Wheel weights

[Lugnutz]

Hey I scored a lil over a 5 gallon bucket of ww today :holysheep !!!! Not bad for a newbie huh? Hit 5 tire shops and struck lead at 2 of em. Got a few more tricks up my sleeve and one guy is sorting thru 3 boxes of ww to find the ones he can re-use, the rest I get!!!! :drinks:

Now what the heck am I gonna do with them? Actually I know the melt mold answer, but in what? 35 cal would be ok since I have a 357 Mag. A 41 would be sweet in something heavy like 265 or bigger for a special Encore project I have in mind.

[Buckshot]

"..................Now what the heck am I gonna do with them?"

Well you could buy a 30-30 or a 30-06 and a 311041 mould and prolly a .309" lube die and have at it. That is, if I understand the question correctly :-)

...............Buckshot

[Lugnutz]

You pretty much got it right Buckshot. I do have a 30-30 runnin around in the family. 2 357 Mags ( mine and my fathers ), a 356 Winnie in a Marlin levergun, and the Project Encore that I'm building in 358 Winnie Imp.

I was thinking that 358 would be good, but I'm not sure if I'd use them in the hunting rifles ( any suggestions about hunting rifles in a 35 and cast would be nice and welcome ) they would get a lot of use in the 357's tho.

But my other thought was looking at heavy 41's for Project Encore #2 356 Winnie blown out to 41 ( again not knowing much about cast and velocities and such ) and using casts in it.

Anyhow my buddy is gaurding my stock pile and we are keeping our eyes open for the deal of the century for componets to buld a smelter. I was considering hitting an appliance repair shop for a few ( 2 or 3 ) gas stove burners and valves. Or maybe a clearance shelf item at wally worlds like a burner from a gas grill.

[snowtigger]

You might get a turkey cooker from Wally world, or Sportsman's Whse, Cabela's, or even a yard sale.
Then, get a big cast iron pot from a Goodwill store ( heck, even new cast iron isn't expensive) , and start making them WW's into good stuff.
It sounds like you are new at this. I have a little experience and I don't know much compared to some of these other guys, but one word of advice. Do not, I repeat DO NOT ever add WW to a pot that is already molten. They often harbor hidden water
, and the results can be explosive!!!If you want to add to a partial pot, let it cool until it is solid. Any hidden water will cook off slowly as the WW heat up, no explosion.
Dropping wet lead into a hot pot can cause more excitement than most peope can stand. Personal experience tells me this.
Long sleeves(cotton), leather gloves, and face protection are essentials, in the event of the very rare steam explosion.
If you are careful, you won't have one, but it never hurts to be prepared.

[454PB]

I'll agree with snowtigger on adding wheelweights to the pot, if they are stored outside or someplace where they might retain moisture. However, I keep mine stored dry and indoors and routinely add them to a molten pot without any problems. Always wear eye, foot, and hand protection, and plan an escape route if something should go wrong. This also applies to actual casting, not just smelting.

[Lugnutz]

Ok guys thanks for the info. Woody I'm having probs with the PM here if you did not get my email addy it is wx_spotters@yahoo.com

If anyone sees Woody let him in on this post as he has something I want, or at least very interested in.

Thanks

[largecaliberman]

Ditto to what everyone said PLUS-----when smelting raw ore, give your better half, if any, shopping money and movies for the kids to keep them out of the house.

[Lugnutz]

Largecaliberman.... I'm casting to save a few bucks she can watch cable LOL

[44woody]

lugnutz you should have a set of 6 pictures on your email you will need to get a ladle and a ingot mould I am going to put in a big magnet to take out the ww clips with save these I have found out some scrap yards buy them $$$$or you can trade them for lead too. what ever you do keep your ww dry wet ww and moltant lead= explosion not good for you I am telling you this becouse I had one 3 days ago and I have been casting for a lot of years now and get a thermometer to keep track of your tempertures :castmine: 44Woody

[Lugnutz]

OH I scored again today. Another 5 gal bucket of lead. Man those big rig tires get some massive weights!!! I stopped at a truck stop and picked up some freebies. 2 weights came in at an impressive 12 3/4 oz. WOW!