Wheel Weight Rogue's Gallery (the Good & the Bad but no ugly)

[Bigjohn]

I would like to propose a Rogues Gallery of Wheel Weights to inform all comers to this site of what is good, bad and new in the raw material we all need to enjoy our sport.

If the powers that be, deem it important enough, then may they have the foresight to make it a "Sticky", if not here then in a more appropiate section of the forum.

I would like all possible knowledge on this material collected in one place including pictures of known samples as well as those we are not certain of.

I would like to start the ball rolling with the following from my most recent collection.

Attachment 3416
A weight which is attracted to a magnet, rings like steel.

Attachment 3417
A stick on type which is also attracted to a magnet.

Attachment 3418
Another type of weight which is attracted to a magnet, rings like steel.

Attachment 3419
Non-magnetic weight which are plated/dipped, status unknown may be just plated to prevent oxidation. More info needed.

Attachment 3420
Stick on type status unknown, markings different from normal pb stick ons.

Attachment 3421
Another Stick on type status unknown, markings different from normal pb stick ons.

Attachment 3422
Zinc Stick type Weights???

Attachment 3423
Zinc Clip on weights???

Attachment 3424
Zinc Clip on weight???

As you can see there are a few I am not certain of and I am willing to ammend my post upon receipt of further information.

The last collection I did of raw material has produced the most number of questionable samples from any lot collected. My tyre dealer is still using the pb based versions and has not been forced to change to environmentally friendly materials, yet.

John.

[WHITETAIL]

I just scored on 3 pails of WW. And went through all 3 buckets.
I did find the ones you have in the first and third pic.
I filled a sandwich bag with the zinc WW.

[WHITETAIL]

I did buy a new Lyman thermometer so when I melt this new batch I can control the temp.

[UweJ]

Anything with Zn on it is a Zinc WW.
Uwe

[3sixbits]

That has got to be the best reason in the world for keeping you melt below the 850 degs it takes to melt that crap zink.

[Uncle Grinch]

I had some of these strange weights also. One was actually plastic.

See my post...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...258#post162258

[Bigjohn]

I had some of these strange weights also. One was actually plastic.

See my post...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...258#post162258

Yes, even I found one which was plastic in the lastest collection. The clip was missing.
It would be good to combined your photo into the thread as there are some in yours which I have not seen yet.

A alternative method of sorting them out is through the smelting pot. My problem at this time is keeping to temp of the pot to 650 degrees. I cannot control the heat generated by the flame, so what goes in the pot gets melted.

Until I can control the temp, I need to sort very well what I plan to smelt.

John.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I use a Coleman stove to heat my old plumbers pot. I don't sort the WWs per se, just pitch a suspect if it catches my eye. I do watch the pot fairly closely as it melts and catch it when most of the contents are melted. I start skimming off the clips and usually a couple of zincs and steels. At that point the pot is only marginally above the melting point of lead and quite a ways from the melting point of zinc.

Its using the phase change to control temp. The temp of the WWs in solid keeps increasing until the solid to liquid phase change occurs (it melts). Then the liquid remains at that temperature (in theory, in reality very near that temperature), until the other WWs in contact with the liquid complete the phase change into liquid. That is the heat energy coming from the flame, must first go into getting all the solid Pb into liquid Pb before the liquid Pb can start getting hotter. So, I just catch the pot with in a couple of minutes of when the Pb finishes melting, and the liquid temp is still below Zinc's melting point, skim, dump in more WWs, chilling the pot and start the phase transition again, and again, until the pot is comfortably full for casting, or pour into ingots.

[dnepr]

I am thinking that the wheel wieght hunter is better to stay to the tire shops and the smaller garages . I am a mechanic at a Toyota dealer and most of the new vehicles come with non lead wheel weights . so I have to deal with a high percentage when I take the wheel weights home . Most of the Toyota's seem to come with the first ones in pic one . and after a couple winters of our salty conditions they have specs of rust. there is some iron in there somewhere. I don't mind dealing with the sorting it is a fair trade for having my own captive supply of wheel weights.

