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What's the going rate for clean wheel weight lead ingots? Did a search and haven't been able to find anything.
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Going rate for lead?
- Thread starter ChargingCharlie
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At least a buck a pound, why?
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Just curious. Been keeping an eye out for deals so I can get some before the thing in May. I'll probably get wheel weights or other scrap, but thought I'd keep an eye out for clean lead too if the price is right.
Well, wheel weights come already alloyed pretty good for making bullets. It has antimony and tin added, the antimony making it possible to "harden" the bullets if you need to (water dropping).
Pure lead doesn't have any of that in it, and you would usually have to alloy the pure lead with other metals (primarily tin) to get it to work well for cast bullets.
The only bullets that you cast in pure lead are the black powder round balls, lead slugs for reloading shot shell slugs, and a couple of other specialty rounds.
So, you're always better off looking for and acquiring wheel weight lead. You should ask small tire shops, and offer to pay their going rate, typically something like $20 for a 5 gallon bucket worth. Some of the contents will be tire stems, ZINC weights, and steel weights. You'll have to sort through to pull out and keep the lead weights.
Pure lead doesn't have any of that in it, and you would usually have to alloy the pure lead with other metals (primarily tin) to get it to work well for cast bullets.
The only bullets that you cast in pure lead are the black powder round balls, lead slugs for reloading shot shell slugs, and a couple of other specialty rounds.
So, you're always better off looking for and acquiring wheel weight lead. You should ask small tire shops, and offer to pay their going rate, typically something like $20 for a 5 gallon bucket worth. Some of the contents will be tire stems, ZINC weights, and steel weights. You'll have to sort through to pull out and keep the lead weights.
Kitco.com has the spot prices for precious and base metals, but this isn't anywhere close to what you'll get for scrap, of course. Shop around for the best prices is all I can suggest. To acquire it, look into Firestone and such. Some shops will allow you to take some by chance. Muof the wheel weights are non-lead these days, of course.
http://www.kitcometals.com/
$1.1677 bid
http://www.kitcometals.com/
$1.1677 bid
Kitco.com has the spot prices for precious and base metals, but this isn't anywhere close to what you'll get for scrap, of course. Shop around for the best prices is all I can suggest. To acquire it, look into Firestone and such. Some shops will allow you to take some by chance. Muof the wheel weights are non-lead these days, of course.
http://www.kitcometals.com/
$1.1677 bid
http://www.kitcometals.com/
$1.1677 bid
I've asked at a bunch of tire and repair shops and find none willing to sell them. The chain stores ship their weights home to be recycled. One shop won't sell them unless they get a hazmat manifest for them. A bunch of the shops tell me there is a company that makes scuba weights (a politically correct cover story I suspect) that comes to them on a regular basis to buy what they have. I have one reasonable source for small quantities and one that at least has weights when I need them though the price and attitude varies.
I bought one of those extendable magnets that I keep in my vest pocket or windshield bag on my bike. I find weights all the time at intersections. I can scoop up a weight or 2 in a second without getting off the bike and stick it and the magnet back in my pocket before the horn behind me blows. I scooped nearly a pound at one stop sign off a highway ramp. I found 15 pounds this past riding season.
If you call a scrap yard they will usually quote the price that they are paying for a particular metal.
I bought one of those extendable magnets that I keep in my vest pocket or windshield bag on my bike. I find weights all the time at intersections. I can scoop up a weight or 2 in a second without getting off the bike and stick it and the magnet back in my pocket before the horn behind me blows. I scooped nearly a pound at one stop sign off a highway ramp. I found 15 pounds this past riding season.
If you call a scrap yard they will usually quote the price that they are paying for a particular metal.
There's been a long running thread over at castboolits.gunloads.com on the subject of getting lead from tire shops. Most of the guys who are successful at it indicate that they spend some time "nurturing" the relationships with the tire shops. They buy their tires there, get their oil changes there, etc. They stop in all the time for various thing, bringing donuts, etc. The more they nurture, the better deals they get. Last time I got a big score, I went in and offered to buy sub sandwiches for the whole crew. Scored a 55 gallon drum virtually full (two tons of weights = 4,000 pounds) for $200. I still have quite a few pounds of that load, so haven't had to look for a while now.
This afternoon, I am meeting a fellow over in Portland, and buying 600+ pounds of sailboat keel lead (yes, I know.... watch my toes!). That's on top of what I still have from last summer's big melt.
The point being that you always need to be on the look out for lead, in it's various forms. Old houses have lead plumbing. Perfect for pure lead. Old telephone lines in factories were typically covered in pure lead sheathing. We have lots of old factories here. Look for scuba diving weights at yard sales and flea markets. If they look home made, they are likely made from wheel weight lead.
