Can you ID Zinc WW by "head stamp"?

[JesseCJC]

Is this an accepted practice or can it lead to some problems? I sort through all of my WW I get from the tire shop first and get out the rubbish, iron clips and separate out the sticky WW and was wondering if you can go by "head stamp" on the WW to ID the zinc from lead?
I pre sorted the known lead that were marked "Micro" "P" and "AL" as these were very easy to tell visually that they were lead. Without going through each with a pair of cutters or wasting more time sifting the alloy for floaters, I was wondering if it's possible to just go by ID. If it is not, please excuse my ignorance, thanks.

Here is a picture of my "maybe lead" stamps if it matters or if you know that one or more is just painted lead.


Marks are

TW................1.25(just the size)
AL-TW............40(just the size)
AW..................MCG
MC..................T
AL-MC.............FN

thanks for any help

[ANeat]

Some will have Zn on them but thats no guarentee.

I just throw em all in, its no waste of time sifting for floaters or anything. Youre going to be skimming off all the clips anyway. Certainly faster than sifting out all the garbage, thats flux...LOL... If the melt is 600 degrees or so just skim off everything that floats, clips, Zn WW, razor blades, valve stem cores, lug nuts, etc.....

[JesseCJC]

I pull all of that junk out, last bucket I just sorted had 22 lug nuts in it, yikes. Just figured since I am already in there I could visually sort. Maybe not I guess

[ANeat]

I think some guys give em a wack with a hammer. Once you get the feel for it thats real accurate.

In the end they all gotta get melted anyway(the lead ones) and theres always a chance a zinc one slipped thru.

Speaking of junk ya find in a WW bucket, I found a hunk off of someones aluminum rim one time, OUCH

[fredj338]

I pull all of that junk out, last bucket I just sorted had 22 lug nuts in it, yikes. Just figured since I am already in there I could visually sort. Maybe not I guess

The only markings that I know are Zn. Any that have riveted clips are either steel or xinc or something else. I sort before smelting. After a bit, you get a feel for the zinc ones. Drop them on concrete & they ring.

[JesseCJC]

Yeah, steel is really easy because of the rivets but a lot of what I seem to get are the smaller sized WW and those are harder to drop on the ends to hear the *ping* or *thud*

[thenaaks]

i haven't seen any specific markings other than ones that read "zn"
steel weights are usually riveted to the clip, although they won't harm your smelt. you can spend a whole lot of time sorting, but like many, i just dump 'em and pull out the floaters. i don't use a thermometer either. it's not hard to spot a zinc floater when all the lead ones are melting away.

[jsizemore]

You can use a pair of side cutters. If it's lead, then it will cut right thru. If it's zinc then you will barely dent the surface,

All those in your picture are lead WW. You'll get it after a while. I do miss one every once in a while, so I watch my smelting temp. No need to waste gas heating zinc when you don't want them in the pot anyway.

[JesseCJC]

Thanks for the tip.
I wanted to avoid the side cutters though as I was mentioning about visually sorting while removing the rubbish and stick on WW. Plus I think I ruined my dikes already in doing so hah.

[giz189]

Is this an accepted practice or can it lead to some problems? I sort through all of my WW I get from the tire shop first and get out the rubbish, iron clips and separate out the sticky WW and was wondering if you can go by "head stamp" on the WW to ID the zinc from lead?
I pre sorted the known lead that were marked "Micro" "P" and "AL" as these were very easy to tell visually that they were lead. Without going through each with a pair of cutters or wasting more time sifting the alloy for floaters, I was wondering if it's possible to just go by ID. If it is not, please excuse my ignorance, thanks.

Here is a picture of my "maybe lead" stamps if it matters or if you know that one or more is just painted lead.


Marks are

TW................1.25(just the size)
AL-TW............40(just the size)
AW..................MCG
MC..................T
AL-MC.............FN

thanks for any help

I found this website http://hb-ok207.en.alibaba.com and they listed some of the letters you found on the ww there. It is a ww dealer in China. According to them; AL-MC = LEAD AW=LEAD MC=LEAD You may still want to check them with cutters first though.

[bigdog454]

Lead will write on paper, zinc won't. get some paper and try it, just like a "lead Pencil".

[sargenv]

Anything that I don't trust by sight, I crimp with a large pair of wire cutters.. if I can't crush it, it's something other than lead.. Zinc and Iron will NOT give at all.. Lead, be it sticky or clip on, is crushable and goes into the "good" stash.

