Sorting WW?

[Tedly]

New to this and trying to get ready for 1st. smelt...whats a good way to sort out zinc and other WW that I don't want in the smelt? Test with a pen knife? Whats easy for a newbie? Thanks...Tedly

[TomBulls]

I don't remember who said it first, but I'm not really sure it matters... "Bite" the wheel weight with the jaws of a regular set of channel lock pliers. You know, the "wire cutter" cross-cutting bit in the back of the pliers mouth. If it can be squished by the pliers, its lead. If it is amazingly, and unbelievably tough to "bite," its 110% chance that it is zinc or steel. Hope this helps.

-thomas

[John Boy]

Ted, some standard things melting wheel weights:
1. If it has a clip, throw them all in the pot
2. If it is a strip, they are near pure lead - sort them out and melt separately
3. Keep the pot temperature between 620 and 650 - NO HIGHER. The zinc clip ones you threw in the pot will float to the surface to be skimmed out. Zinc melts at 787.15 °F. Steel ones also need a high temp, so you'll never melt them
4. Never smelt in the same pot you plan to cast from

[Sonnypie]

New to this and trying to get ready for 1st. smelt...whats a good way to sort out zinc and other WW that I don't want in the smelt? Test with a pen knife? Whats easy for a newbie? Thanks...Tedly

I use my diagonal cutters (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31AXXWSNEBL.jpg). (We called them "dikes" in the trade.)
There is little doubt what is lead, and what is junk.
Steel also is easily sorted if you stick a rare earth magnet on your cutters. Just wave it over the WW's and the steel ones want to stick to the magnet.
You probably don't need Klein's (http://www.amazon.com/Klein-D248-8-Standard-High-Leverage-Diagonal/dp/B0000302W8/ref=pd_cp_hi_1) though, but that's what I use.

[granville_it]

I use my diagonal cutters (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31AXXWSNEBL.jpg). (We called them "dikes" in the trade.)
There is little doubt what is lead, and what is junk.
Steel also is easily sorted if you stick a rare earth magnet on your cutters. Just wave it over the WW's and the steel ones want to stick to the magnet.
You probably don't need Klein's (http://www.amazon.com/Klein-D248-8-Standard-High-Leverage-Diagonal/dp/B0000302W8/ref=pd_cp_hi_1) though, but that's what I use.

Agree, I check EVERY one with cutters before smelting.

It can save a lot of grief later.

Cheers Mark

[a.squibload]

Also Zn = zinc and Fe = iron (steel).
Only ever found a couple zincers that were not marked Zn, or were rubbed out unreadable.

Oh yeah, drop 'em on the concrete, you'll hear the difference.

[badbob454]

+1 on you too squibload and add the zincies are noticably lighter in weight than the lead

[zomby woof]

Ted, some standard things melting wheel weights:
1. If it has a clip, throw them all in the pot
2. If it is a strip, they are near pure lead - sort them out and melt separately
3. Keep the pot temperature between 620 and 650 - NO HIGHER. The zinc clip ones you threw in the pot will float to the surface to be skimmed out. Zinc melts at 787.15 °F. Steel ones also need a high temp, so you'll never melt them
4. Never smelt in the same pot you plan to cast from

Follow this and you'll be fine.

[odfairfaxsub]

never never ever smelt in the same pot. bad idea. the pot is your clean room per say and the smelter is your battery garbage recylcler hydraulic crusher

[DukeInFlorida]

The n00bie error with tossing everything in the smelter, and relying on the zinc and steel to float is this:

Most people crank the heat way up, to get the melt going. Unfortunately, the heat at the very BOTTOM of the smelting pot can get way over 800 degrees in a hurry. All it takes is one ZINC wheel weight at the very bottom of the pot to ruin the whole batch.

My recommendation is to sort through the wheel weights, with the cutters, as described by others, and only put known lead in your smelter.

There are too many steel and zinc weights these days to take chances, and it's only getting worse and worse with each passing day.

[williamwaco]

The n00bie error with tossing everything in the smelter, and relying on the zinc and steel to float is this:

Most people crank the heat way up, to get the melt going. Unfortunately, the heat at the very BOTTOM of the smelting pot can get way over 800 degrees in a hurry. All it takes is one ZINC wheel weight at the very bottom of the pot to ruin the whole batch.

My recommendation is to sort through the wheel weights, with the cutters, as described by others, and only put known lead in your smelter.

There are too many steel and zinc weights these days to take chances, and it's only getting worse and worse with each passing day.


The idea that zinc wheel weights will not melt at ordinary smelting temperatures is simply not true. Time is a factor and if one gets caught at the bottom of the pile and stays at the bottom for a while it WILL melt and one zinc weight will damage the entire 20 pound pot.

I at this time, I have personally ruined five 20 pound pots of metal in this manner. Since a 20 pound pot really only holds about 16 pounds, that is about 80 pounds of wheel weights. I currently have about 40 pounds of zinc contaminated ingots that I personally created in this manner.

The good news is that if you segregate this metal until you get a batch of it. It will still make perfectly good bullets. I cast about 1600 Lee TL358-158-SWC bullets with the first batch. I have shot about half of them. They work fine.

I have learned four lessons from this experience.

