Wheel weights converted to bullet metal.

hunter64

hunter64

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I stopped by a tire store the other day and walked in with a small 1 gallon ice creme pail and asked if they had any wheel weights they could spare. The clerk said "Is that all you want, that little bucket" then I replyed "I will take what ever you have". 8 -5 gallon buckets later my truck was full and I was heading home. Nothing scientific here just a general observation. Each of the 8 buckets right full of wheel weights averaged 180 LBS. After melting them down and fluxing etc. the finished product was 128 LBS on average or about 70% of the weight. All eight buckets were almost right on 70% so it is just an estimate that you can use when guessing how much the wheel weights will yield.

Lots of work but kind of fun. I had my coleman camp stove going with three pots and I did it in 2 days.
 
Nice one.

I've been thinking about that, does the dirt/grit/stones and crap float or sink in molten lead? I'd hate to cast gritty bullets and rip up the bore.

-Ritchie.
 
While I don't cast bullets I do melt up a lot of wheel weights for decoy anchors. The crap all floats to the top where it can be skimmed off easily. I also flux the molten lead with a bit of bees-wax which further cleans the alloy.
 
The crap on top is called dross.

Skim that off, and use a spoon to dig out the clips.

Lyman Sabot Slugs cast from wheel weights, which are 525gr with # 2? alloy, weigh about 510gr. And they fly just fine.

From the 128lbs that you got, it will yield about 1756 slugs.

RePete.
 
I would melt the W-Weights in a large tin coffee can with a tiger torch. Approx. 15 lbs or so at a time. Then poured the lead off into ingot moulds and tossed the leftover crap away. Worked really well.
 
I use a big round magnet from an old loudspeaker, tied at the end of a chain for lifting the steel clips from the metal. Then I sprinkle about one or two table spoons of Marvelux on the surface, wait until it stops sizzling and then proceed to stir it into the metal, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot very frequently.
All the sand and dirt lift up to the surface where it is glued by the molten Marvelux.
I then skim the dross from the surface and cast ingots with three Lee ingot molds or cheap Dollarama muffin tins sprayed with Motomaster graphite grease.
I often do the fluxing and skimming routine twice.
PP. :)
 
Using a coffee can to melt in is not a good idea--a lot of cans have a soldered seam--the heat from melting can open the seam up.--better to get an old cast iron pot of some sort.

44Bore
 
44Bore said:
Using a coffee can to melt in is not a good idea--a lot of cans have a soldered seam--the heat from melting can open the seam up.--better to get an old cast iron pot of some sort.

44Bore
Click to expand...

I suspected that it would fall apart also. But it lasted for 400 lbs of wheel-wieghts and was still OK :shock:
 
CAUTION!

Karl said:
I would melt the W-Weights in a large tin coffee can with a tiger torch. Approx. 15 lbs or so at a time. Then poured the lead off into ingot moulds and tossed the leftover crap away. Worked really well.
Click to expand...

Be careful with coffe cans! most of them are tin soldered and will burst at the seam when full of molten lead... :shock:
PP.
Well, obviously I'm the guy who shoots faster than he can read... :oops:
 
To make #2 alloy, you need 9 parts wheel weights and 1 part 50/50 bar. You can get the 50/50 bar from most plumber supply shops.

Cheers
Dean
 
I think the coffee cans will handle it, as I melt aluminum in them . a quick check around the seams with a torch will tell you if they are solodered . but I don't think that soldered seams as a manufacturing process is used much anymore. always be careful around any molten metal.
 
It wouldn't be lead solder anyways, can't have lead around food. My guess is whatever solder they use would have a much higher melting temperature than lead.
 
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