Zink in modern wheel weights

[1hole]

A local tire shop has given me a bucket of wheel weights, I'm sure some are zink. I cast a lot decades ago and wheel weights were a great source of antimony. I've not cast in many years, too busy with other stuff, so I have no knowledge of the problems the new zink wheel weights can cause.

Questions:

1. How does zink impair bullet casting/shooting?

2. Is there a simple way to identify zink weights vs. antimony/lead weights?

3. Is there anything we can alloy with zink wheel weights to nulify the problems while taking advantage of its hardness?

[bumpo628]

1. Zinc curdles the melt and prevents you from pouring good boolits. Even in lower quantities, it makes them very hard.

2. You can ID zinc weights by hardness, sound, label, or melting point. Wire cutters will barely scratch zinc, while you can easily cut or dent lead weights. If you drop zinc on the ground it makes a ringing noise and lead makes a thud. Most zinc weights are actually labeled as "Zn". I have also noticed that the zinc weights look cleaner than lead, but that may not happen all the time. Also, zinc has a higher melting point than lead so if any make it past the sorting process you have a second chance to pull them out before they melt. Zinc melts at 787 deg F if I remember correctly.

3. No, you just need to get most of the zinc out. A small amount will not prevent you from casting, but it is better to do the best you can and keep it out of the melt. You can use the sulfur trick to remove the zinc if you get too much in there to cast properly or if the boolits are too hard.