Stick-on Wheel weights

[fastgun]

Over the last couple of years I have sorted out over 100 lbs. of stick on wheel weights. Can they be melted down? Will the Sticky tape burn off or can it be fluxed out? I would like to make use of the lead. Also are any of them made of the dreaded zinc?

[snaggdit]

Yes, Yes, and Yes. They will melt fine, the sticky burns off and can be skimmed off and some I have found lately are zinc or steel. If you can bend them by hand, they are lead. If you can't, they most probably are not.

[Dutch4122]

Most stick on wheelweights are very soft. Close enough to pure lead soft to be very useful for roundballs, etc; or to soften up wheelweights like 50/50 pure lead and wheelweight alloy. Seems to me like they have a fair amount of tin in them as well.

[blackthorn]

The thing I found with stick-on WW is that after they are melted there is a layer of soft black residue stuck to the bottom and sides of the cast pot I use for the initial melt! This residue covers the area completely to whatever depth the melted alloy fills and it is really hard to remove so I suggest that when melting stick-on's it is really important to use a pot dedicated to the initial melt and do not even think about melting them in your casting pot. I have two "initial melt" pots, one for clip-on and one for stick-on WWs.

[Bladebu1]

The thing I found with stick-on WW is that after they are melted there is a layer of soft black residue stuck to the bottom and sides of the cast pot I use for the initial melt! This residue covers the area completely to whatever depth the melted alloy fills and it is really hard to remove so I suggest that when melting stick-on's it is really important to use a pot dedicated to the initial melt and do not even think about melting them in your casting pot. I have two "initial melt" pots, one for clip-on and one for stick-on WWs. I do not have a cast iron pot I use a coffee can to melt them down ther frist time

[Old Ironsights]

Watch out for the all-polymer tape weights too. They bend, but are rubbery and stink like the blazes if you don't trash them before smelting.

[SciFiJim]

It helps when sorting to have a pair of dikes handy. The really soft lead marks very easily with them. The clip ons are a little harder. The zinc and steel weights are next to impossible to mark with out a great deal of force. You can also drag a weight on concrete like a pencil. Once you find a zinc or steel weight you will always know the difference.

[superior]

I use them for making softnoses. I melt one in a flat bottom ladle sitting on top of the melt. As the stick-on melts, the glue sticks to one side and I then roll out the pure lead into the mold cavity. Then I dip into the straight ww alloy and fill the rest of the cavity up. They come out super tough and mushroom nicely on game. I save my stick-ons just for that purpose. Otherwise I usually dont use them. Each section of stickon weighs 1/4 oz. and in a c312-185-1r boolit, makes the entire nose a sft point right up to the first driving band.

[BAGTIC]

The stick on WW smoke and stink BAD. I don't have a use for soft or pure lead bullets but I have a mould for split shot fishing weights that they work good in.

[Nobade]

I melted down a bunch yesterday. The tape does stink, but is easy to skim off. They make great muzzleloader and BPCR bullets, so I save them out special for that.

[Tom Herman]

I segregate the stick ons from the clip ons. The stickies are very soft, I treat them as pure lead even though they have a slight hardness to them.
There are also steel stick ons... If it floats and doesn't melt, skim it off!
I save the lead for alloying 50/50 with the clip ons later.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[timkelley]

+1 for Tom Herman.

[Sky King]

Has anyone added the stick on weights to linotype?
If so, what ratio do you use?

[Slow Elk 45/70]

As for the stick on WW that may be or have some zinc in them, some of them have ZN stamped into them, as far as melting them, the zinc melts at about 770*, so keep your melt around 650-740* and you should be fine, skim the surface of the melt and dispose of the scrap.

Good Luck.

[runfiverun]

2 parts stick-ons to 1 part lino makes a nice alloy.

[Sky King]

Thanks I'll try that mix. I've got about 200 lbs of both.