Sorting wheel weights today

[Hardcast416taylor]

It was a nice day with temps in the mid 50`s and I finally felt well enough to do a bit of wheel weight sorting out in the casting barn. I started with a back log of 6 pails about 3/4 full (5 gal. pail) plus 3 boxes of weights that might make 1/2 of another pail. I hand sort all my weights to get all the stuff that`s not lead out. I got all the boxes done and 2 of the pails done before I started getting double vision from checking the weights with end nippers and a 1" x 8" round magnet as well as visual checking. I wound up with a full to the top 5 gal. pail of good weights with the non lead stuff going into another pail for the junk yard next time. I also seperated out about 30+ lbs. of stick on soft lead weights. Still getting lead weights, but the Fe and Zn are getting more and more plentiful.Robert

[NavyVet1959]

I noticed a lot less lead in the buckets of wheelweights a year or so ago and determined that it probably wasn't worth purchasing them from my recycle center anymore. I tried sorting them once and got bored pretty quickly, so I went back to just dumping everything in the smelting pot and putting up with whatever alloy that I got. There usually wasn't enough stick-on wheelweights to affect the alloy much anyway. The pot wasn't hot enough to melt the zinc, so they and the steel clips and weights ended up getting skimmed off.

[lightman]

Sorting weights is pretty boring. I dump mine into a large wooden box that I built for the purpose. That way I can 'cherry pick' through them. I usually start with the trash. Then I move on to either the stick-on or the iron weights, both having a distinctive look. Then I'm left with the lead and zinc weights and out comes the cutters.

[Beagle333]

I can usually only do about one MFR box at a time (50-60#) before I start wanting to do something (almost anything) different. It's almost as bad as prepping brass (which I do not like.)

[billurbank]

I tell folks who have never cast to try sorting WW first before they spend on molds furnace etc.

[Kraschenbirn]

I've completely given up trying to find COWWs around here. Only two locally-owned tire shops left in town...rest are all franchise or 'big box'...and both tell me they've got buyers 'standing in line' for their used WWs. Neither of our local recyclers will sell scrap metal to the general public and the last time I bought from the one recycler around here (30-some miles away) who will sell, what I got was about 40% Zn and Fe. I've managed to lay in a decent stock of pure Sn and range scrap with a fair amount of lino and a bit of tin so I'm just going to mix my own.

Bill

[lightman]

It helps if you have a shooting buddy to help. You can bs back and fourth and it helps relieve the boredom. Our lead yield around here is still pretty good, but none of the big yards will sell to the public. Liability, I guess.

[leadbutt]

Music. Don't forget the music. I can only norm get through a 5gal bucket a day. Looks like today will be a good day to do it if I can fit it in. I norm don't have as high of a % of non-lead as I hear other members having but now that I have a friend that works at the big chain tire store that brings me free lead im noticing more non-leads in the buckets I get from him.

L. Bottoms