Dealing with zinc wheel weights

[Shuz]

I recently obtained a 5 gal. freebie bucket of wheel weights from a foreign car dealership. I noticed a quantity, perhaps 10%, "looked like they might be zinc". I kept my smelting temp on the low side, and sure enuf, a large portion of the flat stick-on types kept floating on top of the melt. (after the adhesive had burned off and fouled my airspace! ) I wish I could report on the actual smelting temp, but my thermometer does not have a fixture that would allow me to clamp it to the pot, etc. I also found several clip-on weights that would not melt, and a few were even stamped "zn" in a corner. The lesson I learned was that keeping the melt temp "low", allowed the zinc weights to be skimmed off with the clips. Maybe, I'll build a fixture that will allow me to use my normal casting thermometer so I can see how "low"is! Hope this helps those who try and cull out the suspect weights visually, cause you won't see them all!

[monadnock#5]

I don't get too excited about smelting temp. My strategy is to stay right on top of the job until it's done. I start with a pot full of weights, and as soon as it liquefies, add more until I have a full pot. Once the contents are liquid, anything floating on top is quickly discarded. At that point I heat the melt up some more and flux. The zinc weights never get up to melting temperature. Smelting is one of those jobs that gets my full, undivided attention.

Ken

[Lloyd Smale]

same method i use and toss anything that is even suspicious its not worth contaminating everything over a couple stick on pure lead wws.
I don't get too excited about smelting temp. My strategy is to stay right on top of the job until it's done. I start with a pot full of weights, and as soon as it liquefies, add more until I have a full pot. Once the contents are liquid, anything floating on top is quickly discarded. At that point I heat the melt up some more and flux. The zinc weights never get up to melting temperature. Smelting is one of those jobs that gets my full, undivided attention.

Ken

[Rick N Bama]

I don't get too excited about smelting temp. My strategy is to stay right on top of the job until it's done. I start with a pot full of weights, and as soon as it liquefies, add more until I have a full pot. Once the contents are liquid, anything floating on top is quickly discarded. At that point I heat the melt up some more and flux. The zinc weights never get up to melting temperature. Smelting is one of those jobs that gets my full, undivided attention.

Ken

This is the same thing I do. My WWs come from a private owned tire store that gets their weights from all makes of cars & trucks. Most of the buckets will have 1 or 2 Zinc weights with a scattering of steel(?) weights as well.

Rick

[stubert]

Same here, Keep the temp just bairley above melt point and skim everything off the top.

[WHITETAIL]

Yes Boys and Girls, We must be very carefull when we smelt lead. I am seeing more and more non lead weights.