw away last week. :groner: So I learned a valuable lesson, don't wait, worse that can happen is they will say no.