Separateing Stick-On's from Clip-On WW's for smelting...What Do You Do?

[Foto Joe]

Normally when I smelt down wheel weights I separate out the Clip-On's from the Stick-On's. The reason (for me at least) is that the SOWW's are soft and do make good round balls for Black Powder. I now have a pretty good supply of SOWW lead for round balls and don't need to hoard the stuff so I'm wondering what the standard practice is. I'd like to hear from WW smelters as to what your procedure is, do you separate out the SO's or do you just throw them in with the CO's and combine them.

Everything that I shoot in smokeless is sub-sonic so I'm not too worried about getting the most hardness that I can muster. I'm also wonder if adding 2% tin is adequate when casting combined lead or since the SO's are pretty much pure do you add more tin?

[lightman]

I usually melt it all together. A couple of reasons are that I normally don't get a lot of stick on's, so they don't dilute my clip on weights much. I also have a lot of cable sheathing so I don't need the soft stuff. A lot of the guys on here do separate them. 2% tin is more than I would add to wheelweights. If I get good fill out with a batch, I don't add anything.

[Old School Big Bore]

I separate it out just so I have it for mixing later. I also separate my range-recovery lead into jacketed & obvious pure vs obvious hard-cast. The soft goes in with pipe, stick-ons etc and the hard goes in with clip-ons. If I score any high-tin metal that goes separate too, in case I need to harden up an alloy to get better fill. That way I have at least SOME half-way idea when I try to take a SWAG at what I'm mixing up.
I agree with Lightman on seeing how they cast before adding anything.

[Big Z]

I usually get very few with my COWWs, so I mix them. If I had a bunch I'd separate so I could weigh it out and keep an eye on the mix %s.

[dragonrider]

I separate as I am filling the pot.

[SciFiJim]

I get about 20% or so stick ons. I seperate and smelt seperately. I do that so that I can have repeatable alloys later. For handgun calibers, I mix them 50/50. For rifles I use stick ons only.

[220swiftfn]

I separate them too, but be aware that there are some "stick on" weights that are actually closer to "clip on" alloy. That being said, all of my "tape a weight" is set aside as pure, all of the others get mixed in with the clip ons.....


Dan

[Foto Joe]

Well from the sound of it or at least for those who have responded, the SOP is to separate out the tape weights. I guess I'll keep on doing what I've been doing.

[cummins05]

its a time consuming job but is probably worth doing so like others above said you can have a repaetable alloy later

[gwpercle]

I used to seperate them out and just cast with straight clip on weights. I have discovered that a mix of 50-50 COWW and softer lead, range scrap or stick on's, actually made a great mix and extended the COWW's I have. So now I try toget a rough 50-50 blend ,or there about's, with the stick ons and clip ons. I'm not one of the " it has to be a precise and exact blend " before it will shoot out of my 38 Special. Close is good enough for me.

Gary

[BK7saum]

I separate stick on and clip on weights, and remove the zinc and steel wheelweights during an initial sorting. Then I smelt fairly large batches of COWW at one time. Usually takes a while to accumulate enough SOWW to make it worth while to smelt them. My smelter will hold a couple hundred pounds plus. It is 14" pipe about 12" tall with a bottom pour valve. I usually pour 5 lb ingots so it goes pretty quick. I do need to come up with a new gang mold though.

[44man]

Way too many zinc stick on's today plus some mystery metals snagged with a net from the space shuttle to suit me.
I dump the bucket on the concrete apron at my barn and pick them out, most get tossed.

[Foto Joe]

I really think that it depends upon what part of the country you're in whether the zinc's and steel's are an issue. I went over to a friends house yesterday evening for adult beverages and watched him sort through 35# of stick-on's from a motorcycle shop. The total non Pb amounted to less than 5#. He's got Pb to cast enough round balls to last him into next year easily now.

[Walter Laich]

We just melt them all together--most times now we go to scrap yard and don't get a lot of WW