Wheel weight alloy makes a ringing sound, while softer/more pure lead is just a thud.
Keep after the smaller tire shops, and REPAIR GARAGES. You'll score weights!!
This afternoon, I am meeting a fellow over in Portland, and buying 600+ pounds of sailboat keel lead (yes, I know.... watch my toes!). That's on top of what I still have from last summer's big melt.
The point being that you always need to be on the look out for lead, in it's various forms. Old houses have lead plumbing. Perfect for pure lead. Old telephone lines in factories were typically covered in pure lead sheathing. We have lots of old factories here. Look for scuba diving weights at yard sales and flea markets. If they look home made, they are likely made from wheel weight lead.
Wheel weight alloy makes a ringing sound, while softer/more pure lead is just a thud.
Keep after the smaller tire shops, and REPAIR GARAGES. You'll score weights!!
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My schedule is way too hectic to try to suck up to local shops for deals. I'll definitely ask around, but if I can't get it somewhat easily I don't mind paying more for it as long as it doesn't become cost prohibitive. I have a buddy that works for a trucking company in the maintenance shop. I'll hit him up first and see if he can score me some.
Yeah, the nice thing about the BIG TRUCK weights is that they are big and heavy. 6-10 weights is a pound or so!
Dunkin Donut gift cards also work wonders with the tire guys.
Dunkin Donut gift cards also work wonders with the tire guys.
you need to just keep at it "GOT LEAD?"
I ask every tire shop/garage around for wheel weights. a big problem is a push by wheel weight manufactures to go non lead. At he moment lead wheel weights are a tad cheaper than non lead from our vendor. He says 2014 is the end of lead wheel weight sales in mass??????
Roofers,plumbers yard sales for older body building weights,scuba gear ect ect its out there.
Thing in my area is all the fishermen and casting net guys are out there ever day hitting all the shops or there are casters working in the shops.
scrap yard gives you "scrap metal pieces" for wheel weights but if you try to but them you get going rate on lead?????
its all a game and you get better as you play, I find beer and other tradable hobby goods work well. I found good amount of lead from a gent ekho used to build remote control boats(big fancy models) and used lead for ballast. Well he does not do that anymore and for all the older model paints brushes and other gear I had collecting dust we traded.
daha;lmost forgot.......trading goodies with new members also
I received some very big truck weights but they melted @ a very low temp and was told on castboolits there where mostly tin or babbitt ???? I tried to cast some 1oz slugs and it just did not work out? I mixed them with regular WWs
I ask every tire shop/garage around for wheel weights. a big problem is a push by wheel weight manufactures to go non lead. At he moment lead wheel weights are a tad cheaper than non lead from our vendor. He says 2014 is the end of lead wheel weight sales in mass??????
Roofers,plumbers yard sales for older body building weights,scuba gear ect ect its out there.
Thing in my area is all the fishermen and casting net guys are out there ever day hitting all the shops or there are casters working in the shops.
scrap yard gives you "scrap metal pieces" for wheel weights but if you try to but them you get going rate on lead?????
its all a game and you get better as you play, I find beer and other tradable hobby goods work well. I found good amount of lead from a gent ekho used to build remote control boats(big fancy models) and used lead for ballast. Well he does not do that anymore and for all the older model paints brushes and other gear I had collecting dust we traded.
daha;lmost forgot.......trading goodies with new members also
I received some very big truck weights but they melted @ a very low temp and was told on castboolits there where mostly tin or babbitt ???? I tried to cast some 1oz slugs and it just did not work out? I mixed them with regular WWs
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Anyone interested in the lead pulled out of our backstop? It is lead + jackets. Probably several hundred pounds, if it hasn't already been recycled. You'd have to pay it for us, though. If you are interested, send me a PM and I'll find out if it is still available.
I've got 45 lbs linotype and 300+ lbs of variety lead. Every now and then a door from one of our x-ray rooms needs to be replace and if I can get the door I can get maybe 50-75 pounds of sheet lead from it. I missed a couple tons of lead blocks from an x-ray room demo about 15-20 years ago. I'm hoping something like that comes around again. We've got a few old medical buildings I keep asking about. 22-25 pound blocks line each wall floor to ceiling...think of that next time you drop a keel on your foot Duke. You can chip a hole in wall and make off with enough for 2 maybe 3 of those big 50s.
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
Most of the hospitals and some clinics are using ISOTOPES to do treatments. Those isotopes come in LEAD containers. They discard the lead containers!!! I'm thinking of getting on the band wagon with the Maine hospitals, and getting in on some of that lead. Since you mentioned medical stuff, it reminded me.
