Smelting wheel weights - a few questions

[Markbo]

I have been able to get about 10 x 5 gallon buckets of wheel weights over the last year. Of course the latest ones are more than 1/2 zinc. Rather than sift through every single weight, I thought I would just melt the lead, stirring as soon as I could so that the lead would liquify and scoop out the zinc.

Of COURSE some of the zinc (or something else) melts, so I have to flux/skim dross. I am tring several different things including wax, sawdust and just a wood stick for stirring. I keep getting dross (dull looking "foam" floating on the top) even after 3 or 4 applications of flux. Do I just keep doing it until there isn't any or is a little normal, i.e. should it be shiney and clean or is a little bit of dross acceptable?

Appreciate any guidance.

[Ole]

This thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-Sulfur-Report

May answer some/most of your questions.

[BK7saum]

I would sift through every single weight. If you smelt zinc into your melt, you'll spend more time and trouble than just sorting through the weights. You spent a year collecting and 20-30 minutes per bucket is too long to try and make sure you get a good alloy.

I sort by hand. I don't use side-cutters on every weight, but you can find zinc by the shape/feel(weight) and labeling (most of the time). The last smelting I did, I ended up with 3 or 4 zincers in the pot. One slightly melted at one end, but I'm sure that it was not enough to affect the alloy. (no foamy dross), just clean looking lead as usual.

Another thing, If you know there are zincers in there and they are on the bottom of an empty pot, you will melt some of the zinc weights before you get a good melt going. If you start with a 1/2" or more clean lead in the pot and add your weights a few at a time, you have a better chance of getting to the zinc ones before they melt.

[Markbo]

I do appreciate the input. I am not real interested in using sulphur. The smell/smoke already raises the hackles of my neighbors in the sub division. And BK, while I appreciate the advice, I am 101% sure I could not sift through a 5 gallon bucket one weight at a time in anything less than several hours. And I know how to recognize them. Now if my current method is simply ruining my melt, perhaps I will have to invest the time, but I have a hardened pot of melt right now (I ran out of Propane!) so for this one, is simply fluxing until there is no dross the answer and if so, what is most effective in removing zinc - considering I would prefer to not use sulphur.

If you start with a 1/2" or more clean lead in the pot and add your weights a few at a time, you have a better chance of getting to the zinc ones before they melt.

I will try that... seems like an easy way to avoid trouble.

[Duckiller]

Marko you are looking too hard at indivual weights. Wear latex gloves andlook fast. Sort clip-ons in one bucket, stick-ons in another bucket and trash,steel and zinc in a third bucket. If you are sorting fast enough you will throw some zinc weights in with clip-ons. Slowly load your smelter and you will find zinc weights. Sorting and smelting is therapy for a stressful world. Relax and enjoy it.

[alfloyd]

You could also cast the zink infested pot into ingots, and them blend it back into known good lead a little at a time. This will make the zink in the batch less than 2% and it will cast ok.
I have done this with a batch that I aquired that had zink it it.
I have since always hand seperated the wheel weights.

Lafaun

[shadygrady]

sort out 40 lbs or more an send to me for lead

[largom]

I take no chances on getting zinc in my alloy. I inspect every wheel-weight. After you inspect one 5 gal. bucket full you will develop a technique which speeds up all of the rest.

Larry

[NHGrumpyGramps]

I use an old gasoline plumbers furnace so control of the heat is very difficult. I hand sort all the WW to separate lead COW, steel, zinc, and garbage. With the scrounging it takes now days to get wheel weights, I don't want to take a chance on losing what I can get from zinc contamination. It really doesn't take that long to go through a bucket as you get good at recognizing the type once you've done a couple of buckets. I have side nippers handy to check those that I'm not sure of.

[Cherokee]

I use the method of having some good clean lead in the bottom and slowly add WW's. I sort quickly as I add the WW's. Skim non-melting stuff as quickly as I can, flux, flux, etc. So far (3500#) no problem.

[runfiverun]

grey foam is an indication of antimony,and not enough heat when trying to flux it back in.
zink is completly different.
it is lumpy silver oatmeal looking stuff just under the surface.

[ssnow]

The hard bottom line is that when you consider the amount of zinc in use today, if you do not carefully sort through them, you are going to end up with zinc in your alloy. Why go to all this trouble to cast your own bullets, and then try to take a short cut that will ruin the whole pot?

While sorting weights may not be the most fun part of the process, it can be done much faster if you are in a good position to do so. I dump a pile on a table, sit in a comfortable chair, and start sorting. Steel, zinc, and trash in buckets on one side, stick ons and regular weights in buckets on the other side.

It does take a little time, but I spend no time or aggravation trying to salvage a pot of alloy due to zinc contamination.

[sthwestvictoria]

If you are sorting fast enough you will throw some zinc weights in with clip-ons. Slowly load your smelter and you will find zinc weights. Sorting and smelting is therapy for a stressful world. Relax and enjoy it.

Absolutely. Despite sorting the WW and thinking you have got all the Zn ones out, a few of the little ******** still end up in the smelt and need fishing out before they melt. Sneaky.

[JWFilips]

I'm pretty new to all this ( Smelted only once ) but I have been accumulating wheel weights. The reason I got in to all of this is to make something I'm sure about and do It the way I want. So starting from my first smelt ( With all the good folks here's help) I sat down & cutting pliers, nipped every piece of lead wheel weight. You can pretty much figure out the steel & most times the zinc but anything that goes into the smelt bucket is "nipped" to be sure....I'm doing it for myself so I'm taking no chances.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I smelted around 200 lbs of wheel weights without sorting before I knew about zinc contamination, I just skimmed out the floaters. Alloy casts just fine.

[Friends call me Pac]

Glad i found this site. I just started casting this week and when I melted my ww I just dumped everything in & skimmed the ones that floated. My boolits came out and shot fine with my .45 but I still have so much to learn.

[Markbo]

Well I didn't know what a chore it would be to clean up zinc contamination. I have found another thread with advice on how to do that, which I will do next. BUT, now knowing what an enormous pain it is, I will change my routine. Thanks everyone for the input. Alwys more to learn, eh? Pre-sorting and adding slowly to existing melt will by my new & improved methodology. Now I just have to get some sawdust and sulphur!

[captaint]

All this discussion is the reason I endure the pain and sort every one of those WW's. It's OK to start your smelt and watch carefully for zinkies - BUT - You get one in the bottom of the pot and it's gonna melt before you know what's going on. I won't take the chance. Then, I don't have 5 buckets, either..... I currently have 2 completely sorted buckets to melt. I like not having to sweat zink when I'm smelting. Just my .02..... Mike

[P.K.]

Wood paint stirrer in an open pot, seperates the clips and dross, zink usually will not have melted yet and just fish them out with forecepts.

[Buckdane]

Not being an acomplished castor, I need to ask this question. How do you know the difference between the zinc ones and the good ones? When I started I just procured some wheelweights, melted them and cast them. I had no clue of this zinc spector lurking in them. What does zinc do to the boolits? Sorry, 59yr old rookie to casting.