Wheel Weights

[huntswithdogs]

I was sorting out some wheel weights awhile ago, getting out the ones that said ZINC and noticed some that were stamped (Fe).  Fe stands for iron. Surely these aren't Tungsten, right?


HWD


Oh, I've not tried melting any yet.

[Graybeard]

Tungsten is NOT iron and is very expensive. I doubt it would be used for wheel weights.

[huntswithdogs]

Whatever Fe stands for, it sticks to a magnet.


HWD

[Graybeard]

Fe is the chemical symbol for iron and yes iron and steel stick to magnets or vice versa.

[huntswithdogs]

We melted down this bunch of weights the other day. All of the stuff with Fe on it floated, so out it went!



HWD

[sirgknight]

Anything that isn't LEAD will float to the top of your melted lead and you can skim everything - iron, zinc, clips, trash, etc. - out very easily.  Iron and Zinc are becoming a bigger and bigger percentage of wheel weights these days.  I used to get just a few in a bucket full, but recently I've been getting a double hand full in a bucket.  The only bad thing about it is that if you are paying for the wheel weights you are paying for poundage that you can't reload.

[flintman]

 You guys be careful,watch out for razor blades in the ww's!!!

[skarke]

I'm gonna miss wheel weights.  They'll be banned, so I hear, after 2011.

Hardball in 200 lb sets of ingots or more in Texas go for about $1.09, 90c for 1K.  Still cheap, but not free.  You get 28 230 Grain RN 45s out of a pound, or .039c per shot.  That works out to $19.46 for a box of 500.  Basically, it's costing me with Wolf primers, 231, and hardball is 8c per shot.  Cheap fun.

[rawhidekid]

It used to be tire shops would give wheel weights away, now they are all recycling them.  I was lucky enough to find a tire shop that will sell them at the going cost of lead by weight.  Still beats cost of lead bars though Midway USA. IMO

[45454]

Hi rawhidekid  ,
A few months ago,I went to about 3-4 tire shops around Modesto,and Riverbank.
Les Schwab Tires couldn't/wouldn't sell me any wheel weights.
One in Riverbank gave them to me,as he knew the former customer that is a member here.
Big O Tires wouldn't sell.Neither would a dinky shop in Empire.
So,I did the next best;salvage yards.
Contacted the owner/co-owner by e-mail.The price was as good as it gets;$.50 lb.
Went down and bought around 50 lbs of lead.About 1 month later,bought some 110lbs of lead.
Mostly sheet lead.Got 2 ingots in the buy too.
Have some linotype from a 33lb bar I bought back in the 90s.
Supposed to be cooler today.In the mid 80s.Uh-huh !
Dial thermometer reads 103F !
I'll see how casting goes today.Hope to make a pile of 270gr SAA 45 Colt.
Saturday was a disaster.Gave up trying to mold bullets.Made round ingots instead.
Yesterday had to clean the Lee lead pot.
You have a good week.

[teamnelson]

I've been fortunate that the base auto hobby shops on island are all happy to give away any and all wheelweights. I've collected two 5gal paintbuckets full so far; figure half of that after sorting will be lead. I'm swimming in bullets at the moment, so I'm just melting ingots while I can, and storing them away for the future. If you've got access to a military base, drop by the hobby shop.

[45454]

Thanks.Another option. 
The only base I know of,is near Marysville.It's about 100-130 miles north of us.
Yes GB, the tungsten is rather expensive.
I have several 3/32" rods for when I was welding stainless,using a TIG setup.
Sure used quite a few rods over the years.

[rawhidekid]

Thanks for the ideas guys, I hadn't thought to try the base autohobby shop.  We must all get by as best we can.   Thanks again.