What do you do on a lazy Sunday afternoon

[lightman]

Hunting season is not here yet. Its cloudy and threatening to rain. I'm on call and can't go anyplace very far away. And I have cabin fever. What to do?

Why not sort wheel weights?

A few weeks ago I built a 2ftx4ftx8in box to put my wheel weights in, and posted pics about it, trying to organize the shop a little. Its been sitting there, calling to me. Ok, I decided to start sorting them, with plans to do some smelting later this winter or spring.

Well, I get a milk crate to sit on, a magnet, wire brush, a pair of side cutters, and a few buckets. Where to start, 600-800# of wheel weights can intimidate ya? I set a goal, pick out the junk and get a 5 gallon bucket of lead weights. I started by picking out the trash, the valve stems, tire stickers, just the junk that you find in a bucket of wheel weights. And I picked out the soww, the iron weights and the composite weights. The 2x4 box makes it easy to pick thru the pile. Finally started picking the lead weights. Part way thru, I cheated a little. Got up and grabbed a lawn chair, a beer and called a buddy to chat a little and stretch. Then back to work.

After a few hours I had a 5 gallon bucket sorted. Interesting enough, I had about 3 inches of soww weights in another bucket, about 2 inches of iron weights in another bucket, only a double handful of zinc, and I did not keep up with the trash. Overall, pretty happy with the ratio of lead to other stuff. Remember that I did start by culling what junk that I could see.

Did I say that I was bored? Lets hear about your sorting experiences. I was not worried about the iron or composite weights, only the zinkers. I use a large pot, about 400# capacity, and a large burner and don't have good control of the heat, so sorting is necessary. Lets hear about how you do it. If you see any holes in my method, feel free to say something.

[SciFiJim]

I do something similar. A quarter sheet of plywood on saw horses and a bucket to sit on. I pour about a half a bucket onto the table and sort into four buckets (CO, SO, zinc, everything else/trash). I am saving the zincers for an undetermined rainy day use. Even in California, I am still running at least half as usable lead. I am getting more steel weights than zinc.

[lightman]

That pile of weights came from several different stores, some more than 80 miles apart. I was pleased to have as much lead as I did. When I got the first 5 gallon bucket full of coww there was only a couple of inches of steel weights in another bucket, maybe 3 inches of soww in another and only a hand full of zinc weights. I also picked out all of the other stuff that I could see before I started grabbing the lead weights. Gives me hope that that ratio will continue or even improve. Man, I miss the day that you could just dump a bucket of weights in the pot and cast away without sorting them.

[triggerhappy243]

I dont know If the lady at the local recycler likes me or if I am just lucky. I bought 500# back in april and just getting to sort them now. NO ZINC so far. amd maybe 5-6 steel weights with what I have melted so far. . the shop help sorts it all with magnets so I think they weed out most all the steel. I did pay .65 cents a pound for it. Dont know if that is a good price considering no zinc and very little steel.

[1911KY]

I like to sort mine as I get them, back log of sorting would be a daunting task!

I use side-cutters and a magnet. I sort using 5 different buckets as well. Thru 3 buckets now and only have about 5 lbs of zinc. Have probably 40lbs of steel though. Going to try and nab another bucket today on my lunch break.

[merlin101]

I do something similar. A quarter sheet of plywood on saw horses and a bucket to sit on. I pour about a half a bucket onto the table and sort into four buckets (CO, SO, zinc, everything else/trash). I am saving the zincers for an undetermined rainy day use. Even in California, I am still running at least half as usable lead. I am getting more steel weights than zinc.

I do the same but have a bucket for steel. After smelting, the steel clips go in there too, you'd be surprised just how fast that builds up. I keep that with the 'drops' from metal projects and rusted and broken bolts and such then once a year or so take them in and sell it.

[lightman]

My year has been so busy that I'm hopelessly behind on sorting. I'll do a few at a time until I'm thru them. Sometimes a buddy drops by and we do a few while we visit and drink a beer. That makes the job go faster.

I sounds like all of us are getting a higher lead yield than average, maybe it will continue for a while longer!

[RogerDat]

I have a pretty good sized heavy throw rug, a flat tray that fits in my lap for sorting and three containers for scrap and one for lead. I set up a folding chair on the throw rug in the house and watch a movie, nipping with my side cutters. I keep the bucket I'm drawing from out in the garage and go out to fill the tray as it empties. Movie is over and I generally have gone through a bucket, or at least as much nipping as my hand likes to do.

