Smelting Stick On Lead Weights?

[TexPatriot]

I came into a paint bucket full of lead stick on wheel weights. I know that it almost pure lead which will be perfect for the buckshot I want to cast with it.

I have seen lots of videos on how to melt down clip on wheel weights; however, I couldn’t find any on stick on wheel weights.

Do I need to try to remove the stick on parts or can I simply skim it off the top after the lead is melted.

Note: sorry if this answer is on the forum somewhere. My Google Fu is weak today and I could not locate it.

[Kylongrifle32]

I would just smelt them down. Toss in some candle wax and stir it good then skim off the doss.
But I would only do this outside in a good ventilated area. I live on a hill top so I can always count on a breeze in my driveway for this type of smelting

[44magLeo]

I agree with Kylongrifle32. If you have a large outdoor melting set up then just melt them. I have access to saw dust and pine needles. I would flux with one of these a time or two then use beeswax then pour into ingots.
If you don't have such a set up and will be meltig them in your casting pot then use just the beeswax. This leaves the pot cleaner sawdust. The left over crud for the sawdust can cause problems in your casting pot.
Leo

[lightman]

I've melted a lot of stick-on weights. I just load the pot and fire it up. When the smoke starts rolling I'll light it. The sticky stuff burns off and leaves a small amount of ash behind to be skimmed off. Its not a lot worse than a bunch of greasy clip-on weights or a batch that are painted or coated.

[Winger Ed.]

I do it outside, late at night when everyone has their heater or AC going, there is a breeze, and there's not any open windows.

Trying to get the tape off them first is an exercise in frustration.

[rmark]

Just melt them down, adhesive and all. Also the stick on weights I've tested seem to fall between pure and wheel weight lead in hardness, about BHN 7-8.

[GregLaROCHE]

As everyone says, just melt them down. Impurities will burn off or be removed with flux.

I’ve never cast shot before, but don’t you want shot to be very hard? Isn’t that why normally shot has a lot of arsenic in it. Maybe it’s only necessary for smaller size shot and not buckshot. As I said before, I’m not an expert on shot, but maybe you would want to try and harden your lead up some.

[bangerjim]

Re-melt away. All the garbage and glue will burn off.....but with voluminous clouds of extremely noxious smoke and horrible stink. That is why you do it at NIGHT! SOWW's have a lot of hydrocarbon garbage stuck to them and it all has to burn off into your neighborhood environment!

Re-melt with some more cedar flakes to help minimize the smell and flux at the same time.

Finish off (the 3rd time fluxing) with a flux of pine sawdust and beeswax after all the garbage is skimmed off.

You will end up with a Pb alloy somewhere around 7-8 hardness.

Gee.................isn't getting "FREE" Pb just a barrel of laughs?????????????????? :killingpc

banger

[TexPatriot]

As everyone says, just melt them down. Impurities will burn off or be removed with flux.

I’ve never cast shot before, but don’t you want shot to be very hard? Isn’t that why normally shot has a lot of arsenic in it. Maybe it’s only necessary for smaller size shot and not buckshot. As I said before, I’m not an expert on shot, but maybe you would want to try and harden your lead up some.

I have read a lot of different opinions on how hard buckshot should be. I am going to start on the soft side of things and save my stash of harder stuff for boolits.

Definitely going to do this outside. Using a deep cast iron pan with ingots in muffin tins.

[TexPatriot]

Re-melt away. All the garbage and glue will burn off.....but with voluminous clouds of extremely noxious smoke and horrible stink. That is why you do it at NIGHT! SOWW's have a lot of hydrocarbon garbage stuck to them and it all has to burn off into your neighborhood environment!

Re-melt with some more cedar flakes to help minimize the smell and flux at the same time.

Finish off (the 3rd time fluxing) with a flux of pine sawdust and beeswax after all the garbage is skimmed off.

You will end up with a Pb alloy somewhere around 7-8 hardness.

Gee.................isn't getting "FREE" Pb just a barrel of laughs?????????????????? :killingpc

banger

Yep. I am starting to cast because I want to learn to be more self sufficient. Reloading pistol and rifle ammo went well. Now, I am learning to cast boolits, slugs, and buckshot.

