Smell when melting down Wheel weights?

[Electric88]

Hey guys, I'm getting ready to melt down some wheel weights I have, and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to cut down on the smell? I have heard that it stinks something fierce when melting them down, and was hoping there was something I could do to keep it to a minimum so as not to upset the neighbors. I haven't seen anything in the forums relating to this topic, but it's possible I could have overlooked something.

Thanks!

[sqlbullet]

If you find something let me know. I haven't figured it out.

[osteodoc08]

Stand upwind

if you presort and get rid of the trash, it's not too bad. If I had a dirty batch, I'd hose it down and let it dry a few days.

DO NOT add wet wheel weights to a melt. If you must use wet wheel weights, start with an empty cold pot and hear from there. Slowly.

[bangerjim]

Sort out all the plastic and gooey tape (SOWW's). And any other garbage.

Stand upwind as said. Do it on a lightly breezy day. DO NOT use wet ones!

Hope your batch is mostly Pb. I quit messing with WW's over 2 years ago because of the Zn, Fe.....and the smoke and smell! Greenies have forces makers into non-Pb weights more and more. Not worth my time and effort anymore.

Do not forget to flux 3X with pine sawdust!

If you are trying to hide your gun hobby from your neighbors, re-melting old WW's is definitely NOT a way to do it.

Good luck.

[Electric88]

I was kind of thinking that I would set up in the garage with the garage door open, and have a fan blowing the fumes out the door. I appreciate all the help!

I got a decent amount of WW from a local shop, was planning to sort it this coming weekend. I wasn't necessarily trying to hide the gun hobby from the neighbors, but moreso just not aggravate the neighbors with the smell haha. But there has been a lot of good answers here that I will plan to implement as I start looking to stockpile lead. So far I haven't been able to find any other decent sources that weren't upwards of $1.10 a pound.

[jeepyj]

We did around 450 lbs Saturday personally I don't think the wheel weights are as bad as old roof flashing with tar and Ice and water shield stuck to it. Unless absolutely necessary I would not consider melting inside but to each is own. I wear a mask and try very hard to only melt when there is a steady breeze from one direction. I once melted just outside my garage door and even left a lasting smell in the garage.

[white eagle]

best advice
do it outside

[NavyVet1959]

Is your garage connected to a breezeway that connects to your house? If so, the smoke might end up in the attic of your house and then end up smelling up your house.

Personally, I always smelted outside and behind the house so that no one could see me fromt he street. I also preferred to do it late at night when people were home and asleep. People don't leave their windows open around here, so the only ones who would notice would be someone walking down the street at night and if they can't see you, they won't know which house it is coming from.

Also, depending upon what you are using as flux or other contaminants in the wheel weights, you might get some flare ups. I would not want to be doing that inside my garage. I sometimes use used motor oil for a flux and there are definite flare ups from it. If I had done that inside my garage, I would have probably already burnt down my house by now.

Where are you located?

[Electric88]

That's a good idea to do it at night, just need to get some added light to work with.

I am located just north of Toledo Ohio

[NavyVet1959]

That's a good idea to do it at night, just need to get some added light to work with.

I am located just north of Toledo Ohio

Well, y'all have seasons up there, so people might actually leave their windows open at night during part of the year. :)

[DaveyDug]

I have found that putting the lid on my cast iron dutch oven and just leaving a small opening for smoke to escape really cuts down on the smell. I also keep a fan blowing on the oven at all times.

[Kosh75287]

Soak them in 1:1 solution of 91% Rubbing (Iso-Propyl) Alcohol & gasoline overnight and churn them a few times before removing them. Rinse thoroughly with water and let dry. The IPA:Gasoline solution will pull a lot of organic "goo" that collects on them from the road, and will make removing the sticky tape, on those which have it, a lot easier. Store the IPA:Gasoline solution, because it's usually good for 4 or 5 soaks. This may not TOTALLY eliminate the odor, but my experience is that it will reduce it considerably. A shooting friend churns his in a solution of Dawn and water, before he rinses them with tap water. I can't tell a difference, but he says he can.

[RogerDat]

+1 on a lid helps. Inside of lid gets pretty cruddy and has to be scraped but oh well.

I layer the sawdust in with the weights in a Harbor Freight dutch oven pot. I think it helps make that first flux more effective in that the flux is pre-mixed, just a theory though, not gospel or even rumor. The smoke trapped in the pot by the lid keeps air off of melt so less oxidation.

