Got a free bucket of wheel weights!... & then noticed something.

[kawasakifreak77]

So come to find out my roomie's dad owns a shop. We go by & 10 minutes later we're carrying out a bucket of WW so heavy it takes both of us to move it.

We start sorting through them thinking I've hit a gold mine & I notice a lot of them are stamped: 'Fe' so I look that up & it's the symbol for iron.

Realizing this we go back through what we had sorted, dragging the WW across the floor to figure out what they are. If they make a dull sound & are 'mushy' we put them in the box for melting. If not, they go in the reject box to return to the shop as they use them to make wieghts for their circle burners.

& the guy at the shop said something about magnesium? I thought this was going to be a lot easier.

So basically, if you are sorting through a random bucket of WW, what are you looking for?

My first boolits will be for lighter, subsonic (plain base) .357 mag loads & .35 Remington if it matters.

[fryboy]

i prefer to use a pair of side cutters and test each one , a good one will cut/nick/squish and a bad one wont , you'll soon pick up an eye for the junk ones altho to be fair some can be tricky

[Walter Laich]

a magnet is a quick way to cull out the iron ones

[ACrowe25]

Magnet culls irons but not zinc or Zn.

I also use a good pair for side cutters. Bought a nice pair for $8 or so. Was best money spent. Quickly cuts and once you get good you can smack it a little on the pliers to hear a "ting" sound for Fe. I sort a 1/4 bucket or so a day as it's boring. Doesn't take long to knock out 40 lbs or so

[kawasakifreak77]

Thanks guys! Silly me I thought all WW were lead.

I can't find a stinkin' pair of dikes in my garage here but I'm already getting an eye for 'em & the drag-across-the-floor method seems to be a good way to verify.

Mental note: this is going to take forever! But man a bucket of this aughta last an eternity!

[osteodoc08]

A bucket will only yield 120-140# assuming its full of lead. 7000 grains a pound x 125# and divide by boolit weight. If using 230gr, figure 3800 boolits. Hardly a lifetime, but nothing to sneeze at. This is why I'm contemplating shifting some to 9mm production. Very size and weight efficient, but prefer my 1911 and revolvers.

[gray wolf]

Do the best you can sorting them, when you melt them keep the melt at 600 to 650* ( thermometer )
The WW will melt and the Iron and Zinc you missed will float to the top. Go over about 750* and the Zinc will melt and good by smelt.

[s mac]

I don't Know that any wheelweights were made off magnesium, they put a coating [read paint] on weights made for mag wheels, the ones we use are marked MC, made of lead. As said, sidecutters are a good sorting tool.

[Shiloh]

Thanks guys! Silly me I thought all WW were lead.

Not any more. Used to run into iron occasionally but now there is zinc. LOTS more zinc WW thatn there used to be. I got half a bucket last fall and was glad to get them.

Shiloh

[blikseme300]

Do the best you can sorting them, when you melt them keep the melt at 600 to 650* ( thermometer )
The WW will melt and the Iron and Zinc you missed will float to the top. Go over about 750* and the Zinc will melt and good by smelt.

Similar solution to this problem. My rendering setup is temperature controlled using a PID set at 700* to prevent the zinc WW's from melting. All zinc and steel floats to the top and is skimmed off. The gotcha is that when zinc has already contaminated the alloy WW's are cast from then they will be melted as well. I use all WW rendered alloy for certain pistol boolits only, run quite hot to cast well, and use lino/mono mixed with pure for rifles. WW's today are not what they were years ago so outcomes can vary.

[kawasakifreak77]

Well I got 44 lbs here! Most my shooting is with Jwords so I'm not super worried about having a mountain of lead. I just like the idea of making my own & if need be, sustain my own bullet supply.

Sounds like the zink is iffy to get out. Where does one get a thermometer?

If I accedently melt a bunch of zink down, will I be able to tell? Will they shoot poorly or damage the bore?

Thanks for all the help. I keep reading for hours on this but it just seems like it's impossible to digest all the info / possibilities.

[Blammer]

I haul all my iron and zinc ones to the recycylers, they pay pretty good for them.

[BNE]

Thanks for all the help. I keep reading for hours on this but it just seems like it's impossible to digest all the info / possibilities.

You are close to being hooked. Once you start smelting, it will be all over. STOP NOW, THERE IS NO TURNING BACK!!!
Welcome and read all the stickies you can.

[dbosman]

It's too late already. Being willing to lug the bucket and get help with it indicated addiction already.

[bangerjim]

Magnesium is used for it's LIGHT weight (wheel rims, etc) and would not be used for wheel weights, even for mag wheels!!!!! Those will be Pb,Zn or Fe also.

A bucket of COWW's is not really that much. It's a start if they are ALL lead. As said above 7000 grains =one pound.......does not go very far!!!!!!! I cast 300gn boolits a lot!!!!!! Many of us have several TONS of lead in storage!!!!!!!

Gone are the days of buckets of free LEAD weights. Due to EPA and other greenie-**** orgs, lead is an enemy. Plan on buying most of your lead and making your casting alloys, not relying on the old WW sources of days gone bye! I now buy ALL my lead when I need/find it and do not rely on wasting gas driving from tire store to store begging weights.

As far as Zinc.......you will have to take some time (!!) and read the many stickies on here. Too much info for us to put in a simple reply like this. Lots to learn....it's ALL here for the reading.

banger

[kawasakifreak77]

Man this all just gets more complicated as I get into it. I work graveyards in a factory & I read on here nightly trying to figure all this out.

My game plan is to go one step at a time. I got a mold. Got a bit of lead. Working a deal on a melting pot. Then I'll be onto lubing & sizing I think.

Tons of lead? Seriously? What on earth do you use that much lead for? Freaking cannons?

I've got this source of lead & a friend who owns a motorcycle shop that is keeping all his WW for me. I also should be able to get more from a co-op I used to work at. Plus I've started picking boolits off the ground at the range, not much, but it's free & adds to the pile. All those sources combined I aught a be good for awhile as this is only to feed a couple low volume firearms.

[Trinidad Bill]

Well I own a tire store. They are as complicated to put on wheels as they are to sort! I have my guys sort the lead one out for me so by the time I touch them they are 90+% lead.

[lunicy]

Tons of lead? Seriously? What on earth do you use that much lead for? Freaking cannons?

Well sir,
7000 grains in a pound
230 gr/.45 boolit

Thats 30 boolits per pound.

I can easily go through 10lbs of boolits per range visit (usually 20) but for ease, we'll stick to 10
Go to the rage once a week?
Thats a quarter ton a year.

Lead is getting harder to find. Does anyone know for certain if you will be able to get lead in a year?
EPA make USPS classify it as hazardous and no more shipping from Ebay, or ROTO.
Tire shops aren't getting new lead WW.

Tons of lead isn't much. Especially because, some people shoot more than once a week, and more that a couple hundred at a time.

[1989toddm]

Trinidad Bill, you've got it made sounds like! Let me know if you ever decide you've got enough

[Trinidad Bill]

Trinidad Bill, you've got it made sounds like! Let me know if you ever decide you've got enough

I have always given it away to casters I know. All I ask is for a few bullets!