[UweJ]

Here in Germany tire shops don´t use lead weights any more,when rotating tires or getting new ones on your rim they put zink weights on.Only when the older tires are beeing taken out will the lead weights find their way back to the tire shop.The excetions are trucks and buses.But they really have some goodies on them.I have a original box of weights,25with 400gramms each. The ones in the pics above are all in gramms.
Uwe

[Uncle Grinch]

Sounds like lead wheel weights are going the way of Lino.

You better get'm while the get'n is good!

[Orygun]

Been lurking for a while and find this a very imformative site, and this thread made me sign in to share. I smelted about 200 lbs. of WW''s today into ingots and the only zinc I found were these.

The larger one is stamped Zn, but the small one has no marking and I'm sure it is Zn as well. Is there supposed to be a standard to mark all zinc WW's?

Attachment 3449

[wildkatt]

Last year on this site someone suggested testing WWs by attempting to carve a sliver from the edge of the WW. If it is lead, you can carve a thin sliver that curls up as you carve. I have been using this method and also watching for floaters. So far I have culled some WWs and have had no floaters. Can any one confirm this method further?

I just scored 405 lbs of WWs for $40. I think I will find some zinc. I will post what I find.

WK

[UweJ]

Orygun I don´t now about the laws Stateside but in Germany Zinc weights have to be marked Zn as to be clearly recognizeable.
The 10 gramm weight might be just a WW which is coated,at least I hope so.
Good luck
Uwe

[NVcurmudgeon]

Been lurking for a while and find this a very imformative site, and this thread made me sign in to share. I smelted about 200 lbs. of WW''s today into ingots and the only zinc I found were these.

The larger one is stamped Zn, but the small one has no marking and I'm sure it is Zn as well. Is there supposed to be a standard to mark all zinc WW's?

Attachment 3449

Orygun, check that small tape weight with a magnet. I found quite a few like that in my last bucket, all were magnetic. Traditional lead tape weights must bend to match the curve of the wheel. Makers of steel and zinc tape weights avoid the need to bend by making them very small.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Last year on this site someone suggested testing WWs by attempting to carve a sliver from the edge of the WW. If it is lead, you can carve a thin sliver that curls up as you carve. I have been using this method and also watching for floaters. So far I have culled some WWs and have had no floaters. Can any one confirm this method further?

I just scored 405 lbs of WWs for $40. I think I will find some zinc. I will post what I find.

WK

wildkatt, floaters can be steel, zinc, or plastic. The all-plastic will melt easily and disapppear, leaving a strong solvent smell behind. Naturally steel weights will just sit there. To avoid melting zinc and ruining a whole pot of alloy keep your smelting temperatue well below zinc's melting point of about 780 F, say down around 600-650. That will allow fast melt of lead weights with no risk of zinc contamination.

[Orygun]

Orygun, check that small tape weight with a magnet. I found quite a few like that in my last bucket, all were magnetic. Traditional lead tape weights must bend to match the curve of the wheel. Makers of steel and zinc tape weights avoid the need to bend by making them very small.

Just checked and it is not magnetic. It looks, feels and sounds just like the larger one. Pretty sure it is zinc.

[Orygun]

A nice day today and I took advantage and "smendered" all of the wheel weights that I had. Should be 150#-200# of ingots and ready to make boolits. Got 'er done just as the wind was picking up.

I think that the small ones will be great for "topping off" the furnace, and the pepper shaped ones should be good for the "hot" loads. The bucket in the background are those dadblamed soft stick on weights. I'll use them for sinkers.

Note to self: Need more lead.

Here are a few culls from my session, and I still think that this thread should be a "sticky" as we could all benefit from it. Please, mods?

The #10 definately looks like zinc. the #20 appears to be regular WW and the #25 seems to be a softer alloy. The #65 I belive is regular WW metal, but not sure.

[454PB]

A very neat and organized setup, Orygun!

[Orygun]

A very neat and organized setup, Orygun!

Thank you. Obviously I did a little clean-up for the photo, but I do try to be organized without getting anal.