Question About Using WW's to Cast Boolits

[40sandwfan]

Okay, here's the deal: A mechanic friend of mine gave me a 6 or 7 gallon bucket full of WW's which made me happier than heck! My question is this, How do you guys deal with the tape-weights? I have more than I can count and whenever I use the tape-weights they smoke like crazy and sometimes they wanna catch on fire. Does anyone else have this problem or do you even use the tape-weights??

[btroj]

This is why you smelt them outdoors. The clip on weights will stink too die to grease and oil on them. Smelting is a dirty, smelly job bit is beats dealing with the mess and all when casting.

[BoolitBill]

This is what I do. I separate the clip on WW from the stick on WWs as the stick on ones are a softer lead (close to pure). I then smelt each type using a turkey fryer and a cast iron pot to clean and flux the lead then pour into ingots and label the ingots so I know what type of lead I have. The clean ingots go into the casting pot. I may also alloy the ingots (such as a 50/50 mix of clip on with pure lead etc.) Most of the smoking and mess are during the smelting process and not the casting process. If you don't want to mess with smelting the stick on types you may be able to trade them for clip ons with someone here on the cast boolits site as muzzle loaders like the softer lead.

[prs]

Don't put either kind of weight directly into your casting pot. Render them out of doors and most folks seperate the Lead-tin-antimony clip ons weight from the more pure tape on type; but you can blend them and add a pinch of tin. Make ingots of the clean alloy and then cast boolits.

prs

[40sandwfan]

Don't put either kind of weight directly into your casting pot.

prs

I guess it's a little late for this. I have been putting them directly into the pot this whole time and I've been doing it for years. I haven't had any mishaps yet.
Does anyone know how to get the tape off the back of the tape-on weights? I'd like to find some way that'll work or another.

[btroj]

I think you have found the best way to remove the tape. Sadly, it is a stinking mess to do.
A solvent might work but it would be slow and probably a bit hazardous. I would get a smelting setup.

[mooman76]

I do separate them. I just put them in the pot but scrape the stick stuff that melts off right away to avoid what I can. Still a mess but it's about the easiest thing you can do.

[BoolitBill]

Next time you empty your casting pot try to clean it and get off the crude that accumulates. The tape is tenacious and the best way to remove it it to melt the lead and burn off the tape. Unfortunately this will smoke and stink. I usually wear a mask when I smelt to try not to inhale too much of the fumes but you won't avoid it completely. I try to smelt as much as I can at one session so I do not do it often.

[HeavyMetal]

No real easy way to remove the sticky from stick on weights. Let us remember these are designed to stay on a tire spinning at 70 MPH!

So something that you can spray on and have the tape just fall off isn't going to happen, at least not in a back yard recycling senario.

Best and easiest way to deal with these, besides just sending them to me, is "smelt" as a seperate operation outside and keep stick on and clip on's seperate.

Dirt, oil, tape and trash pretty much go up in smoke flux well and make ingots mark them permanently with a stamping tool and you'll have a clean neatly stacked supply of metal for your electric lead pot and it won't suffer from "clogging" because of the debris left in it from melting dirty WW in it.

[woodyubet]

Don't use them......send all tape on weights to me.

[40sandwfan]

HeavyMetal,
You make a lot of sense in what you said. I remember when I first started casting bullets I would have to stick something in the spout of my bottom-pour melting pot to keep it from clogging. As you mentioned, WW can be dirty, but if they're cleaned and smelted separately most of the dirt and clogging debris can be avoided!

[40sandwfan]

What are you going to give me in return woodyubet?

[woodyubet]

50% of what I cast. We's po folk down here in Mississippi.

[JJC]

Put the stickys in a coffee can with naptha. Soak for atleast 12 hours 24 is better pull them out and wipe off the glue. Come out nice and clean.

[40sandwfan]

What the hell is Naptha? I've never heard of that before? If it works, where can I get it at?

[40sandwfan]

woodyubet, what if what you cast is in a caliber that I can't use? Do I still get 50% of what you cast?

[chris in va]

Naptha, otherwise known as petroleum ether...probably available at Lowes, etc. Look in the paint section.

[Swindler1]

Naptha = lighter fluid

[40sandwfan]

Got'cha!!

[geargnasher]

When I "smelt" raw WW to make ingots, I separate the stickies from the clip-ons since they are usually two different alloys. For both, I use an iron pot and a turkey fryer burner and do it outside. I pour a cup of dirty/old diesel fuel (that is a by-product of my job) and light the diesel when I light the burner, that way I get a nice smokey flame going thoughout the mound of weights in the pot. This smoke contains lots of carbon soot and carbon monoxide which aids in reducing the surface oxides to pure metal and burns off all the flammable junk like sticky tape and paint, and adds a lot of heat to the pile of weights which speeds the melting process greatly. When it burns out I skim the clips/dirt/whatever off the top and pour my clean ingots.

If you live where you can't make a little black smoke outside without attracting the wrong kind of attention, then you'll have to use solvent to clean the sticky stuff off.

Gear

[40sandwfan]

Gear,
I was just shooting my wife's .38 in the back yard tonight and my Glock 23 without raising any eyebrows so I don't think any black smoke would bother anyone.