[sheepdog]

Ok jesse listen up. Those letters have nothing to do with the material type, only with the wheel profile they go on. Anything labeled "micro" is lead, period. Heres a list from Ammocoats, the largest supplier of wheel weights in America. Hope this helps http://www.ammcoats.com/Products_Bada.aspx

[DLCTEX]

Some WW for aluminum wheels have a plastic coating, usually metallic gray in color, and may or may not be lead. The best prevention is check for floaters. I question how well the WW makers sort for zinc when they recycle. If you are anally concerned about zinc (I'm not), the only safe way is to buy verified alloy from a reliable source.

[leadman]

I sort visually and test some with sidecutters. Then put them in the pot, watch it close, when the mess start to turn to slush start checking for floaters. Pretty easy once you melt a couple pots.
I don't even use a thermometer anymore.

[MN91311]

When I started collecting wheelweights three years ago, I hand-sorted each piece in

the bucket, getting out all the junk. Watch out for the razor blades and other sharp

edges on junk. Gloves called for. Sorted into clipon and stickon. I then washed the

good stuff in strong detergent, and set aside for ingotizing day. I soon gave up on

the washing as not necessary.

What my process evolved into was this.....Wearing gloves, I handle each piece in the

bucket, tossing the clipon and stickon into the proper bucket, the obvious junk into

the trash can, and the not-so-sure items into a separate pile for later.

I keep a large magnet handy, a quick touch tells me if the weight (not the clip, be

careful there) is steel. If it is, into the trash it goes. Zinc is not magnetic, so

if it passes the magnet test, I use the cutting pliers to see if it cuts like lead.

No cut, it is zinc, straight to the trash can.

After doing this several times, you get to just recognize and toss some of the steel

and zinc in the trash without the magnet or pliers. Some, not all.

I only ingotize once or twice in the summer months here, so sorting out all the non-

lead WW and assorted junk saves on storage space in the buckets in the meantime. I

still watch the temperature carefully, and skim off ASAP, and I do get an occasional

floater scooped out with the clips. No system is 100% effective.

Processing the raw WW is a hobby in itself, and the time spent does not feel like

work.

Many years ago, in the 1970's, before this forum, I just had the Lyman literature to

go by, and I may have gotten some zinc or aluminum in my alloys. Some batches then

went into boat anchors because they would just not cast right. I did not know the

basics very well then.

Viva this forum !!!

[jsizemore]

Use the side cutters on the ones your not sure of. Once you 've done it a few times you'll get the hang of what is and isn't by stamp. Another clue is if 2 WW both weigh the same and one is bigger then the other, then it is likely zinc. Until recently, I never found a zinc WW heavier then 30g. Any bigger then that they were too big and rigid to conform to an odd size rim, ie. the radius' didn't match. Recently I found a couple that were 40g and 50g! Keep at it, you'll get it figured out.

[brad925]

When I started collecting wheelweights three years ago, I hand-sorted each piece in

the bucket, getting out all the junk. Watch out for the razor blades and other sharp

edges on junk. Gloves called for. Sorted into clipon and stickon. I then washed the

good stuff in strong detergent, and set aside for ingotizing day. I soon gave up on

the washing as not necessary.

What my process evolved into was this.....Wearing gloves, I handle each piece in the

bucket, tossing the clipon and stickon into the proper bucket, the obvious junk into

the trash can, and the not-so-sure items into a separate pile for later.

I keep a large magnet handy, a quick touch tells me if the weight (not the clip, be

careful there) is steel. If it is, into the trash it goes. Zinc is not magnetic, so

if it passes the magnet test, I use the cutting pliers to see if it cuts like lead.

No cut, it is zinc, straight to the trash can.

After doing this several times, you get to just recognize and toss some of the steel

and zinc in the trash without the magnet or pliers. Some, not all.

I only ingotize once or twice in the summer months here, so sorting out all the non-

lead WW and assorted junk saves on storage space in the buckets in the meantime. I

still watch the temperature carefully, and skim off ASAP, and I do get an occasional

floater scooped out with the clips. No system is 100% effective.

Processing the raw WW is a hobby in itself, and the time spent does not feel like

work.

Many years ago, in the 1970's, before this forum, I just had the Lyman literature to

go by, and I may have gotten some zinc or aluminum in my alloys. Some batches then

went into boat anchors because they would just not cast right. I did not know the

basics very well then.

Viva this forum !!!

I just went through a 5 gal bucket full this afternoon. I ended up with a big handful of valve stems and about 2 lbs of stick-ons. The rest were ok. No steel weights and no zinc as far as i could tell. The test i used but not sure if it was sound was if i could bend them with my hands they were lead. The small ones i qeustioned i used a plier on. If i could crush the they were ok.