Lee Loader

What is the story on stick-on wheel weights?
I'm watching some sales on ebay and wondering if I could melt those but I remember I read somewhere that there may be some issues but don't remember what they were.

I'm planning on using this for non-magnum, light pistol loads only (9mm, 38 sp)
Any thoughts, experiences?

I believe stick-on wheel weights are pretty much straight lead so at the very least a bit of tin would be beneficial or 50/50 with clip on WW's.

They're a crapshoot now. I had 40 pounds ruined by stick ons that looked legit. I only use clip ons now.

Flame suit on

I know that here in California the stick on wheel weights are and have been zinc. Sadly no more clip ons. I have heard that other states have followed suit. Thank you EPA.

Like Gas said it's a crap shoot. I find a lot of zinc.

Make smoke,

Lead WW's have been "outlawed" in Washington for a few years now so finding ANY lead weights is pretty much impossible. What you find (here) now is a combination of zinc, aluminum, or other non-usable alloy. I only have a couple hundred pounds of wheel weight ingots left along with about 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket I haven't melted down yet. I also try to "reclaim" most of what I've shot here at home. I've done very little casting the last couple years but am starting to run a bit low of the three main calibers I cast for (357,44, 45). I've pretty much come to the conclusion that when/if I have to start buying foundry lead alloy I'll stop casting altogether and just shoot plated, jacketed or commercial cast bullets. Cost wise I see little difference and without the "extra" work. I don't mind doing it but casting in itself (to me) is not necessarily a "fun" hobby anyway, just a means to an end.

All of the "stick on" (the type that uses tape or adhesive to mount) lead weights I have ever seen are almost pure lead. The others that I have seen are steel. If you keep your lead below 750ºf, the zinc weights won't melt. One way that I test stick ons is by giving them a twist with two pairs of pliers. I have not found any so far that haven't been soft lead.

Stick on weights that are not lead or steel are very common. They are usually covered in a thin plastic coating and are soft like lead so they pass the twist and cut tests.I threw some away yesterday in fact.

Last Saturday I melted down 50 pounds of tape weights. I didn't run into anything other than lead. All of the plastic coated ones that I have seen have been the steel weights. I think I will head to a tire shop and see if they have any of the zinc tape weights so I know what to look out for.

I used to live in Washington. It saddens me to see all of the idiot laws that they have enacted there. Don't think that I will go back other than to visit. Having conversed with quite a few sellers, none of them sell to Washington or California.

One place you might look, junk yards. I imagine there are plenty of lead wheel weights in older established junk yards.

I had a half a pound of this style of stick on weights.
I fired up my stove and as the pot warmed up, I placed a half ounce lead weight next to one of the half ounce plastic coated weights. They both melted at the same time. I dumped the rest of them in and then thought, I should get a picture of these so I dug these back out of the pot and snapped this shot. They all seemed to melt down as usual, I added in another half pound of lead stick on weights and then poured the one ingot. I had to stop at that point as a rain cloud was headed over. The ingot poured smooth, nice crisp, clean lines in the lettering.
Still need to head to the tire shop and see all of their weights and see if I can find some of these zinc ones so I know what to look for.