How much to pay for WW

[dpunch]

Here in Wisconsin I have had a hard time getting wheel weights. What do you all think is a good price to pay per pound and come out ahead on buying them.

[WHITETAIL]

dpunch, Welcome to the forum!
As far as a solid answer I can't help you.
Call around and see what the junk yards are charging.
Let your fingers do the walking.[smilie=6:

[imashooter2]

As little as possible.

There are regular postings on this site of people selling various lead already smelted and in ingots for $1 a pound or less delivered. You can get the similar deals on eBay. WW are going to have about 25% loss by the time you subtract the clips and the non lead weights that are becoming more and more prevalent. Then add fuel to melt them...

From my point of view, if you're paying more than 50 cent a pound for raw ore, you would be better off buying mail order.

[Shiloh]

dpunch, Welcome to the forum!
As far as a solid answer I can't help you.
Call around and see what the junk yards are charging.
Let your fingers do the walking.[smilie=6:

Call around and see IF scrap yards are even selling them.

SHiloh

[Frozone]

What you feel they're worth. Same as anything you want to buy in a capitalistic economy.

They are going nuts on evilbay right now, People are paying more than a $1/pound for raw WW.
Looks like the californication of WW lead is having an effect.

[fredj338]

What you feel they're worth. Same as anything you want to buy in a capitalistic economy.

They are going nuts on evilbay right now, People are paying more than a $1/pound for raw WW.
Looks like the californication of WW lead is having an effect.
Yep. The place I used to pay $20/100# buckets is now selling to a guy for $60/100#. After you take out all the **** in the Kalif buckets (clips, steel, zinc, trash, etc) it's about 70% useable. Pretty close to $1/#. Much more than that, I am not casting when I can buy plinking bullets for a bit more w/ no work. I agree, pay what you think it is worth, but remember, the buckets are less & less lead wts so figure on that 70% return or even a bit less into your price.

[Echo]

I get most of my WW's from eBay, but have quit getting un-ingotized WW's. And I will pay a little bit over $1/lb delivered, but not much. No rendering , no prowling junkyards, no begging from the car dealers.
And, off topic a little, I won't buy ingotized type metal. No telling what they were before...

[fredj338]

I get most of my WW's from eBay, but have quit getting un-ingotized WW's. And I will pay a little bit over $1/lb delivered, but not much. No rendering , no prowling junkyards, no begging from the car dealers.
And, off topic a little, I won't buy ingotized type metal. No telling what they were before...
Same w/ ww in ingot form. You have no idea what you are buying either. You can melt zinc into ingots, but not so easy to get it into bullet form.

[fatelk]

I found a source for a few hundred pounds: raw WWs 35 cents/lb, or WW ingots 50 cents/lb. Sounds like a fair price nowadays?

[FISH4BUGS]

Go to every tire shop in a 10 mile radius. See the manager and ask him about the WW's and what they do with them. This works even better when you are needing a set of tires. No WW's? No tires....but be nice all the way!
Once you find someone that is willing to sell you the ww's (I pay a case of Harpoon Ale - about $28) for two 5 gal buckets of WW's. I have since changed that myself to one and a half cases for 2 - 5 gal buckets. I still feel that it is a deal, because they will save them for me, and they appreciate the beer.
Be nice. You would be surprised how many people would do that for you. But above all, be nice and show your gratitude when you get the ww's. It may take some time to find a source but keep at it.
I now have 2500 lbs of ww's to smelt......worked for me.

[lwknight]

My last batch of WWs were 790 lbs and of that I got 580 pounds lead useable and 210 pounds of clips and zinc. So if that were an averge haul I would say that 75% is the actual value.
I still hold to the $0.65 per pound as max price to pay for WWs and as lead price goes up the WWs are less and less useable lead so the WW price stays down to me.

[mtgrs737]

I pay $25 a 5 gallon bucket for them here in Kansas, my buckets contain some scrap steel, valve stems, and trash but weigh more than I like to have to pick up. I do sort out the obvious trash but I don't get it all by a long shot. My source is always happy to see me come in to get them and will call if they think they are building up too much. They save the time and trouble of hauling them out to a 50 gallon barrel by the back property line and I sweep up the ones that they guys "miss" the bucket with when they try to toss them in. I also reward them with all my tire business!