If you have a good fan then having it suck smoke rather than blow cooling air at the melt tends to work better.

Just like with burning trash it is especially important to avoid smelting upwind of a neighbor with wash out on a clothes line.

[Mitch]

let me come and get them.my neighbors have never said a word about the smell lol.imagin when you have some lead pipe with some real smelly **** in it.

[Seeker]

Another vote for standing upwind.

[BNE]

As listed above:

Must be done outdoors.
Cover with a lid.
Night time is best.
Sometimes you can add wax and burn the plastic stuff that is melting. Flames cut down on the smoke level.

[osteodoc08]

Do not consider doing under a garage or small
covered anything. That's just asking for trouble. I could see a huge open pole barn, but I do all mine on a concrete patio far from anything flammable with escspe
routes in case the tinsel fairy comes a calling.

[SciFiJim]

Actually, I render my WWs during the day when everyone else is at work. I have a rotating day off and can do it during the week. Adding a handful of sawdust at the beginning helps. Lighting the smoke on fire when it will light really helps cut down of the noxious fumes.

[NavyVet1959]

Actually, I render my WWs during the day when everyone else is at work. I have a rotating day off and can do it during the week. Adding a handful of sawdust at the beginning helps. Lighting the smoke on fire when it will light really helps cut down of the noxious fumes.

Depends upon your type of neighborhood. There always seems to be someone walking their dog or whatever around here during the day, so the smoke would be noticed, even if the smell wasn't. Around here at least, late night smelting endeavors do not get noticed as long as I wait for the wind to be blowing somewhat out of the south. Wind out of the south and the weather being cool just doesn't happen much around here though.

[JWFilips]

Smelt out doors! But before;..... get yourself a big cat fish & crank up your grill Put said catfish and a foil wrapped pack of smoking wood on the grill! Get your smelt going. If folks complain.... blame it on the catfish...sacrifice said catfish for a bunch of smelted wheel weights! Just show them the smelly catfish if they don't believe you!

[Tenbender]

I got 3 buckets of the nastiest WW anyone could ever find, the other day. I scraped them out of the corners and from under the tire changer. Covered with years of crud. My neighbors will hate me when I fire up the cooker ! lol Probably early next spring.

[depoloni]

I once had a neighbor (1/4 acre here...) that I'm friendly with startle me, leaning against my fence while I was smelting WW about two years ago.

I caught him out of the corner of my eye eventually (don't know how long he had leaned over the fence) and said "hi" - he said "Blackhawk down?"
I told him no, no insurgents burning tires as smoke signals... I was melting lead for the sinister purpose of casting boolits to be shot in firearms.

His response? "Hey I have a 45..."

We're now good friends. Still can't get him to buy into casting but he sure likes the boolits I hook him up with for barter, small "at cost" cash sometimes...
Guess he still prefers the Blackhawk go down in my backyard instead of his. Works for me. Him too :drinks:

[DaveyDug]

Just melt down a few hundred pounds of nasty, filthy battery terminal clamps and those wheel weights will start to smell a lot better! ;-)

[RogerDat]

I live rural area - folks burn trash in barrels. Few WW's won't really get much notice.

[Electric88]

I plan to sort all the junk out of them. There has been a lot of good advice here, thanks guys! I won't be doing it in the garage, but since I don't have a concrete patio out back, it'll be in the driveway... Not sure yet if I'll make the effort to do it at night, or just make a day of it. I'll just keep the lid on as suggested and hope it doesn't smoke something terrible :mrgreen:

[1845greyhounds]

There are 3 fundamental ways to avoid the smell (meaning the burnt rubber and garbage smoke).

1 - Completely combust the smoke. I'm not sure how a hobbiest would do this...

2 - Scrub the exhaust clean (like a power plant does). Again, impractical for most hobby level folks.

3 - Clean your WW before melting. This is doable. I tumble mine in a cement mixer with sand, dish soap, and water. This method removes all the road grime and wears the paint off the coated ones. It's important to wet the sand to avoid breathing sand & lead & road grime dust. Sort the WWs out of the sand, sort out the trash and Zn, and melt. As long as you start your melt from an empty container, you can start melting before everything is dry. The water will evoporate before any lead melts. But just to be sure, use a lid.

