Wheel Weights

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  • Last Post 28 September 2010
Mike Mandaville posted this 16 July 2009

As of yesterday, the EPA has called for opinions regarding the outlawing of lead wheel weights throughout the entire United States, and those who would respond have been given until the end of this month in order to do so.  By the end of next month, the EPA will make its decision.  Make your voice heard.  Send an email to the EPA.

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JetMech posted this 16 July 2009

I went to the website, read thru the pile of garbage from the so-called reasearch that “assumed” 10% of all wheel weights fall off. Read some more so-called science, then posted my comment on the proposal.

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KenK posted this 16 July 2009

IMO,  a bunch of bullet casters complaining to the EPA about their source of cheap lead drying up will make them more likely to agree to the ban.

 

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JetMech posted this 16 July 2009

I agree. That's why I framed my opinion in reference to the fact that the studies cited were based on facts counter to my personal experience as a car owner and a person employed in the wheel and tire business for years (that's what I did before I got into aviation). I expressed the opinion that the risk, as stated in the study, was overblown and further regulation would be ineffective in reducing the pollutants we, as a nation produce, and that it would be a large waste of taxpayer money.

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hunterspistol posted this 16 July 2009

   Another good option is to call it to the attention of the NRA.

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KenK posted this 16 July 2009

hunterspistol wrote:    Another good option is to call it to the attention of the NRA.

Again, framing this as a gun issue will do more harm than good.

That's my opinion, I could be wrong.

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CB posted this 19 July 2009

Wheel Weights

Wheel weights made out of lead are being replaced by zinc and the sand weights. This has been discussed many times. Feel lucky if you have a source for ww and keep looking for new sources. As far as I know there is no cast bullet lobby to keep the industry from changing away from using lead ww. The industry has started the change without legislation. What we who rely on lead to make our bullets hope is that they don't outlaw lead bullets.

Stephen Perry

Angeles BR:fire

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OSOK posted this 31 August 2009

My local tire shop told me that they are switching to steel weights. Further, he informed me that the battery supplier who used to take his used lead weights no longer does. I of course, was happy to accept what he had on hand...

I hope this doesn't pass - its stupid of course, but look at our current administration. I don't think lead ww have a chance of survival.

I'll go now and do my part though.

OMG - ok, I go to epa.gov - no sweat.  See the issue flashing at the top - finally.  Look around for a way to comment - get a real run-around on the site  - totally rediculous.

So who's got a link to the proposal and comment section?  Maybe just finding the damned section and actually posting a comment will be such a rare occurance that we can actually have an impact... :fire

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JetMech posted this 01 September 2009

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#docketDetail?R=EPA-HQ-OPPT-2009-0467>http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#docketDetail?R=EPA-HQ-OPPT-2009-0467 This page shows the comment I made (D Johnson). I think it may be closed for comment, as I couldn't find were to submit another, but look around there.

BTW, I see almost no other comments submitted to the EPA against the proposal. People who want to bitch and complain, but do nothing else, deserve what they get.

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OSOK posted this 01 September 2009

Thanks - I'll give it another try. 

I see this was actually posted back in July... no wonder.

Wish I'd seen this earlier - could have rallied the troops on at least 4 boards.

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Dicko posted this 09 November 2009

Yes, a move against cast bullets can be expected eventually.   Already happened with lead shot, hasn't it ?   Here is South Africa we have an anti lead lobby making some noise.   I doubt if we shooters will come up on their radar, they will aim at scrap lead and sweep us up with other lead users.

 

 

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melchior posted this 28 August 2010

From posts I've seen on this board and Cast Boolits it appears to me that casting zinc alloys is feasible. Maybe we should all be looking into that?

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Clod Hopper posted this 28 August 2010

This is one reason I built a bullet catcher for my back yard range. It captures the lead for recycling plus makes a safe backstop. It is a simple plywood box filled with mulch made out of chopped up tires. This mulch is available at Lowe's. About $9 for about .6 cubic feet(I think). The box is one foot wide, 2.5 feet tall and three foot wide. It is on wheels, and so far the one foot side stops lead .30-30 loads, and pistol loads. Have not tried 200 grain CB's yet, the .44 magnum, or heavier loads. If it doesn't stop them, I can turn it narrow end on for those loads.

I would advise everyone to acquire all the wheel weights you can.

Wanna bet that ammunition is next? I didn't think so.

Dale M. Lock

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CB posted this 04 September 2010

I buy reclaimed range lead and alloy it to my needs. I gave up on WWs being a source of bullet materials a while ago.

Jerry

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Dicko posted this 04 September 2010

Range lead is of course the best source of alloy. If you can get it, that is. If wheelweights dry up, you will lose your biggest source (in the US). If wheelweights go, scrap lead will be the next target. Then, when everyone wants range lead, where will you get it ? Dicko

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CB posted this 04 September 2010

Dicko,

I don't have a lifetime supply of lead, but I have a rifle range on my property do that is a recycling source for me.

The counter balance weights for heavy equipment are pure lead and I have a few of those. I have tin and antimony onhand to alloy what I need.

Jerry

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bushranch posted this 04 September 2010

Stopped at my Friend's tire shop he showed me the bucket that contained a lot of steel weights. I took it anyway and hand sorted yesterday. By volume it was about 50 - 50 steel and normal. He advises in this part of Canada (British columbia) all new weights are steel. To date it was worth the hand sort.

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Duane Mellenbruch posted this 04 September 2010

Today I enjoyed the beautiful fall like weather in NE Kansas by smelting down several partial buckets of ww that a friend had obtained from a car dealership.  I was curious just how much the resulting casting alloy was affected by the steel and zinc weights.

133 pounds of raw weights which were later hand sorted and the resulting ingots were melted at a controled heat to avoid melting any zinc I may have missed.

80 pounds of clean ww ingots

25 pounds of steel clip on and stick on weights

13 pounds of zinc clip on and stick on weights

15 pounds of clips from the melt

Five or ten years ago I would have expected to get about an 80% recovery for melting down WW and casting them into useable ingots.  Today I see it as 60%.  Who knows how fast it will continue to decline or when it is just not practical to hand sort through so many pounds of steel or zinc weights looking for the odd lead weight.

There seems to be a great deal of variation across the country and I suspect a difference in the recovery from tire stores as well as dealerships.  But today, for this area, for a new car dealership, this is what I am seeing.  Be diligent in your search for casting alloy for the future needs.  Duane Mellenbruch  Topeka, KS

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JetMech posted this 05 September 2010

Out of curiosity, Duane, how many zinc weights did you get out of the melt because they passed the initial visual inspection?

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Duane Mellenbruch posted this 05 September 2010

I was pretty careful on the inspection and had a nice bench set up, outside at waist level.  I am finding a lot of the stick on weights to be segmented and not a ribbon of soft lead.  When in doubt, dump it in the zinc bucket.    But I did miss several steel weights that showed up in the melt.  If I missed any zinc weights, which I probably did, there was not enough to mess up the melt.  I really was not too concerned about the number of weights, just that if they floated, I pulled them out and tossed them in the pan with other dross and clips.  I just do not recall an “Ah-ha” moment when I discovered a zinc weight in the melt.  Duane

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mtgrs737 posted this 15 September 2010

I am finding more steel WW's these days, they look so much like the lead ones that it can be very hard to tell them apart. If you do suspect a steel weight, a magnet or close inpection may reveal the true material as often the steel weights are marked “FE” (however I do need my Glases on to see it clearly). The EPA like other Gov. agencies seems to have defacto law making abilities by making their “Rules” I don't believe they were elected by “the People".

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