ZINC wheelweights ???

[218bee]

Okay, I've been hoarding wheelweights for many years thinking "someday" I will start casting. Well I'm getting serious now and am starting to collect the equipment needed to do so. I am about to start melting my wheelweights down to rid them of clips impurities whatever and have an old corn muffin cast iron pan to use as ingot mould. But I heard some wheelweights are either all zinc or have zinc in them. I looked at my stockpile and noticed some are alot shinier? then others. I don't see any markings on them other than #'s. So how do I tell if some are zinc or have zinc in them ? If they do have zinc are they no good for boolits ? I was thinking of trying to cut or saw or something but I've got probably 200 pounds ! What say ye

[imashooter2]

Put them in a big pot and melt them. A soon as the melt gets fluid, some weights mayl float along with the clips. Those are zinc or steel. Skim them off with the clips. Do not walk away from the pot and come back later or the melt may get hot enough to melt the zinc. If it does, that batch will be ruined for casting.

[Sam Carp]

I had some weights that floated to the top and picked them up with a magnet, don't know if they were zinc or steel. Does anyone know if a magnet will stick to zinc? If so that would be a good way to sort wheel weights.

Sam

[imashooter2]

Zinc is non magnetic, but the clips are, same as lead WW.

[Sam Carp]

The ones that I had floating must be steel then.

Sam

[Sam Carp]

I live near a Ford dealer that in the past has given me used WWs. The service manager said last week that they were going to steel WWs soon.

Sam

[trooperdan]

Many zinc WW's have "ZN" stamped on them but I'd hate to rely on that. many are also riveted to the clip. I do not trust to smelting at a low temp; always afraid some zinc will alloy with the lead and ruin the batch. it takes less than one percent zinc to ruin the alloy for casting good boolits.

In other words, hand-sort your WW, it is a relaxing exersize for a good day outside!

[Sam Carp]

TD, Thanks for the tips. I have 2 cowboy shooting friends that live in Aberdeen. I live in Charlotte.

Sam

[Uncle Grinch]

Give then a good eyeball inspection first, looking for any ww that looks different or have the ZN stamp.

Keep your pot below 675 (zinc melts at 692) and the bad boys will float to the top. Stir and pick them out.

Here's a link with photos.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=13993

Good Luck...

[218bee]

Thanks for the info. I see a few have rivets, would rivets be a clue that they are not lead??

[trooperdan]

218Bee, nice name BTW! Yes, rivets are more than a clue, it is an out-right statement these are not lead!

[DLCTEX]

I am cautious about zinc to the point that I have started dipper casting a sample from each batch of smelted wheel weights I use a Lee mold that I dip into the melt to warm it up and get it casting in short order. If it should not cast good it will at least be marked and set aside for further testing. If it casts a good boolit, it goes into the stack. So far, no problems, so my sorting and watching the melt is working. Dale