I went to Cabelas today. They were completely out of pistol rounds and most of the shotgun shells were waterfowl loads.

Mind you - we are in Dove season!! Who wants to shoot doves with a 3 in HyperSteel 3000 shell?

[brewer12345]

I have read a lot of different opinions on how hard buckshot should be. I am going to start on the soft side of things and save my stash of harder stuff for boolits.

Definitely going to do this outside. Using a deep cast iron pan with ingots in muffin tins.


You can certainly cast shot/buck out of soft stuff, but the trouble with soft shot is that the balls knock into each other as they go down the barrel and fly toward the target. Every collision deforms the balls when made out of soft alloy and tends to result in kind of erratic patterns. Harder shot tends to resist deforming upon collision with other bits of shot and gives better patterns. So traditionally you would want like 5% antimony, which is pretty hard stuff.

Better idea for your SOWW: Get a muzzleloader with a slow twist for round ball and cast yourself some round balls out of your nice soft alloy. Talk about self sufficient...

[MrWolf]

lot easier and cleaner to smelt without the adhesive. I just dumped a bunch of leftover stuff like mineral spirits, thinners, etc into a buck with lid. Dump in stick ons and let sit a few days. Comes out nice and clean. Good luck.
Ron

[alamogunr]

Years ago when I had a large quantity of SOWW to melt, I also had a large quantity of orangey(?) smelling degreaser that the company I worked for was letting employees have if they brought their container. I soaked the adhesive off the WW and then melted them for ingots. A dirty messy job.

I expect that just throwing everything in the pot would be easier, just much smokier.

[GregLaROCHE]

What about using zinc for shot? Lighter than lead, harder and heavier than steel, I think.

I just checked. Zinc is lighter than steel. Scratch that idea.

[BUFFALOW RED]

I got a can full of stick on we and almost all are zink.
What do we do with zink

[BUFFALOW RED]

I got a can full of stick on ww and almost all are zink.
What do we do with zink

[BUFFALOW RED]

I must have double tap post butten

[pjames32]

Zinc and steel go in the scrap bucket. I run a magnet over the pile first, then sort out the zinc with a side cutter. The lead are pretty easy to pick out. I do not clean them first. They are smoky!

[fredj338]

The adhesive is a nasty mess. I have about 200# sitting there as back up for the apocalypse. You can soak them 15min in gasoline, paint thinner or mineral spirits & the sticky tape wipes right off. Just make sure everything is dry before adding to the pot.

[TexPatriot]

The adhesive is a nasty mess. I have about 200# sitting there as back up for the apocalypse. You can soak them 15min in gasoline, paint thinner or mineral spirits & the sticky tape wipes right off. Just make sure everything is dry before adding to the pot.

I used mineral spirits and it came off nice.

How do you dry it off in a situation like this? My plan was to simply let it air dry over a few weeks. My other idea was to put them in a cast iron skillet and hit them with the heat gun for a few minutes.

[AndyC]

Yep. I am starting to cast because I want to learn to be more self sufficient. Reloading pistol and rifle ammo went well. Now, I am learning to cast boolits, slugs, and buckshot.
https://i.imgur.com/ZonK5Ub.jpg


How do you dry it off in a situation like this? My plan was to simply let it air dry over a few weeks. My other idea was to put them in a cast iron skillet and hit them with the heat gun for a few minutes.
Mineral spirits is fairly volatile ie. it evaporates pretty fast. Personally I'd just chuck 'em in the dutch oven with the lid off and heat it a little over my turkey-fryer to evaporate the rest of the spirits for 15 mins or so before cranking it up to melt the lead.

[reloader28]

I just dump them in the pot and melt them uncleaned.
I also dont flux it. I want pure lead and I figure if I'm stirring stuff back in, its not pure lead. I just skim it until theres nothing more floating, then ladle it into ingots. It works perfect for me and measures .1+ on my Lee tester, so very soft (dont have a number)