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Ive called all over town to try and get wheel weights, had a couple shops almost give me theirs but then the manager came out and pulled some BS about a 10k fine and a lisence required for hazmat scrap. I got some at a recycler but its a PITA to sort through it all and they were outside for a few years and rusty from all the clips.

Is this just a seattle thing or is it a real law? how can recyclers sell lead and tire shops cant? how would one aquire a lisence to get scrap? I think it might be worth it as it sounded like tire shops have to pay to get rid of their scrap?

and as far as scrap lead goes at a recycler i had to talk them down to get the stuff i did get, they wanted 1.60$ per lb of mixed steel zn and lead wheel weight scrap.

so does anybody know a good source within a reasonable distance of Seattle to get decent quality lead scrap?
 
Lead has to be disposed of just like any other hazardous material. As for the Tire Store Manager, trust me on this, they aren't hired on the basis of their IQ's. Many tire "chains" like the big one here in the NW as well as a few with National ties have recycling agreements with the wheel weight manufacturers. It's money back into their pockets so to speak and the home office weenies don't like the stores giving it away.

Wheel weights are going to be a poor source or bullet casting lead real soon. Lead free wheel weights are becoming the law and many weights in the waste buckets are not the same as the lead based weights of old.

If I were to cast bullets, I'd prefer to go to a range and "mine" the berm. A shovel, screen, and 5-gallon bucket and you get real lead, not lead substitutes like wheel weights are becoming.

Have you contacted any of the metal recycling companies listed in the Seattle Yellow Pages? Also, contact the public indoor ranges and if they won't sell you any, or let you haul any off, they might give you the name of those who do clean up their "traps". I know that Sam's used to have 55 gallon barrels of range lead in the back room at one time. That was back when they used bullet traps and before the "berm" was installed. Norpoint still uses traps on Bay 1 and 3 so their "cleanup guy" might be willing to sell a few buckets.
 
Scrap yards want 1.60 per lb, and eBay is about the same best I've gotten wws for is 30 cents an lb but it took me a few hours to sort out the zinc and iorn weights. .50$ is about the most I Wana pay for mixed dirty lead. I want to know hot to get this "permit" all the tire shops were talking about
 
Linotype has a brinnell hardness of about 20. Wheel weights might be around 12? Ideal for bullets is more like 16 or so, so I used to mix them 50/50. It's the other alloys that determine the hardness.

Lee sells a hardness tester. You can also harden lead by heat treating it, but you'd want to google how to do that.

I never found a good source other than ebay, except when I had a friend who worked at a tire shop.
 
As for dirt and rust and steel in the weights, I never had a problem with it. It's lighter than lead, and when fully melted, I just scooped off the "dross" from the pot.
 
Wrong site for scrap metal research. You wanted northwestmethusers.com
very helpfull......

I know all the dirt steel etc floats to the top, but with WW's i have to dig the zinc out and valve stems and other crap causes these black smoke cluds over my yard. alot of the places ive called simply don't sell, wont sell you lead or have no idea what your talking about. And tire shops want you to have some kind of permit, most said they would give them to me for free if i had one, what is the BS permit and how do i get one?
 
Never really heard of them stealing lead. Most other scrap metal, but lead?

They'll steal ANYTHING. All they do is look at the "Menu" at the recycling yards to see what they'll buy.

Some would steal the gold fillings out of your mouth if they caught you napping in public.

These idiots are so desperate that they even steel the copper wires from street and freeway lighting WHILE STILL CHARGED WITH ELECTRICITY.

This is one reason I'd like to see drugs handed out for free to users like these. All they want, for free, they only stipulation is that THEY have to use them. Pretty soon they'll poison themselves out of existence and won't have to steel everything they do to support their habit.
 
Rammit-

Tire Dealers are considered "Small Quantity Generators" when it comes to Lead from Wheel Weights. In WA, they have to follow these rules---

Small quantity generators are exempt from
most of the state and federal regulations.
To gain that exemption, they must stay
within the legal generation and accumulation limits AND they must:
• Determine if their waste is a dangerous
waste ("designation").
• Manage their waste in a way that does
not pose a threat to human health or the
environment.
• Treat or dispose of their waste:
- In a permitted or authorized on-site
facility;
- In a permitted or authorized off-site
facility;
- By sending to a legitimate recycler; or
- By sending to a county moderate risk
waste facility.

You need to start with a Washington State Business License with (UBI)

Then you get to add the Scrap Recycler permit(s) so you can become a bona-fide "recycler".

Anyone disposing of hazardous materials needs to be able to show where they did so. That's in the form of a "manifest" that shows you transferred it in an acceptable manner.

Some of us oldtimers can remember not only free wheel weights but also getting drain oil at the gas stations to use for dust control on driveways and dirt roads. Times have changed.
 
Rammit-


You need to start with a Washington State Business License with (UBI)

Then you get to add the Scrap Recycler permit(s) so you can become a bona-fide "recycler".
.

I bet their definition of "recycler" differs from mine. Damn well looks like that route is closes, Thank you for the info.
I got my last few buckets of wheel weights smelted down and looks like i missed a few Zincs, had a few partially ment before i could skim them out. I cast some slugs anyway, didnt have any problems with that minor zinc content. Here is my Idea of lead recycling;
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/842/45cast.jpg/

saeco 225 gr .45 round nose. all dropped at .452 and average about 234grains
 
ebay works, there is lot's of lead for sale.. type lead in the search line and poof.. you have it. remember flat rate shipping and a vendor/seller who has good feedback..
the P.O. will not like it much, just like shipping bullets..
you might look at Mastercast bullets.com and see how much is your time really worth..?
 
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