Wheel Weight Identification (Pictures)

[chris in va]

Curious about those stick-ons, noticed some marked T-A-W melt very quickly like the regular WW, while the slightly thicker versions with 1/4oz don't melt at all. I was told these are pure lead and have a higher melting point than alloy WW.

These melt fast.

 

[Jolly Rogers]

Al,AW, MC and some other codes on weights signify the shape of the clip and the rim side of the weight. Different codes are for different shape rims on aluminum wheels. The thickness and depth of the rim call for different shape weights. The Fe or Zn are what the weights are composed of. Like others have stated temp your melts to 700 degrees and you can skim off any non lead weights and clips.
Joe

 

[USSR]

Quote:
Originally Posted by USSR
The painted ones and the one marked "Zn" are Zinc. DO NOT put them in the pot with the lead ones, as you will contaminate the pot.

UNTRUE!!!! The painted weights are painted so they blend in with mag wheels "prettier". The paint melts right off in the pot. Some painted weights are zinc. NOT ALL by a long shot, most are lead.

evan,

All I can go by is the fact that ALL of the painted wheel weights I have come across have been made of zinc. They get tossed. YMMV.

Don

 

[zxcvbob]

All I can go by is the fact that ALL of the painted wheel weights I have come across have been made of zinc. They get tossed. YMMV.

You're probably throwing away a *bunch* of good lead. (all the ones marked "AL-MC", for instance, are lead weights with a thick coat of plasticky paint.) Pull out all the ones marked "Zn" or "Fe", then melt the others slowly and you'll be OK.

I like to put good old fashioned unpainted lead weights on the bottom of the melter to get a nice puddle going so it doesn't have hot spots that might melt a zinc weight that got away from me and is at the bottom of the pot.

The one batch that got away from me and ruined the lead was all stick-on weights (before I knew some of them were iron or zinc) and there were a bunch of iron weights in there -- so it got a lot hotter than I thought before I checked it because so many weights weren't melting down.

 

[USSR]

You're probably throwing away a *bunch* of good lead.

Nope, they failed the pliers test.

Don