Getting range scrap out of shredded tires.

[skeettx]

watching

[ulav8r]

Having seen tires submerged in ditches, rivers, etc., I doubt the rubber will float in straight water.

[sgms18]

Well the whole floating rubber thing didn't work. I didn't try salt. Probably try the shop vac method next.

[Yogi]

Check out video by Matthewsndr96 on you-tube. uses vacuum to sort rubber/range scrap. I've also seen rubber tire shredded up float in salt water. It takes some time and effort,( a plastic kiddie pool comes to mind for something like this )and would recommend rinsing range scrap well and drying before smelting to remove any salt left in the scrap. Both ways are doable it just takes time to figure out what works for the range your doing.

[ulav8r]

Put about 2-3 gallons in a wash tub, shake for a minute, then vacuum the rubber off the top. Or use a shallower container at the range, shake and then rake of rubber from the top. Only take home the bottom layer for further processing.

[LabGuy]

Has anyone ever tried a nano bubbler with water. Seems like it might work. Put the bubbler in the bottom of a 5 gal bucket, add water, shovel in mixture, skim off rubber. I would test it if I had access to some range scrap.

[sgms18]

What's a nano bubbler?

[Huskerguy]

I have a little bit of the same need. I can access all the range lead I want but it is very dirty. There is paper from targets and rubber from belting we use to keep bullets from bouncing back off the metal backstop. I don't have the amount of rubber you do though.

It creates a lot of smoke to burn off and I use a fan just over the pot.

We have a trash recycling center that runs everything down a conveyor and a giant fan blows the light stuff off. Could a guy make a narrow chute to run the mix down and have a fan directed through another chute that blows the lighter pieces into a bucket or tub. You could use a rake or something smaller to pull the material into the chute in a controlled manner.

When I get some time I am going to try this on my stuff. Mine has lots of dust and very small particles so I know I will lose some but if it cuts down on the smoke I am ok with that.

[JimB..]

I have a little bit of the same need. I can access all the range lead I want but it is very dirty. There is paper from targets and rubber from belting we use to keep bullets from bouncing back off the metal backstop. I don't have the amount of rubber you do though.

It creates a lot of smoke to burn off and I use a fan just over the pot.

We have a trash recycling center that runs everything down a conveyor and a giant fan blows the light stuff off. Could a guy make a narrow chute to run the mix down and have a fan directed through another chute that blows the lighter pieces into a bucket or tub. You could use a rake or something smaller to pull the material into the chute in a controlled manner.

When I get some time I am going to try this on my stuff. Mine has lots of dust and very small particles so I know I will lose some but if it cuts down on the smoke I am ok with that.

Maybe dump it at one end of a large tarp with a 4x4 across the other end, then use a leaf blower to push it across the tarp.

[sgms18]

Maybe dump it at one end of a large tarp with a 4x4 across the other end, then use a leaf blower to push it across the tarp.

I was thinking of something like that. Dumping it out in the driveway & using a leaf blower & sweeping up the rubber after. The tarp would make clean up alot easier.

[JimB..]

What's a nano bubbler?

I think the idea is that by putting small bubbles into the water the less dense objects will tend to get higher in the water column while the more dense items will settle to the bottom.

[sgms18]

So it's like an aerator in a bait tank?

[ulav8r]

Aeration will allow the rubber to sink quicker.

[sgms18]

Well hell, unless it's going to make the lead float at the same time that's out

[JimB..]

Aeration will allow the rubber to sink quicker.

Aeration will reduce the density of the liquid, which would cause everything to sink more quickly, but the action of the bubbles and resulting currents will tend to keep the lower density rubber up in the water column for longer while the lead drops through. No idea what the optimal amount of aeration and container height would be, but I’d start with a big blower and a 5 gal bucket.

Getting the larger pieces of rubber out first would simplify things.

[Paper Puncher]

I wonder if something like a sluice box (dry or wet) like the ones used to separate gold would work. The down side of a dry box is the dust would probably contain lead and proper precautions would need to be taken. A small wet box using recirculated water might work.

[Dthunter]

I got insanely lucky yesterday!

I was given unrestricted access to all the lead I wanted from our local indoor shooting range I used to work for!

I filled 5 buckets half full (125 lbs) at a time, and made like at least 8 trips back and forth! A very full, heavy lifting frigging day moving the lead!

After all that, there was at least the same amount of lead left! Holy crap! This was just one bay of two bays they have!

I now have way more than I can use in my lifetime! Wohooo!

I am going to try to separate the rubber by using a large melting pot (about 60-80lbs of molten lead) and fill it about 3/4 full. When the lead is up to temp, I will simply pour in about 20lbs of range lead and quickly mix the alloy and the loose rubber should immediately float to the top. skim, flux, and repeat. This should greatly minimize the smoke, but not eliminate it by any means.

Hopefully that works fine.

[dondiego]

I got insanely lucky yesterday!

I was given unrestricted access to all the lead I wanted from our local indoor shooting range I used to work for!

I filled 5 buckets half full (125 lbs) at a time, and made like at least 8 trips back and forth! A very full, heavy lifting frigging day moving the lead!

After all that, there was at least the same amount of lead left! Holy crap! This was just one bay of two bays they have!

I now have way more than I can use in my lifetime! Wohooo!

I am going to try to separate the rubber by using a large melting pot (about 60-80lbs of molten lead) and fill it about 3/4 full. When the lead is up to temp, I will simply pour in about 20lbs of range lead and quickly mix the alloy and the loose rubber should immediately float to the top. skim, flux, and repeat. This should greatly minimize the smoke, but not eliminate it by any means.

Hopefully that works fine.

I hope that you don't find any live ammo with that method! Be careful of any moisture too! Good luck and use a face guard.

[Dthunter]

I personally filled the buckets, and they were at the end of the range, not anywhere near the firing line. It would be pretty hard to get a live round in that location.
Not sure how a live round can get into the bullet trap inaccessible by customers.

But point taken never the less. I will keep my eyes open for sure.

I plan to scoop and pour with a metal scoop, so I can monitor every piece of scrap that goes into the pot.

this lead is from a dry new indoor range, but when I pour new alloy into a pot, I do so slowly and carefully. even ambient moisture makes things sizzle a bit.

[kevin c]

Good score.

As for live rounds, they SHOULDN'T be there but I can tell you a lot of stuff gets thrown down range by thoughtless people.

You know this already but, for the newbies and for folks like me who just have to whiz on the electric fence themselves: scrap and ingotted lead might be bone dry when you get it, but, unless kept in temperature controlled and/or air tight storage, may not stay that way. I've have many an ingot I poured myself spit at me something fierce when I took them cold from my unheated and occasionally damp basement and dropped them in the pot. Now they go into an empty pot, or get preheated before going into the melt.