5 gallon bucket of wheel weights

[CRA]

So I have a 5 gallon bucket that has only lead wheel weights. Any idea of how many pounds I'll get out of it?

[IraqVet1982]

I believe most get 120-150

[CRA]

Ok. Thanks. I'm going to smelt them this weekend. I ll repost with what I got out of it.

[bangerjim]

That question has been asked many many times. There is even a sticky covering it.

Do a search.

banger

[462]

"There is even a sticky covering it."

Been there for years, too.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Threw my left shoulder out trying to get a 3/4 full 5 gal. pail of weights out of my vehicle last week. OH WAIT! I`m old and decrepit on top of everything else wrong with me!Robert

[jm423]

Unless they are sorted into lead-base only, you'll get less than a few years ago due to zinc and steel weights being included. Some buckets I've scrounged up might go 20% non-lead. And gonna get worse, drat!

[jonp]

Forget the weight of a 5gal bucket of wheel weights. Did anyone hear about Doe Run?

[bangerjim]

Doe who?


[smilie=w:

[mrbill2]

Forget the weight of a 5gal bucket of wheel weights. Did anyone hear about Doe Run?
Yes, you can read all about it on the company web site. www.doerun.com

[Menner]

Last 5 Gal Bucket I got weighed 163lbs I have a salvage yard that saves WW for me and sorts out the Zinc and Steel for 50 cents a pound

[bangerjim]

God Bless you guys that mess with WW's! I quit that several years ago when Zn and Fe reared their ugly heads.

At my scrap yards, they have several 55 gallon barrels and big cardboard totes FULL of the darned things. Not worth my time or money when I can find CLEAN hardball and solder and lino for $1/#.

banger

[CRA]

Smelted about 2.5 gallons of all lead ww last night. I got 75lbs out of it and I left some in the pot to help with smelting next time. Hopefully I'll get to the rest soon but I have only one ingot mold so it takes forever.

[azjohn]

You need to get some cheap muffin tins.

[Foto Joe]

Put a pie tin with about a half inch of water in it on the floor. Once your ingot mold has "skinned" over simply lower it into the pie tin until it stops sizzling and then dump it out. It makes smelting with a single ingot mold a lot quicker but keep in mind that the water is not your friend around 650° molten lead, be very careful.

[Gtek]

May I kindly suggest a "newbie" keep water about twenty feet from any lead melting process.

[CRA]

I thought about cooling it with water, but one slip up could ruin a good time:veryconfu I'm on the look out for some cast iron muffin pans or those corn cob pans. There really isn't anything better than a friday night smelting!

[MaryB]

If you want 1 pound ingots go to WalMart and look in the section where they have all the kitchen gadgets and junk. They have these stainless steel condiment cups that make great molds.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/2013-07-01_16-39-39_358_zps860ebc5a.jpg

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd248/maryalanab/2013-07-23_02-45-30_845_zps56fee234.jpg

[CRA]

I've read that lead and stainless steel can be dangerous. Have you had any issues with those cups. The look perfect for the job

[RED333]

I smelt in a stainless pot, not had any issues.
We did a 5 gallon bucket and got 120 lbs of lead, these had been sorted before hand.

[Foto Joe]

What problems have you read about?

[500MAG]

Never had a problem with stainless. Maybe your thinking of aluminum.

[MaryB]

Never heard of issues with stainless and lead. The condiment cups work well as you can tell by the second picture. Occasionally get one that sticks but a couple whacks with the hickory wood hammer handle pop it out.

[Foto Joe]

I've seen those at China-Mart and thought that they might make good ingot molds myself. As far as sticking is concerned, I've got a can of FA release agent that came with my first pot that sits on the self collecting dust. Although I'd NEVER spray that stuff into a mold I'd hose down ingots molds in a heartbeat.

[h8dirt]

I use the same cups from Wally World -- I think they are called "condiment cups" and are made of stainless steel. About 3/4 of an inch short of full will make a 1# ingot. I have never had an issue with sticking. They work great and are a handy size and shape to use in my RCBS furnace.