[Rex]

A fellow at the Ogallala, Ne. gun show was trying to peddle them for .30 a pound last week. I have found more zinc weights than ever in my last few buckets so be careful. I sure would want to render my own to prevent zinc contamination. Raw wheel weights will yield what?? 85% perhaps? When I melt, I pinch each weight with a pair of side cutters to know what I have before it goes in the pot.
Rex

[fredj338]

A fellow at the Ogallala, Ne. gun show was trying to peddle them for .30 a pound last week. I have found more zinc weights than ever in my last few buckets so be careful. I sure would want to render my own to prevent zinc contamination. Raw wheel weights will yield what?? 85% perhaps? When I melt, I pinch each weight with a pair of side cutters to know what I have before it goes in the pot.
Rex
If you are smelting good clip-ons & stick-ons, 85% is about what I come away with. The problem lately is the buckets have more & more non lead ww, so I am down to about 65%-70% as of late. Range scrap runs about 88% recovery, including jacket scrap.

[mold maker]

2 Papa Johns Special Pizzas every couple months gets me all the WWs from a fair sized shop. I go every week to make sure no-one else tries to beat me to the half bucket of mixed WWs. They no longer throw valve stems and trash in the bucket.
By the way, I did buy a set of tires there last month.
My former tire supplier cut me off from WWs so I cut him off all together.

[fredj338]

2 Papa Johns Special Pizzas every couple months gets me all the WWs from a fair sized shop. I go every week to make sure no-one else tries to beat me to the half bucket of mixed WWs. They no longer throw valve stems and trash in the bucket.
By the way, I did buy a set of tires there last month.
My former tire supplier cut me off from WWs so I cut him off all together.
That just happened to me. I bought tires, the guy was happy fo r me to take the 3gal/110# buckets away for $20 per. Then after about 8m, another guy comes by & offers him $60 per. Considering the buckets are about 35% waste, I can almsot buy alloy for that price.

[daschnoz]

I just scored a 70# bucket of weights today. Total cost: $10 and a shiny new "Homer Bucket" from Home Depot.

I asked the owner what he got for a bucket of weights these days. His answer was :?: :?:. I handed him a $20. He looked at me like I was nuts, and he gave me a $10 back. I said 'ok'.

I'm set for a while. Now there is no need for me to go backstop diving this summer for more melting fodder.

I do have a question though, how do I tell the zinc from the lead??

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Side Cutters work on lead, not so much on zinc. Muriatic Acid reacts with zinc not lead. Zinc requires a higher temp, over 700, to melt and floats.

Sam :D

[daschnoz]

So, if I keep the pot temp down, and the weight floats, it's zinc - is that a correct statement?

[Muddy Creek Sam]

That is it.

Sam :D

[JesseCJC]

I wish there was a picture comparison of common zinc weights. I know that I should keep the temp down but it seems the majority of what I have is zinc and wanted to skim as little as possible.

I got a LOT that were painted and my old tin snips are dull and frankly am a bit confused as to what "side cutters" are :( I ended up assuming all that were pretty fresh looking and painted were zinc for the time being. none of them were marked ZN and obviously I am a complete noob

[Muddy Creek Sam]

Some call them Dikes or Crosscut pliers.

Sam :D

[sucngas]

I paid $40 for a bucket that weighed 180+ lbs. I also have found a local store that will sell me 100 lbs a month for $20. I have scored nearly as much free as I've paid for. And I just found out my wife's cousin owns a tire shop. Eat your hearts out. [smilie=w:

[daschnoz]

...And I just found out my wife's cousin owns a tire shop. Eat your hearts out. [smilie=w:

:takinWiz:











:kidding:

[462]

daschnoz,

An old vaccum tube symbol for an avatar? That's giving one or our ages away.

[daschnoz]

daschnoz,

An old vaccum tube symbol for an avatar? That's giving one or our ages away.

35

I'm one of the new tube heads. I play guitar. There's nothing like playing a gig through an amp you built and having the old sound guy's jaw drop over the tone. :)

[waksupi]

Floaters can also be pure lead. They melt at a higher temperature than alloys.

Welcome aboard!