[geargnasher]

Well give what I do a try, you can use charcoal lighter fluid also to burn off the trash, reduce the oxides, and help add BTUs to the weights.

Gear

[fredj338]

HeavyMetal,
You make a lot of sense in what you said. I remember when I first started casting bullets I would have to stick something in the spout of my bottom-pour melting pot to keep it from clogging. As you mentioned, WW can be dirty, but if they're cleaned and smelted separately most of the dirt and clogging debris can be avoided!

Which is why most of us don't put anything but clean alloy into a BP casting pot. One reason the Lee pot gets a bad rap for leaking, guys smelt in them & empty them. Keep it at least half full all the time & use clean alloy, my two pots rarely drip much at all.

Well give what I do a try, you can use charcoal lighter fluid also to burn off the trash, reduce the oxides, and help add BTUs to the weights.
Mineral spirits works great for removing the gooo, but it's not cheap & it's kinda messy to work with. Just put them into a bucket, pour in the MS & wait about an hour, the stuff falls off. You want to dry them out well before smelting though.

[40sandwfan]

Now what is Mineral Spirits?

[lwknight]

Mineral spirits is a mild smelling solvent from most any paint supply.
It dries completely but not real fast.

[40sandwfan]

If it's bought at a paint supply place I'm assuming it would be to remove paint and might possibly be flammable, am I right? Just checking...

[woodyubet]

woodyubet, what if what you cast is in a caliber that I can't use? Do I still get 50% of what you cast?

What calibers do you use ? Yes you still get 50 %

[old turtle]

Most of the stick-on weights I have gotten are pure lead or close to it. I separate them out.

[badbob454]

put the stick on ww in a cast iron pan or pot and put in the middle of a small camp fire itll burn off most of the smoke and skim off the top when melted and cast into muffin tins or ingots , dont mess up your casting pot shoot stick ons in the black powder and s/guns slugs , and save clip ons ,to water quench, and shoot in magnum guns and rifles ..

[thegreatdane]

Well give what I do a try, you can use charcoal lighter fluid also to burn off the trash, reduce the oxides, and help add BTUs to the weights.

Gear

+1 for burning the nasty off. I don't user lighter fluid though. I flux it up and light the melted wax. No flame= disgusting stench. Wax flame = clean burn.

[geargnasher]

+1 for burning the nasty off. I don't user lighter fluid though. I flux it up and light the melted wax. No flame= disgusting stench. Wax flame = clean burn.

I was just making another suggestion. Not everyone has a 55-gallon barrel of old diesel lying around in the garage like I do to go get a half cupful from whenever a fire is needed, but lots of people have lighter fluid on hand. The burning diesel fuel really helps melt the weights down in the smelting pot, the propane burner heats the bottom and the burning diesel in the pot heats the weights in the top part.

Gear

[thegreatdane]

It's a good suggestion, Gear. I'll try it in a future smelting session. In my limited experience, lighting the wax has worked, but i'll give the lighter fluid a try.

Heating from above does seem to speed up the process quite a bit.

...good advice from all.

[44man]

Naptha = lighter fluid
Or Coleman fuel, Camp fuel at Wall Mart.
Keep the stick on weights for a muzzle loader and make boolits from the clip on weights.

[blackthorn]

Naptha, white=gas, lighter fluid----ALL very flamable AND quick to produce fumes all around the area! Diesel, used oil---not so much! The first group WILL give you a six foot flame IF you wait too long between pouring it on and lighting it off (too long is a VERY subjective time frame LOL). Have a great SAFE day!

[woodyubet]

I must be running my smelt to hot. I can remove all the steel and drop in a half inch of candle and the candle melts and spreads out then it catches fire all by it's self. I just don't thnk I could pour liquid fuel on a 650 degree liquid metal. My arms aren't near long enough.

[40sandwfan]

I think I'd be right there beside you woodyubet! Not too sure that I trust it completely. I may shave my head, but I like the hair on my face.

[woodyubet]

Yep the lead may stink when it's melting but when the candle goes in every body is happy with the smell.........Besides I can get candles at local junk shops for 25 cents each.

[44man]

I must be running my smelt to hot. I can remove all the steel and drop in a half inch of candle and the candle melts and spreads out then it catches fire all by it's self. I just don't thnk I could pour liquid fuel on a 650 degree liquid metal. My arms aren't near long enough.
Keep the smelt at 600* and the junk WW's will not melt. Too many of those zinc things going around.
NO liquid fuel on hot lead!
My wife found me a huge block of paraffin, must have weighed 15#, for $2. I keep my propane torch handy and when I toss in a chunk I just light it with the torch. I use a spoon with a long wood handle to stir the melt.

[2wheelDuke]

I let the heat take care of tape weight adhesive as well. The lead melts and leaves the adhesive on top as a messy, flaming dross. I just skim it off and blow it out.

[songdog53]

Personally i just put them in with rest of WW's and let them smoke and stink all they want, then flux and try to clean pot after i get thru. And you right about us poor folks down here.

[BAGTIC]

I separate out the stickies.

I have a 'split shot" sinker mold and the soft lead from the tape-ons works fine. As I don't have any other use for really soft lead the occassional stickies I find are just enough to keep my fishing tackle supply full.