Stick on WWs

[DanM]

Greetings....I have been getting wheel weights from a local transport company. Mostly they are huge crimp on weights, but there are always a bunch of stick on weights mixed in. Have been letting those accumulate, and now have most of a 5gal bucket full. All seem to be lead and not zinc. I don't shoot any BP, so would like to smelt and alloy these for my modern rifles. Haven't tried this before, but I assume I will need to add a fair amount of tin. I am nearly out of my supply of 95/5solder, only a pound left, so I will need more than that. Have plenty of magnum shot pellets. I use a 50lb cast iron pot for smelting, and am looking for suggestions on my alloy for some boolits that will harden nicely when water dropped or will expand some when air cooled. Is this a do-able goal with stick on WWs as the base metal?

[Dale53]

I just consider stick on wheel weights as "pure" lead and use accordingly. Lyman's cast bullet handbook has a number of "recipes" for bullet metal.

Running bullets at "standard" velocities does not really require WW's at full strength. Many on here run 50/50% WW/Lead + 1-2% tin for a good bullet alloy for target and light field duty.

Dale53

[bumpo628]

I think Dale gave some good advice.

You didn't mention what calibers you'll be casting and that can change things a bit. Whatever you're casting for, you'll be able to use the stick-on weights one way or another. You can either use it to alloy or trade it for what you want. I've got an alloy calculator that you might find useful - there's a link below.

[Defcon-One]

For water dropping you'd do better using your Clip-On wheel weight lead as a base. It is gonna have the Antimony and Arsenic that you need to take the most advantage of that process.

Having said that, I do not water drop! I use a (2% Sn, 3% Sb, 95% Pb) mix for all of my handgun applications and Lyman #2 alloy which is (5% Sn, 5% Sb, 90% PB) for my rifle loads with copper gas checks. I have never had any problems and both alloys cast beautifully!

If you had some Linotype or Super Hard, that would make things much easier. Magnum shot has about 4% Antimony, so it can not get you to Lyman #2 at 5% Sb, ever. Besides, your Arsenic % would be way too high.

The truth is, your Stick-On wheel weight lead (0.25% Sn, 99.75% Pb.) is much better suited to making Lead/Tin ratio alloys (10:1, 20:1 or 25:1, etc.). I use it in 25:1 for Hollow Point bullets in my .45 ACP, .44 Mag, .38/.357 and 9mm handguns by just adding 60/40 or 50/50 Solder.

I agree, if you don't need the Stick-On lead, then trade it for what you want or buy some Linotype and make it what you want!

One last note: Be careful with your temperature when melting the SOWWs as there could be some ZINC in that bucket. If it were me, I'd sort through it all again with a wire snips and cull out anthying that does not cut easily. Zinc will wreck your day and your pot of alloy!

[DanM]

i shoot mostly mid sized ex military cases at 1800fps plus. Thanks