Wheel weights for casting bullets

[TexMex247]

I have been hoarding a few five gallon buckets of wheel weights over the last decade or so. I had slowly gathered them while working at various automotive shops. I still plan on doing a decent sort just to give someone a good value when I sell or trade them. Anyhow, I've had people pop up over the years with various offers but figure now is as good a time as any to get rid of them.

The only hiccup is...I'm not sure what they're really worth. I've had offers for 25c per pound which seemed a little low and I've seen listings through scrap metal vendors at over $1/lb for sorted ones. So my question is, to anyone out there casting, what's a fair price?

I'm in the Austin area and also wouldn't mind trading for some finished cast bullets. Right now, I'm guessing I have over 100 lbs but like I said I haven't sorted them all yet.

 

[xdmikey]

Wen I got into casting I bought ingots off of castboolits.com since I wasn't sure how to source the lead and refine the lead. Also I understand the refining of the metals is the most hazardous.

Most wheel weights are made of zinc IIRC.

I keep telling myself I'm going to get a set of pencils to check the hardness of my ingots but it never happens! I don't believe it to be an issue any more since I've gotten better at powder coating.

 

[Moonpie]

Most modern wheelweights are zinc and are unusable for casting.
You’ll have to sort them.

 

[xdmikey]

Thanks for posting. They have no value at all, for casting? I guess my son-in-law working at Discount Tire has no value, aside from taking care of my daughter then.

 

[TexMex247]

Most of mine were collected about a decade ago and have been mostly confirmed lead. They have some obvious casting and density differences but I have wondered if the zinc alloy has any value? Anyhow, the sort will get done soon but I'm confident there's a lot of lead in those buckets.

 

[Rhino]

Whatever they are, I've shot them out of my black powder replica...

 

[Chips n Salsa]

If MailMan was still around, I know he would have a lot of insight on this question. But I haven't seen him post in months?

 

[Moonpie]

The lead wheelweights are worth a little bit.
The zinc weights are useless except to scrap yards. They not gonna mess with small amounts tho.

 

[iMac]

The last WW I got refinished a tire company earlier this year were like 40 percent lead and the rest Stella and zinc. I haven’t gone back for more.
But I got 130 lbs of wheel weights last year from a rural tire company that works on a lot of tractors and it was 110 lbs of lead wheel weights.
The ones you have from 10 years ago are probably really good. The recent ones not as much.
I sort with side cutters and you have to handle each and every wheel weight.
If you can cut the wheel weight it is lead. If not, it is steel or zinc.
Price for wheel weight ingots that are ready for casting go for about $1.00 a lb on Cast Boolits.
If you have all of the zinc and steel and trash sorted out you can probably get 50 cents a lb. most people will only mess with smelting wheel weight if they get them for free or really cheap.
Otherwise they will just pay for some that are already in ingots.

 

[TexMex247]

Thanks for the insight. That's the info I was hoping for.

 

[Ozzman]

To the OP.

Wheel weights alone are worth around $1 to $1.25 per pound since they have to be cleaned.

IMO, If you have the ability to melt them down, screen out the steel and zinc, and form them into lead ingots they are much more valuable. You are looking at around $3 per pound (haggle the price of $2 per pound) depending on who is buying.

Zinc weights are not entirely worthless either.
A few years ago I successfully cast 140 grain .358 bullets for use in my .357's and .38 special using a Lyman 200 grain bullet mold. You can try and sell these at $0.50 per pound (as-is) and you may get a few bites. If no takers, then drop them off at the scrap yard for pennies on the pound.

 

[Ozzman]

Also I understand the refining of the metals is the most hazardous.

If done properly, the hazards can easily be minimized.
Make sure when the wheel weights are being melted that it is done outside because there will be a lot of smoke from the burning oil from the vehicles. Get the lead temperature up to around 650 (a few degrees over the melting point 630 degrees), and skim off the dirt, steel, zinc, and carbon. Lead fumes only begin to form after 900 degrees so you should be safe at such relatively low temperatures.

I keep telling myself I'm going to get a set of pencils to check the hardness of my ingots but it never happens! I don't believe it to be an issue any more since I've gotten better at powder coating.

Agree, hardness kits are pricey, a PITA to read, and only needed for BP loads or high-velocity rifle loads. Powder coating has saved many of us reloaders' time when it comes to groove leading.

 

[sergeant69]

DON'T sort WW. just melt the whole mess together, skim off the dross which will include anything NOT lead. i mean you have to anyways, to get the WW clips etc out unless they are stick ons. i melted probably 150 lbs of WW 3 days ago and the pile of crap is about equal to the ingots. way it goes with WW.

 

[iMac]

You can do that if you control the temperature. Lead melts at 621 F.
Zinc melts at 786 F.
But if your smelt gets hot enough to melt the zinc you have an oatmeal mush that you just as well trash.