I'm sure I'm not the first to wonder this but I read a lot of people talking about what a PITA it is to clean wheel weights and let them dry before you melt them. I just lucked into my first batch of wheel weights and yup, they are definately dirty. What would happen if you took your tumbler out to the back yard, to keep any lead powder, etc. from collecting in the garage and ran them through the tumbler with the crushed shell lizard litter? Would it somehow remove some of the lead from the weights and make it not worth doing? Any thoughts?
Stupid wheel weight question
- Thread starter layusn1
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nitesite
Member
I'm not sure, but I suspect that because of their weight they would not do well in a vibratory tumbler. In a rotary tumbler they might just beat it to death. Just a guess, tho'.
creekwalker
Member
LAY
I’m not sure what you’ve been told about cleaning wheel weights before melting them down and casting them into ingots, but I’ve never heard of washing them first. All your doing is melting them down in a cast Iron or steel pot over a propane stove or in an electric furnace, than the dirt, clips and other debris, being lighter float to the top to be skimmed of. Of course there’s more to it than this as melting temperatures and fluxing are a little more involved but not that much so when making your ingots. Just stay away from car batteries and water when smelting and read some of the available literature before you get started.
Creekwalker
I’m not sure what you’ve been told about cleaning wheel weights before melting them down and casting them into ingots, but I’ve never heard of washing them first. All your doing is melting them down in a cast Iron or steel pot over a propane stove or in an electric furnace, than the dirt, clips and other debris, being lighter float to the top to be skimmed of. Of course there’s more to it than this as melting temperatures and fluxing are a little more involved but not that much so when making your ingots. Just stay away from car batteries and water when smelting and read some of the available literature before you get started.
Creekwalker
Brian Williams
Moderator Emeritus
I don't wash, I just melt them, flux it and pour into an old muffin tin.
Fatelvis
Member
No preliminary cleaning of the WWs are necissary. Just be sure they are dry when adding them to an already melted batch, or the molten lead will spatter, and be thrown all over.
Bula
Member
+1 on not cleaning the weights prior to smelting. The PITA for me is sifting through all of the crap mixed in with the WW from the tire shops. I know some don't sort anything out of their buckets but them damned valve stems stink and smoke A LOT. As for the dirty wheel weights going into the pot, that's perfectly ok. Just melt it down, get the clips out quick, flux, scrape sides and bottom of your pot real good, stir and repeat if desired. I like to get the clips out quick to avoid melting down any zinc weights to my mix. good luck.
Cool, thanks for all the tips. Does anyone have a link to a good beginner site or advice on what I would need to get started? Not all of the bullet molds, etc because that is a bit down the road but what I would need to get these melted, fluxed, and turned into ingots. Thanks.
Daniel964
Member
Try these sites out of you don't already have them.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/
http://www.castbulletassoc.org/
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/
http://www.castbulletassoc.org/
Get a bottom pour ladle. Not a must have, but you need a ladle of some sort anyway and they are nice to keep trash out of you bullets.
TEDDY
Member
meltin lead
get an iron pot,a turkey cooker,a large kichen sperferated spoon or ladle and pick up a cast iron muffin pan.:banghead:
get an iron pot,a turkey cooker,a large kichen sperferated spoon or ladle and pick up a cast iron muffin pan.:banghead:
TEDDY
Member
meltin lead
get an iron pot,a turkey cooker,a large kichen perferated spoon or ladle and pick up a cast iron muffin pan.:banghead:
get an iron pot,a turkey cooker,a large kichen perferated spoon or ladle and pick up a cast iron muffin pan.:banghead:
cracked butt
Member
Just cook them the way they are- even if you wash them and carefully dry them, many still have paint or plastic coatings on them that need to burn off anyhow. The ugliest, greasiest, dirtiest, most soaked in dog pee wheel weights will yield beautiful clean lead after you cook, remove the clips, flux and skim.
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