Containers back to the garage, roll up carpet take it back to the garage.

[1911KY]

I have a pretty good sized heavy throw rug, a flat tray that fits in my lap for sorting and three containers for scrap and one for lead. I set up a folding chair on the throw rug in the house and watch a movie, nipping with my side cutters. I keep the bucket I'm drawing from out in the garage and go out to fill the tray as it empties. Movie is over and I generally have gone through a bucket, or at least as much nipping as my hand likes to do.

Containers back to the garage, roll up carpet take it back to the garage.

You must not be married or you have an awesome wife!!! My old lady would have a heart attack if brought that stuff in the house.

My last bucket had a higher percentage of steel than my other buckets but it was in a completely different area than the others.

I would love to have a 600-800 lb store to pull from though, having them and not having time to sort them is a problem I could deal with! Running all over town trying to get what you can, SUCKS!

[RogerDat]

You must not be married or you have an awesome wife!!! My old lady would have a heart attack if brought that stuff in the house.....

Well my wife is fairly tolerant, decent shot and a really good cook. Other than her not being rich I don't think I could ask for more in a wife. Ok not putting stuff "away" in weird locations I will never be able to find would be nice but she puts up with me so I can't complain too much.

I do vacuum after I'm done and make sure all the stuff is outside again. Maybe she is hoping that I mess up the carpet so it can be replaced

[lightman]

Mine is pretty tolerant too, but wheel weights in the house would be over the top for her. Sounds like yours is a keeper! I'm thinking your method might be adapted to the outdoors. Hum, wheels turning, gears grinding, ideas slowly developing.

Yeah 1911Ky, I had a good run last winter and spring. I just have not had time to sort them. I also came into that much cable sheathing during the same time. You may have seen some of my pics when I posted about smelting it.

[RogerDat]

I think she figures my current state is a vast improvement on where I was when she met me. Had large sheet of vinyl flooring down in the living room so my "projects" would not ruin the carpet. And the wall art consisted of cork board with blue prints,shop sketches and materials lists on it. No garage meant I did a lot of my stuff inside with the bigger saws and tools out in the shed. Good thing she met me after the motorcycle rebuild.... she might have just turned around and walked back out.

She does have a problem with the smell of melting tire weights, have to use some care where I melt those, and don't wash brass in the kitchen sink with citric acid unless she won't get back before I'm done and cleaned up.


I have to face it I'm a work in progress, no doubt I will be civilized eventually..... most likely..... good chance...... might happen

[lightman]

Good Luck with that, I'm not sure why mine keeps hanging around!

[gixer454]

I'll one up ya, mine helps me sort them. Oh yea, she also helps me pick up range brass and sorts those too. Good women are as hard to find as cheap lead!

[lightman]

Well Guys, I sorted weights until I had another bucket of lead today. This one went faster. Lots faster! Practice has caused me to get better at spotting the zinkers and I'm not cutting every weight now. The soww are about even with the iron weights and I'm still finding very little zinc. Down in one corner of the box I found several soww that are harder than most. There is a sticky about soww's and their alloy that was very helpful and these are about like coww. I'll get to the bottom of this pile of weights yet! Then I'll have more smelting pics!

[1911KY]

I especially despise the SOWWs that look like they have something in Arabic written on them, they are zinkers!

[lightman]

I've only found a few zinc soww in this batch. I sorted another bucket tonight after work. The iron weights went ahead of the soww, but not by much. Still very little zinc. May try to sort all the rest of this bunch tomorrow. Really getting the itch to smelt!

[lightman]

Ok, I finally finished sorting this batch of weights! A fiend dropped by and we had a few beers and finished up this batch of weights. I estimated this batch at 600-800#. We finished with seven 5 gallon buckets of lead weights level full, 3/4 bucket of steel weights, 1/2 bucket of soww and 1/8 bucket of zinc weights. I was really happy with the yield, the trash was less than I expected. I estimate about 1050# of weights with about maybe a 30% loss for clips and trash. I'll post smelting pics after hunting season is over. Have I ever said that sorting WW was a PITA?

[rr2241tx]

My smelting rig has pretty good temperature control, so I just pour the pot full of whatever is in the bucket and watch the thermometer. At about 750 degrees, I pull the lid and skim everything that is floating. When the galvanized bucket of floaters and dross gets full, it goes to the scrapper. I mix all my smelted "lead" to get a uniform batch then cast ingots that I test with pencils and label the box they're stored in with the date and hardness. Probably not the best way to do this but it works for me.