Today's Trip to Tire Store

[RoadBike]

I was able to get a small bucket of tire weights today and decided to weigh everything I got from the bucket to the nearest pound. I had a total of 79 pounds of stuff in the bucket.

Trash including valve stems, valve cores, lug nuts, screws, "foam" weights etc. = 1.3%
Zinc weights = 2.5%
Steel weights = 11.4%
Stick on wheel weights (SOWW) (lead) = 12.7%
Clip-on wheel weights (COWW) (lead) = 72.1%

I dumped the bucket out on concrete and went to work with my magnet to get rid of most of the steel weights. In the process, I segregated the SOWW. After that, I got to work with the side cutter (a/k/a "dikes") to weed out any unlabeled zinc and any remaining steel.

Also been collecting range scrap. Now I have to get brave enough to conduct my first smelt.

[hc18flyer]

I usually psych myself out, especially the first time. No worries, put on your safety equipment, heat it up slowly to catch any zinc you missed, flux, and pour your ingots. I use a cartridge type mask for smelting(outside), but not casting(inside)Good haul on your bucket, Flyer

[lightman]

You got a good % on the yield. Many report much less. Smelting is not complicated, just think it through before you get started. The biggest bottleneck in most smelting operations is waiting for the ingot mold to cool. There are several stickies on smelting and you can pick up some good ideas by reading them. Good Luck!

[Hardcast416taylor]

Unless you want a softer WW alloy when smelting the COWW`s, don`t add in the SOWW`s as they are of a softer lead and are almost pure soft lead.Robert

[Mitch]

You did well getting about 85% lead in that bucket I been getting around 50% with the last few I got.hey you have to start somewhere may as well jump right in and melt some lead.it is agood idea to keep the coww and the sow separate.start out with the pot cold go slow and have fun getting the hang of it.

[Vinne]

You did great. The best I've been able to do lately is upside down to you...25% WW, 75% junk and glad to get that!!

[Chris C]

I'm with Vinne. I get about 75/25 myself. Still worth it to me. Sounds as if you did rather well for yourself. Congrats.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

Hey fellow okie! hows it going? anyways, could someone post a picture of one of these unlabeled zinc ww's? I thought they were all labled and I haven't had any float up on me, I kno they would bcause I occasionally miss one and it floats to the top, not hot enough to melt, at least I catch it before it does. I would hate to get that stuff in my precious silver soup!