[1845greyhounds]

Soak them in 1:1 solution of 91% Rubbing (Iso-Propyl) Alcohol & gasoline overnight and churn them a few times before removing them. Rinse thoroughly with water and let dry. The IPA:Gasoline solution will pull a lot of organic "goo" that collects on them from the road, and will make removing the sticky tape, on those which have it, a lot easier. Store the IPA:Gasoline solution, because it's usually good for 4 or 5 soaks. This may not TOTALLY eliminate the odor, but my experience is that it will reduce it considerably. A shooting friend churns his in a solution of Dawn and water, before he rinses them with tap water. I can't tell a difference, but he says he can.
How do you dispose of the solvent mixture? Or does this problem take care of itself via evaporation during use?

[Nose Dive]

Well....hmmmm... Buddy... it is just gonna stink.... However.....

You can:

1. Clean the items to be smelted.
a. Water wash...( I do this on the drive way.. Spread it all out...get the hose, nozzle on spary...get after it)
b. Here is where 'segregation' plays a positive role in our society. 'get the **** out'.... plastic..rubber,,,(good luck)
2. Don't flux. ( bad idea for Quality...but...flux smokes and STINKS)
3. Be careful of what is in the pot. ( this is just 'cleaning and segregation' in one sentence)

And...my advice it do not, do not do this 'in the garage'....bad idea all the way around.

When I smelt, I 'start with' saw dust and sulfur in the pot. Now for SMOKE and SMELL...this is just a KILLER COMBO...
If you had a good 'clean smelt'...the dust and sulfur with 'blow you away' with smoke, odor and some hot to trot neighbors.

The best idea is to try it,, say..on a Monday evening...sundown... folks watching TV...not the weekend... then..on the driveway or back yard...be brave and get after it. You can put 'clean' items in the pot and try to bring it up quickly and do things fast...but..be ready to 'wear' the mix as this causes any water in the pot to turn to steam and blow the whole mess out of the pot and all over you and your garage. So, hopefully, you can see this is really a bad idea.

How about your folks? Anyone live outside the 'incorporated area' where they will let you 'smoke up the place' and not disown you?

When I lived in Louisiana, the church I went to was on the Mississippi. I would go over on Thursday after noon and mow the grass. (you guessed it...not a big congregation) Again, note, not FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY.... once lawn was mowed,,,breeze pushing out over the river...out came the smelt pot, gas bottle, saw dust, sulfur, cup cake pans, range scrap, sewer lead. I would usually get a few 'horn toots' from river boat captains navigating the river...but...they just moved on....{remember fellas..I did say my smelt w/ flux SMOKES AND STINKS!!!} And...all being outside....easy clean up. Ingots in truck, pot and cup cake tins there too,,,, all went home and no HOA complaints.

If you can't do it at home....some of us cannot...'pack up the show' and go elsewhere.

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[lightman]

You can't keep them from smoking, at least a little. You can sort out the rubber stems and tire stickers and avoid some of it. You can degrease them if they are covered in oil, grease or brake fluid. But some of them are painted or have a coating like clearcoat and they are just going to smoke. It does help if you can light the smoke, but thats not always possible.

I smelt in my shop with the doors open, but I have a large exhaust fan that moves enough air that you can see the smoke leaving. Its pretty easy to arrange my ingot molds where the smoke is being sucked away from me.

[LAGS]

I work for a few years in Tire shops.
Did you know, there are more car tires in the areas where people walk their dogs, then there are fire hydrants ?

[NavyVet1959]

I work for a few years in Tire shops.
Did you know, there are more car tires in the areas where people walk their dogs, then there are fire hydrants ?

Most cars also get washed more than do fire hydrants. :)

[LAGS]

You are correct.
But in all the years I spent in tire shops, I never saw anyone who washed their car to take it down and get a new set of tires put on.
But one shop did have a car wash, and we washed their car After we installed the new tires.

[Ola]

When is was young and stupid I once made the mistake of breathing the fumes when smelting WW's. The wind direction was changing all the time, so I was inhaling that black stinking smoke maybe for 30 minutes - 1 hour combined.

I was so sick afterwards. Never again.

[LAGS]

I got really sick one time when I worked in Demolition.
We were cutting Galvanized steel with a torch down on a pier in San Diego.
Not Fun at all

[DocSavage]

There's not much you can do about the smell so as others have said do your smelting outside. I'm fortunate I've a big backyard and can do my smelting as I please as I'm retired.