1)
The BNH of zinc is stated to be 91. It is far all practical purposes "as hard as a rock" It would seem the scratch test would work fine. Not for me. The coating is soft and confuses the feel. The drop test works well. Drop them on concrete and they will ring. Lead will thud. The dikes work well too. If I want to test one, I just drop it. If I am melting a whole bucket, I use the dikes. ( Side cutters )

2) Never smelt in your casting pot.

3) Don't try to dilute bad metal with good metal. If you add 50 pounds of good metal to ten pounds of bad metal, you will wind up with 60 pounds of bad metal.

4) Don't toss it. It is more trouble to cast but it will make perfectly good bullets. ( for me )

[captaint]

I still go through and pinch all of them. Except the ones with Micro name on them. Don't think I've ever seen a zinc or steel weight with the Micro name on it. enjoy Mike

[mold maker]

To visually check on 1-200 lbs of dirty weights is out of the question for my 70 yr old eyes. I presort with pliers as a I get a chance.
Dropping them on cement works as long as they hit on their end. If they hit on the clip you will waste good lead.
If you contaminate a pot, just pour fish sinkers, and trade them to friends for good lead. I stamp them with a Z to warn the next boolit caster.

[Sonnypie]

Williamwaco,
Would that (zinc contaminated) make reasonable buckshot? Or slugs?
Just wondering.
(I do that a lot...) :groner:

[williamwaco]

Williamwaco,

Would that (zinc contaminated) make reasonable buckshot? Or slugs?

Just wondering.
(I do that a lot...)



I don't know, I never cast either.

I have cast perfect examples of two tumble lube bullets. That makes me think it would work fine for slugs but may be too hard.

TL356-124-2R 9mm Luger and TL358-158-SWC 38 Special, 357 Magnum,

Both have micro grooves and they cast nicely and after cast, you can't tell the difference.

Casting IS somewhat messier because of all the "oatmeal".

[TNFrank]

I read somewhere, a long time ago that zinc WW's will be shinny and lead ones will get dull over time. Also, as has been said, zinc WW's will have a brighter sound to them when you drop them on the concrete while lead is more dull.

[WHITETAIL]

First I would do a surch on this forum.
Then I would get a magnet.
This will get the steel ones out for you.
Then the others can be sorted with
the dikes as mention.:Bright idea:

[leadbutt]

Yea use the dike/pliers way for your 1st bucket or 2. Youll get used to tellin which are which with time/exp then it will go faster. Just invest the time to learn.

L. Bottoms

[skytex]

Sorted a 124lb bucket fresh from the tire shop yesterday. Hand sorted each weight looking at them. Relatively few Zn in the bunch but about 38lbs of steel. I'll still go along and nip each one with dikes before I toss it in the pot. I also keep a pair of tree loppers handy to cut the large ones down to size to fit in my pot. Course if this source remains steady at ~120lbs a month I may just have to upgrade my smelting to a turkey cooker and cast iron pot. Lucky me that I bought this little 10lb pot for smelting as I only use my lead to cast shot for my shotgun shells (8's).

[Fredx10sen]

I use my diagonal cutters (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31AXXWSNEBL.jpg). (We called them "dikes" in the trade.)
There is little doubt what is lead, and what is junk.
Steel also is easily sorted if you stick a rare earth magnet on your cutters. Just wave it over the WW's and the steel ones want to stick to the magnet.
You probably don't need Klein's (http://www.amazon.com/Klein-D248-8-Standard-High-Leverage-Diagonal/dp/B0000302W8/ref=pd_cp_hi_1) though, but that's what I use.

Yep Pard, works great except for the blisters I got yesterday sorting over a five gallon bucket amount. ;-)

[leadbutt]

Most lead WWs have a definate color/tint to them. Some are painted so i can understand the beginner being a lil apprehensive. I myself was frightened of the zinc boogieman at 1st and still have the 1st melt i ever did sitting in the shed. Yep... scared to use it. If you keep looking and find the right posts youll be a lil more relaxed about it all. A thermometer will help you alot. If you rig it up to touch the bottom of the pot youll get a decent reading. The more WWs you add to your pot the temp will go down till they all melt again so keep adding to keep the heat down and dont go past 650deg. The main thing you should be being careful with is the fumes. They will %&$# you up.

[Suo Gan]

If you start out with sorted in the bottom, melt that and remove the slag and clips. Get a couple inches of lead in the bottom and then start emptying some scoops or handfuls of unsorted weights. Remove the slag and clip and any zinc ww's. Flux it and keep doing this until you are ready to pour. Then do not empty the pot all the way keep it half full or so until your last pour. The zinc weights are making it almost a losing proposition here anymore. Over half a bucket is trash. Zinc is going for over a buck a pound at the scrapper though, so it might actually be worthwhile for some of you to render them too, or sell your Zn marked weights.

I just picked up five buckets from an old tire shop a couple days ago. It looks like he had them segregated by weight, for reuse. I dug through them and saw no zinc, steel, or clip ons and they all were old. Now it is a major crime for a tire shop to reuse lead ww's here.

[glicerin]

Avoid the dust when you're sorting WW, don't smoke or eat until you wash thoroughly. I visually sort on 1/4" wire mesh with 2X4 frame over a garbage can. Fe WW's have an odd insert type clip, easy to spot. Zinc Zn is usually painted and normally rectangular. I only use sidecutter on half dozen questionable in a pail of WW.