I would like to take my reloading to the next level and start casting my own bullets. I’m not quite ready to do this, however in preparation I’ve acquired a few buckets of wheel weights that I’m in the process of melting down. I’ve got a semi decent system going with the side burner on the BBQ and an old frying pan. I’m debating about updating to one of the Lee bottom pour furnaces, as I figure I will eventually need this. My question is this – would one of these be appropriate for an initial melt to remove all of the clips and other crud, or would I be better to stick with my initial method, and only use this for final casting with clean lead?
Melting wheel weights
- Thread starter sallen
- Start date
Side burners work well although slow. Cast iron is good for holding and dissipating the heat. The frying pan may be slow going due to it's depth or lack thereof. A Lee melter is the best deal for the price, since RCBS and Lyman stuff is 3 times the price. Don't use your melter for smelting however. Too much garbage can inadvertently accumulate in the spout, even if you flux a lot. Make sure you inspect your WW's as you put them in. One Zinc WW can ruin your day.
I use my Lee pot to melt ww and make ingots and it's OK. Even a 20 lb pot is fairly slow and if your other way is faster you might use it when you end up doing a lot. I know some guys get a bl**dy great pot and have at it. Back when I was doing a lot of ww I would sometimes feel like setting up this way. In fact, now I think about it, I even ended up buying propane burner that I was sure would really pour the heat to a big pot. It's still probably around here somewhere. If I was doing a lot of cast again I might even overcome the lazy factor and finish off the project
. First time around with small amounts I wouldn't bother. I really make sure that I don't inhale any of the fumes that come off the ww at any time, but first time around they seem particularly virulent. So, I do it outside on a nice day, wear my mask and make sure I'm upwind from the process. Watch out for any kind of moisture in the ww. The clips can trap moisture and one is enough. This happened to me a couple of years back and it put a really interesting pattern in one of the curtains in my car port from the explosion. (nothing to fool with, that's for sure) The other thing about ww is they can be quite dirty first time around and you will have to do a bit of skimming, and pick out the clips, of course, which is easily enough done. Finally, you will find that there are various things used to make ingots. I found it was nice to have an ingot mould, Lee in this case. If you ever do decide to experiment with different mixes a mould ensures the ingots will be of uniform size and weight.
. First time around with small amounts I wouldn't bother. I really make sure that I don't inhale any of the fumes that come off the ww at any time, but first time around they seem particularly virulent. So, I do it outside on a nice day, wear my mask and make sure I'm upwind from the process. Watch out for any kind of moisture in the ww. The clips can trap moisture and one is enough. This happened to me a couple of years back and it put a really interesting pattern in one of the curtains in my car port from the explosion. (nothing to fool with, that's for sure) The other thing about ww is they can be quite dirty first time around and you will have to do a bit of skimming, and pick out the clips, of course, which is easily enough done. Finally, you will find that there are various things used to make ingots. I found it was nice to have an ingot mould, Lee in this case. If you ever do decide to experiment with different mixes a mould ensures the ingots will be of uniform size and weight.
Are you still using the BBQ for cooking? I would not want to cook on that BBQ if you are melting lead on it as well. I use an RCBS furnace for all lead prep including the initial meltdown of the wheelweights. If you use Marvelux from Brownell's (I get it from WSS) it will help remove the crud easily. Make sure you work in a very well ventilated area. Make sure you have an old spoon (on an extended handle you will have to fabricate) to scrape the dust from the wheelweights off the sides of the pot or furnace. The pressure of the melted lead will hold the dirt and crud to the sides of the pot/furnace if you don't scrape the pot frequently all the way down.
Finally, I would make sure there is nothing wet (including oil) on your wheelweights when you put them into the furnace/pot. I found out the hard way many years ago when I brought some wheelweights in that had gotten some snow in the bucket. Instant explosion of molten lead when that snow went in the pot. Thank God for safety glasses.
As long as you clean the crud frequently, the wheelweight clips will float to the top as I'm sure you have seen. They are easy to skim off. It is the fine dirt that you want to get rid of and the Brownell's Marvelux will get rid of that.
Finally, I would make sure there is nothing wet (including oil) on your wheelweights when you put them into the furnace/pot. I found out the hard way many years ago when I brought some wheelweights in that had gotten some snow in the bucket. Instant explosion of molten lead when that snow went in the pot. Thank God for safety glasses.
As long as you clean the crud frequently, the wheelweight clips will float to the top as I'm sure you have seen. They are easy to skim off. It is the fine dirt that you want to get rid of and the Brownell's Marvelux will get rid of that.
You can speed up the melting process by using a hand held propane torch to put a little extra heat into the mass while your waiting for it to melt.
I'd like to know more about how to get rid of the slag. Mostly through the pouring?
I'd like to know more about how to get rid of the slag. Mostly through the pouring?
- Location
- Montreal, Quebec
What you need:
The LEE melter pots should be used for clean lead ingots only.
- propane burner, type used for corn roasts (about $50).
- a used heavyweight pot at a garage sale.
- metal soup ladle
- oven mitts
- filter mask A GOOD ONE (about $50) - remember lead is a POISON.
The LEE melter pots should be used for clean lead ingots only.
