First WWs find

[ilcop22]

Not being much of a lead-seeker in the past, I had usually just purchased my lead.

While talking with an employee, I mentioned wanting to contact some local tire shops looking for old WWs. He suggested I contact the auto technology guys (I work at a college) about the WWs.

I made the contact and the gentlemen I spoke with told me he has a bunch of old WWs that he wouldn't mind me taking off his hands. He asked what they were for, so I explained how I cast boolits. Turns out he's a hunter, bowman and bow fisherman. So he readily showed me to where they are. It was a pretty small pile from the looks, but free WWs are free WWs any day of the week.

So I come back at the end of my shift to pick up the WWs. I had my handy Home Depot bucket in tow. I started loading up the WWs and to my surprise what appeared to be a small pile ended up being around 70#s of clip-on WWs underneath a decaying box the pile was sitting on!

They're nice and clean, too.

Just thought I'd share. Happy casting, all.

[257 Shooter]

Ask and you shall receive. Great find. Enjoy casting them. Since you are in the sharing mood, you could share some with me.

[johnny356ER]

just remember to stay away from the shiney ones...they're zinc alloy (bad stuff)
johnny

[hammerhead357]

Well sometimes the shiney ones are just real new ones that get chunked into the bucket by mistake or a p/o person. I watched one of the tire techs at a tire shop today get upset with the balancer and throw several new shiney WWs in the used bucket and they doggoned sure weren't zink.
My oldest son is a mech. there and I have to go back tommorow to see if I can p/u a couple of buckets of WWs....Wes

[Wayne Smith]

Battery terminals are lead, too.

[theperfessor]

Yeah, but stay away from the lead plates inside a battery. Plenty of info here on the dangers of using battery lead, just do a search.

[hammerhead357]

Went by yesterday evening and picked up two 5 gallon buckets of FREE WWs. When the youngest son and I unloaded them we weighed them and it came out to a total of 362 lbs.
We haven't sorted them yet but I did see some lug nuts and other trash in there right on top. This bunch of WWs should add nicely to the pile for the next big melt.....Wes

[Bill*]

hammerhead357: 362 lbs "should add nicely to the pile for the next big melt"? Dang....That would BE my next big melt. In fact my biggest!

[hammerhead357]

Bill I tend to hold onto WWs until I have enough to warrant firing up my old gas fired bottom pour furnace. It holds 1000 lbs of linotype and about 1200 or so lbs of WWs. I want to have enough on hand to use it to the best of its ability. So I only fire it up when I have enough to fill it up. I like to have 1000 to 1200 lbs of WWs on hand when I do fire it up.
I do have a smaller dutch oven melter that I use for some things and I guess it gets more use than the big furnace. But I do like to fire the big one up and be done with a large amount of lead at one time....Wes

[Bill*]

Yeah...I think my saucepan and hotplate would have a fit but good for you. Maybe someday.......