Wheel Weight Price?

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STIHL

Well-Known Member
What would you guys say average would be per pound of WW in a bucket from the tire man? I have a line on some and we are going to try to make a deal, but I don't want to overpay, figure the one bucket I picked up today had roughly 100-125 pounds in it. Saw a few zinc. it was about 1" from the top of being running out of the bucket.

I may try to buy it all and just pay him for what it cleans out in ingots.
 
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STIHL

Well-Known Member
What you think it be worth per pound, or for the bucket? It may have been closer to 150, it was bad heavy I picked it maybe 1 inch off the floor, and decided the bucket might not hold it. I figure worse case is 20-25% Zinc plus the metal.

Trying to get a price to offer him, I don't want to screw him as he is a friend, I also don't want to get screwed either. Just want a fair deal for us both.
 
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STIHL

Well-Known Member
That gives me a starting point anyway. Just have to see how he wants to do it. He has 7 buckets full so guess we see how it works out. I will go back and see him in a couple weeks wen I get back home and see if we work out a deal.

If we can come to the let me take it and separate it and see what’s good and what’s not, that will be my best bet I think. I’m after the stickies more so than the COWW I need some pure lead on hand for a couple projects.
 
Mitty38

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
I buy lead plumbing for a buck a pound from a local scrap yard. It's worth a bit more then that. He only comes up with about 5lbs a month, so does not pay him to mess with it. Works for me and him. Basically I trade my aluminum cans for it.
 
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Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
Would it make sense to just call a few scrap dealers and see what they pay per pound of WW? Just weigh the buckets as you get them and he gets the scrap value without having to take them to the yard himself. Then you can sort out the lead and take the rest to the scrap yard and be rid of the zinc, and steel weights. The remaining COWW can store until you have time to melt them down and pour ingots. He gets cash up front and is done with the mess. You sort at your convenience and sell off the junk for what you paid for it.
 
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STIHL

Well-Known Member
I can call one scrapper up north, lead is not a real big business around here. I’ve never seen anything lead related other than some plumbers lead and that stuff has been buried or gone to scrap long ago. It just isn’t anything if there ever was any Linotype in the newspaper office it probably wasn’t much. We have 1 scrap yard here, but it’s so junky I wouldn’t drive in there in fear of getting a hole in my tire, or ruining a tire.
Which that may make lead very cheap and I may be able to get it for a very decent price.
All the lead scrap you see here is old batteries and wheel weights.

Think I will call and check on it tomorrow, never hurts to ask.
 
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Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
The OP wrote: "What would you guys say average would be per pound of WW in a bucket from the tire man? ..."

WW= Wheel Weights and Wheel Weights are no longer predominately LEAD. So, what that REALLY means is a bucket that is predominately iron and zinc, which is NOT what we are seeking.

I wouldn't offer much, because that bucket represents a LOT of work for VERY little lead.
 
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Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
When's the next time you'll be up this way? I have quite a few 5-pound ingots of very carefully sorted SWW. Every single SWW was clipped with wire cutters and any that didn't feel right were tossed. Should be at least a couple hundred pounds. The newest weights are at least 15 years old. Make me an offer I can't refuse.

No don't want to ship it. What a PITA.
 
Bret4207

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
If I had to hunt up lead alloy and pay for it, (I never gave more than a box of doughnuts for any of mine, most was free), I would seriously consider just ordering from Roto-metals of someplace like that. 20 years ago it was different, but these days you get so much garbage in the mix it's a real crap shoot to pay for it.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Never bothered with WW's in all the years I've been casting. Detroit area tire dealers had contracts with individuals, already in place.

Being in the pipefitting/plumbing trade, I had access to pure lead and solder. Use to dig up old lead water lines that were free for the taking. After a job, I would pick up solder drippings off the floor..........melt them down to tablespoon sized ingots. Guestimated my own alloys............no such thing as an Alloy Calculator, back then. Internet didn't exist, either.
 
Winelover

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
Bret4207 said:
I would seriously consider just ordering from Roto-metals of someplace like that.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I've been doing lately. I purchase pure lead 5# ingots and 5# Lino ingots and combine in proportions of 3-1 for BHN approximating WW alloy. Use that for most of my shooting. Want softer, go to 4-1 ratio. Harder move up to 2-1 ratio.
 
CWLONGSHOT

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
I wont pay top $$ unless WW are in WW form. Or Lino is in Factory pigs. Or alloy is stamped by a known foundry.

Otherwise as much as I "trust" depends upon that individual. Also know your trusting whom they trusted if ingatized.

Only option would be having it tested before buy.

I agree 1$ -1.50 max per pound otherwise.

CW
 
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Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
Good, then if you pay your friend 25 cents a pound, sort out the lead and can still sell the remaining COWW for 25 cents a pound for the zinc and steel, you have been fair to both of you. Do not be surprised if the scrap buyer squeals if you pull out all the lead though. Iron weights are worth much less than lead or zinc. You will still need to melt and clean and pour into ingots. What is your time worth?
 
pcmacd

pcmacd

Member
Rick said:
When's the next time you'll be up this way? I have quite a few 5-pound ingots of very carefully sorted SWW. Every single SWW was clipped with wire cutters and any that didn't feel right were tossed. Should be at least a couple hundred pounds. The newest weights are at least 15 years old. Make me an offer I can't refuse.

No don't want to ship it. What a PITA.
Click to expand...
Where do you live?

You can ship it USPS Medium box for around $16, up to 70# or perhaps a bit more weight.
 
pcmacd

pcmacd

Member
Years ago I bought around 1600# of indoor range salvage. No sand or dirt, but plenty of shotgun wads and other crap.
  • For $0.10/lb (!)
I borrowed a 120# propane fired pot and turned it all into 6# ingots with around 7% loss from the dross and such.
  • lead recovered from traps is basically shattered with an enormous amount of surface area, so it oxidizes readily.

At the time I was shooting around #450 200 grain H&G 68 a week, and figured I had a ten year supply of lead.

Then a mechanic friend gave me several five gallon bucks of WW, and a friend who was moving gave me 1000# of WW 1# ingots.

Sold half of it before I left Commiefornia, but I still have around 700# of range salvage ingots, and perhaps 800# in ~1# wheel weight ingots.

I've found the straight up WW lead to be just fine for non-magnum handguns. It has enough tin in it so that the bullets don't readily tarnish, and it flows well into molds.

For the range salvage I use Foundry Type to add about 2% tin and 3% antimony to the mix. Makes nice, shiny, easy to cast and non-tarnishing bullets. I've got nearly 100# of Foundry Type from Mr. Greene, likely enough to last me around the 20 or so years I expect to be around.

~~~~~
I've got a Visual Basic program I wrote years ago as an exercise to learn the language, using formulae obtained under the tutelage of Arthur Greene, a Beverly Hills metallurgist with a couple of Master's degrees, who dealt in lead scrap lead and lead alloys, now deceased.

My program ALLOY:

Run a virus scan on the installer package before you install it if you like (I would!)
  • I used to write software @Hewlett-Packard for a living and would never screw around with somebody's computer.
~~~~~
If the forum managers would like to make the link to my software sticky, they should just do it.
  • It will be at Dropbox until long after I have passed.

I thought about selling this software years ago when I wrote it, but decided the time to support it just did not make it worthwhile.

It runs on every Windows version I have tried it on, even W10.

FYI: I wrote the software that has tested the antenna assembly on the last half dozen or ten GPS satellites that have launched.

---> THAT was COMPLICATED!

---> ALLOY was child's play to create.

pcmacd
 
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