I too learned the hard way how instant and incredibly dangerous a very small amount of water is. I had set a brick of lead on my back deck. Apparently, there was enough dew at that time of year to create the instantaneous and violent explosion of molten lead mentioned above as I placed the brick into the molten pot.
I now were long sleeves and welders gloves when casting - in addition to safety glasses (I really should have a face shield).
A mask (with appropriate cartridge - no not all filter cartridges are created equal - you may actually do more harm to yourself using the wrong filter than not using a mask at all - the safety shop where you purchase the filters will have a list showing which filter is appropriate) is very important.
My first marathon casting session conducted outdoors (no mask) with a slight wind, resulted in 2,500 cast 10mm bullets and physical symptoms very similar to those that I had experienced when hospitalized for Xylene exposure on a work site.
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Ditto, a propane powered unit such as fish fryer with a cast iron pot and big ladle is probably the best for the money, continuous fluxing and skimming is required for a clean mix. Never, ever put any lead into the melted mix if there is any moisture or chance of moisture as you will experience a "tinsel shower" which doesn't sound as bad as it is, very dangerous!! This is a very slow, time consuming, dirty process, enjoy!
blacksmithden
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
If you've got the time, keep using what you're using if it's working for you. Don't use your casting pot for melting down wheel weights if you can avoid it. There's just too much dirt and other garbage that'll accumulate on the bottom and walls of the pot. You can do it but I wouldn't recommend it. Stick with your frying pan and the side burner of the BBQ. Just watch the weight you're putting on it. Wouldn't want to hear about a life altering accident with a pile of molten lead.
As far as a casting pot goes, a lot of people, including myself have had problems with the Lee bottom pour pots. After a while, the spout gets junk built up in it and it starts to drip. They didn't earn the name "Lee Leak-o-matic" for nothing. With mine, the heating element burnt out on the third casting session......and yes, I bought it new. Not wanting to be bothered with waiting for a warranty claim, I took it apart and put the body of the pot on a propane burner. After a few more casting sessions, sure enough, it started to drip and nothing I did seemed to help. It just kept getting worse and worse.
My solution to this was to buy a small RCBS electric pot and I started casting with a ladle. It's not quite as fast, but it doesn't cut your production in half by any means.
My final solution to my casting requirements was an RCBS ProMelt bottom pour furnace......and I just love the thing. It truly is the cats meow of home bullet casting. Now, nobody is expecting you to go out and dump $500 on a furnace right off the top. I just wanted to let you know about my experience with a Lee bottom pour pot.
As far as a casting pot goes, a lot of people, including myself have had problems with the Lee bottom pour pots. After a while, the spout gets junk built up in it and it starts to drip. They didn't earn the name "Lee Leak-o-matic" for nothing. With mine, the heating element burnt out on the third casting session......and yes, I bought it new. Not wanting to be bothered with waiting for a warranty claim, I took it apart and put the body of the pot on a propane burner. After a few more casting sessions, sure enough, it started to drip and nothing I did seemed to help. It just kept getting worse and worse.
My solution to this was to buy a small RCBS electric pot and I started casting with a ladle. It's not quite as fast, but it doesn't cut your production in half by any means.
My final solution to my casting requirements was an RCBS ProMelt bottom pour furnace......and I just love the thing. It truly is the cats meow of home bullet casting. Now, nobody is expecting you to go out and dump $500 on a furnace right off the top. I just wanted to let you know about my experience with a Lee bottom pour pot.
- Location
- Thunder Bay ON Canada
No. Don't try melting the ww's in your lee bottom pour, the crap will clog up the nozzle and it will start dripping uncontrollably. If you don't use good flux and scrape the sides with a stick or bamboo, you'll get dripping.
I switched from cast iron to stainless and was never happier when initially melting the weights. It's cleaner and the gunk doesn't solder itself to the sides and bottom.
I switched from cast iron to stainless and was never happier when initially melting the weights. It's cleaner and the gunk doesn't solder itself to the sides and bottom.
having done experiments in university with molten metal and cold water (makes a big explosion) has managed to keep me away from casting my own bullets
but i will have to get into it one day.
but i will ask a quick question
is the hardness of wheel weights good for bullets or you add other components as well to work out a good hardness?
but i will have to get into it one day.
but i will ask a quick question
is the hardness of wheel weights good for bullets or you add other components as well to work out a good hardness?
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
To start with, casting was never one of my favorite reloading processes but it was a 'must do' chore for many years. Two local guys are now my 'go to' source for all my cast bullet needs.
When I was casting, wheel weights were the bench mark for bullet casting. Fairly easy to obtain and consistant quality were characteristics that made WW's so good a source of material for cast bullets.
However, when you wanted to get closer to perfection, l'type print metal was the top of the heap. God I miss casting.
When I was casting, wheel weights were the bench mark for bullet casting. Fairly easy to obtain and consistant quality were characteristics that made WW's so good a source of material for cast bullets.
However, when you wanted to get closer to perfection, l'type print metal was the top of the heap. God I miss casting
.You can get wheel weights bullets harder than hell by quenching them during the casting process. It takes a couple days for them to finish hardening, so size them quickly after casting. The effect is due to the arsenic in the WW alloy and doesn't last forever, so don't try to get years ahead in your casting if doing this.
