Finally started sorting WW

[housedad]

I finally can budget some time to go through all these wheel weights. I figure I'll get through the 3000 lbs sometime in September. Then it will be time to start smelting.

Interestingly, I found a whole pile of ingots already made frome a lyman mold. I havn't checked their hardness yet, but I wonder why they were dumped at the recycler? Estate, maybe?

[fallout4x4]

someone didn't have a use for them and wanted the money.

[Gunslinger]

I sorted my way through 600lbs of WWs during the last 3 months...... god I hate it. I hope for you you don't have a lot of zinc and steel weights and only have to sort out the stick-ons.

I had a lot of zinc in some of my buckets... takes forever!!

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

I pick out the stick ons and let the smelter sort the rest out.

[Pepe Ray]

HEADS UP!!
Don't assume that because you found some ready made ingots that they are the right stuff. You'll want to check them out , unless you've got some reliable info as to their content.
Could be that someone had a contaminated batch to get rid of. Check out at least a representative sample.
Pepe Ray

[Dale53]

housedad;
Pepe Ray is giving you EXCELLENT advice.

Good luck!

Dale53

[housedad]

Noted on the advice. Thanks. I was going to do a hardness test on them. I don't know what else to do though.

[selmerfan]

I hope you're only sorting for stick-on wheelweights. I have found sorting for anything else a waste of my time. While smelting I have invariably kept the temps low enough for lead wheelweights, while zinc and obviously steel float to the top. Are there any other benefits to handsorting weights before melting into ingots?

[jar-wv]

I sort em as I put em in the pot. Keep out the stick ons and let the zinkers float.

jar

[Sonoma2k2]

i do what the coyote hunter does. throw the stickies away and let roll. the ones i have found to be zinc usually have the letters "DH" on them. and i'm guessing their zinc cause they floating when all else is melted.

i failed chemistry so what.

[fredj338]

i do what the coyote hunter does. throw the stickies away and let roll. the ones i have found to be zinc usually have the letters "DH" on them. and i'm guessing their zinc cause they floating when all else is melted.

i failed chemistry so what.
You shouldn't thorw the sickie wts away, they are pure lead unless they a re zinc or steel. About half the buckets I get are stickon. Smelt it spearate U& mix it 50/50 for most handgun bullets or smelt it 50/50 & shoot it as is for pistol bullets to 1200fps.

[jonk]

I keep the stick on ones for my muzzleloader and just blast the rest with the weed burner from below. I am sure I've gotten some zinc in the melt already but it was never bad enough that a pot on 8 or 9 didn't result in good fill out- so minimal indeed.

[housedad]

I don't throw anything away. You know the drill. Parents were depression kids. Poor swamp rats from the Everglades and the Okefenokee Swamps. Total packrats that taught us kids to never throw away something you CAN use (not maybe use).

I'll probably keep every scrap of lead I have forever. At least what I don't shoot!! Even the zinks will get melted with bad alloy for fish weights or slingshot ammo.:-D

Thanks for the tips. I need everyone I can get!!!