weight per bucket

[targetshootr]

Since first smelting last month I've been stocking up on ww and wonder if anyone has weighed a 5 gal bucketfull. Or 3/4 full, which is about as much as I can move around. And how many 250 gr bullets would you get out of one? From what casting I've done so far I say 3/4 bucket would make about 2000, 250 grainers but that's just a guess. I don't add tin, just straight ww.

[Leftoverdj]

Full bucket yields 110 -125 pounds of clean alloy. 7000 grains to the pound. 3000 250 grain bullets, roughly.

[ANeat]

Depending on how "full" really. Ive gotten 200 pounds in one but most that ive seen average around 170-200. So say you get 150 pounds of useable lead out of that. 7000 grains per pound would get you 1050000 grains of lead. Divide that by your 250 grain bullet and you get 4200 bullets.

Adam

[Bucks Owin]

I got a half 5 gal bucket of reclaimed boolits from a range yesterday and could barely lift it into the back of the truck! (Bad back)

Bet there's at least 80 lbs in there....

Dennis

[targetshootr]

That's better than I thought. So 9 buckets might be 30k boolits or more, a lot. Guess I can stop hunting them for awhile. .....Ok, that was long enough.

[cbrick]

I have never gotten more than 110 pounds of clean ingots from a very full 5 gallon bucket and most run a little under 100 pounds.

[MGySgt]

A lot depends on where you got the WW's from. Truck Tire store - more weight, Car tires (Sears, Merchants, etc) less.

I do not believe that I have ever gotten more then 95 lbs from a full bucket.

I just finished smelting 2 - 35 gal garbage cans full (about 5 inches from the top). According to some I would have well over 1400 pounds. Not so - I even added some weight from other sources and I still came out about 1200 - 1300 pounds when done.

A LOT of small weights and of course about 5 buckets of clips!

Just my experience with doing WW for 30 some years.

Drew

[imashooter2]

I just got 5 buckets of range scrap last sunday. Each was about 3/4 full and they averaged 104 pounds on a bathroom scale.

[Dale53]

Most ww's, when smelted, lose about 10% to the clips and dirt, etc. That of course depends on whether the ww's are small or large ones. Over the years, it has averaged about 10% loss.

So, if your bucket of ww's weighs 100 lbs, then you should get about 90lbs of pure ww metal after smelting.

Dale53

[targetshootr]

I've been struck by how many places, mostly the bigger ones, already have a deal with someone which is why I don't see ever feeling like I have enough. Tomorrow will be my 3rd effort smelting and I hope to get through five or six buckets... cause it may not be as much fun in July or August. Wonder how many hours these propane bottles from Home Depot generally last. Picked up another one today to swap out when the first one goes empty.

[Ken O]

I weight every bucket I get, and after smelting I throw the igots in the bucket and reweight. I dont record anything, but it varries a lot! Even the buckets, some are 5gal and some are 6gal. A 5gal 3/4 full is usually about 90lbs. Some buckets heaping full are 150+lbs.

[targetshootr]

Did about 5 buckets today which filled 1 1/2 milk crates for maybe 350 lbs and the propane bottle is still going which has run 8 hrs already. I mighta done more except it started to look like rain and 7 hours is about all I can go at it these days.

[bisley45]

I dont know what the weight is of a 5gal bucket is but I lift rolls of paper that weigh 150-175lb evry day at work (printer) and I can tell you that a bucket that is full 3" from top is darn heavy just a guess 150-175 is about right if it is full 3" from top

[largecaliberman]

I agree with Dale 53:

It depends on the size of the ww. A 5 gallon bucket would weigh around 150 lbs. But what the heck, just smelt whatever ww you could get your hands on for now. In a couple of years (we don't know when) will become obsolete because of enviromental issues. I am currently in my 50's and I managed to stockpile linotype, ww, and plumbers/roofing lead - around 4 tons enough for over 354K 158 gr or over 233k 240gr for .44s or 127k 440gr for my 500 s&w. I managed to collect this quantity in about a year's time. Point is, whatever you could get your hands on :Fire: (preferably for FREE) just stockpile them.

One piece of advice for ALL casters with a better half, if you plan to smelt hundreds of pounds, send the wife and kids to a movie and shopping, otherwise, you might get the "stink eye" from your family members.

I found it also helpful to do other things while smelting (an 80 lbs batch usually takes 25 minutes for me) such as working around the house [smilie=1: (important), :coffee: :coffee: cooking for dinner such as slow cooking ribs etc, :castmine: reloading, and tumbling brass etc, etc, etc.. [smilie=1: [smilie=1:

[NVcurmudgeon]

A good full five gallon bucket will yield about 120 nominal one pound ingots, depending on content of tire valves, balled up tire labels, cigarette packages, and soft drink cans.

[targetshootr]

I hit the mother lode today. I had to work in a town 30 miles away and since it didn't take long I made some stops on the way back and after about the fifth one the guy said yea, how many do you want. I always say, I'll take whatever you don't need, wherein he pointed to stacks of boxes and my jaw dropped. I ran back and got my other truck and loaded about 10 buckets worth, my cardio workout for '06, and he has at least as many left to get. Hopefully tomorrow I'll make it back although my legs are already faking an illness.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
I've gotten 80-100 lbs. per buckets.

[Dale53]

targetshootr;
Don't make the same mistake I did, once. I was offered several thousand pounds of linotype from a printer friend who was changing over to modern type. I kept putting it off and one day he traded the metal for a nice used truck. My loss to be sure. Go back tomorrow if you legs are killling you. Word seems to get out and it might not be there when you get back if you delay.

Good score and good luck tomorrow!!

Dale53

[KCSO]

Your average house cat can't pack a bucket of wheel weights. I set a bucket on my wifes cat last night and he hasn't moved all day. I'll try him with a 1/2 bucket tonight.

[targetshootr]

I hooked up the trailer and went back the next day and loaded 3 boxes when a big wheel walked over and said he was going to recycle them. Dadgummit. Oh well. lt was fun while it lasted and l get to keep scrounging around which is half the fun.

l have a cat but never thought about sitting a bucket of ww on top of him. Food for thought. Would a truck work?