My Method of Melting Wheel Weights

billbeq · January 2, 2009, 09:36 PM

Hi,
I use charcoal briquettes and wood. I put them in between concrete blocks and light it off. After it gets going I put a pot of lead on top and then inject air gently from my air compressor to increase the oxygen flow over the charcoal and wood. This really increases the temperature and the lead melts in about 8 minutes with my setup. Then I pour the lead directly from the pot into Lee ingo molds or cooking cupcake molds. I just converted 155 lbs of WW into lead ingots. Lotsa fun. rolleyes:

Csspecs · January 2, 2009, 10:33 PM

I have a propane turkey cooker, just drop a cast iron pot on it and I have melting lead in about 10 mins... I need a bigger pot with a lid, so that I can toss it all in and let the lead melt off the tabs with out having to fuss with it.

billbeq · January 2, 2009, 10:36 PM

I used what I had but I prefer your method with the turkey cooker. It has more BTUs than my initial attempt with a propane camping stove. The charcoal and wood worked but was smoky and kept having to add more fuel.

Crosshair · January 2, 2009, 10:40 PM

I use a propane fish fryer. If I crank it I can get lead molten really quick, but it chews through propane. I turn it down a bit and take my time.

the best part is that with the fish basket I can put a bunch of wheel weights in it, lower it into the pot, let them melt, then lift it out with all the clips still in the basket. Saves allot of time skimming those clips out.

One thing I do is put burning scrap cardboard on top of the wheel weights. Fluxes it, heats it, and reduces the amount of lead oxide I have to skim off. Just make sure the burning cardboard embers don't get somewhere they shouldn't.

the machinist · January 2, 2009, 10:54 PM

I have poured about 500 lbs of lead using a electric hot plate and a alum. cook pot. the alum pot heats up quicker than a cast iron one does.

billbeq · January 2, 2009, 11:04 PM

Those are great ways to do it! I like the capture of all the wheel weights at one time but also like the AL pot transferring heat better. Wow!! Nice.

**Shane Tuttle** · January 2, 2009, 11:10 PM

Quote:

I have poured about 500 lbs of lead using a electric hot plate and a alum. cook pot. the alum pot heats up quicker than a cast iron one does.

Do you have to be careful of aluminum pots? I was suggested to use a cast iron pot instead becasue aluminum and lead melting temps are somewhat close and I'd have to pay real close attention to my thermometer.

Any truth to this?

the machinist · January 2, 2009, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Do you have to be careful of aluminum pots? I was suggested to use a cast iron pot instead becasue aluminum and lead melting temps are somewhat close and I'd have to pay real close attention to my thermometer.

Any truth to this?

I have used the same cheap pot I bought at the dollar store for 3-4 years now..It shows no sign of wear, lead melts at about 600 degrees and alum is about 1200..

I do clamp a vise grip on it when I go to pour, the handle is not strong enough to hold the weight. DONT clamp the vise grip until you are ready to pour.. it will heat up and smoke your gloves pretty good

snuffy · January 2, 2009, 11:42 PM

Lets see, where do I start?
1. Melting wheelweights over an uncontrolled, un monitored heat source is a great way to get zinc mixed in with the lead. It completely ruins the lead for use as boolit metal. See, IF the temp gets above 785 degrees, the zinc wheelweights will melt. Keeping the temp under that temp, allows you to skim the un-melted zinc weights off with the steel clips. A fire like that could be very useful IF you also have a metal thermometer so you can monitor the temp, remove the pot from the fire if it gets too hot.

2. Aluminum pots work just fine, IF you keep the temp under 1220 degrees F.,(melting temp of alum.). That means a flame,(or elec. element), that's over that temp will soften the alum pot. Another word for that is weaken it. Then you have a large quantity of heavy molten metal being lifted to pour with a soft, weak pot. Just be sure you have long, heavy pants on and high top heavy leather boots. Hot lead raining down on moccasins will hurt!

It's a free country, well at least for the next 18 days it is, so do whatever turns your crank.

billbeq · January 3, 2009, 01:10 PM

I forgot to mention zinc in my original post. I look at the wheel weights carefully to see if their marked Zn or have rivets for the metal clip. If they do I chuck to the side. I am too lazy to use a thermometer but that is an excellent point.

totalloser · January 6, 2009, 01:37 AM

I've read a couple of pretty gnarly horror stories with flame heated aluminum pots. I can't remember for sure, but isn't the tip of a flame in the realms of 1350F? So couldn't there be hot spots to blow out? Sounds dangerous to me. Probably worth a little extra care?

cchardwick · January 6, 2009, 07:52 AM

I use a propane fueled aluminum melting furnace that I built out of an old electric smoker. I lined it with lightweight fire bricks that I cut with my table saw. I built the furnace, burner, and tongs myself and use a big crucible. I pour the lead into muffin tins that I coat with soot from my acetylene torch. It gets hot enough to melt aluminum and I can do some pretty amazing sand casting using aluminum. Here are some pics of my lead cleaning operation:

And here's a pot of MOLTEN ALUMINUM, made from automobile engine pistons!

cgaengineer · January 6, 2009, 09:16 AM

You gonna make some aluminum boolits cchardwick?

teeroux · January 6, 2009, 10:50 AM

I'd almost pay to see someone try to get aluminum out the mold blocks.

January 2, 2009, 09:36 PM	#1
billbeq Junior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Posts: 5	My Method of Melting Wheel Weights Hi, I use charcoal briquettes and wood. I put them in between concrete blocks and light it off. After it gets going I put a pot of lead on top and then inject air gently from my air compressor to increase the oxygen flow over the charcoal and wood. This really increases the temperature and the lead melts in about 8 minutes with my setup. Then I pour the lead directly from the pot into Lee ingo molds or cooking cupcake molds. I just converted 155 lbs of WW into lead ingots. Lotsa fun. rolleyes:

January 2, 2009, 10:40 PM	#4
Crosshair Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2004 Location: Grand Forks, ND Posts: 5,333	I use a propane fish fryer. If I crank it I can get lead molten really quick, but it chews through propane. I turn it down a bit and take my time. the best part is that with the fish basket I can put a bunch of wheel weights in it, lower it into the pot, let them melt, then lift it out with all the clips still in the basket. Saves allot of time skimming those clips out. One thing I do is put burning scrap cardboard on top of the wheel weights. Fluxes it, heats it, and reduces the amount of lead oxide I have to skim off. Just make sure the burning cardboard embers don't get somewhere they shouldn't. __________________ I don't carry a gun to go looking for trouble, I carry a gun in case trouble finds me.

January 2, 2009, 11:42 PM	#9
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Lets see, where do I start? 1. Melting wheelweights over an uncontrolled, un monitored heat source is a great way to get zinc mixed in with the lead. It completely ruins the lead for use as boolit metal. See, IF the temp gets above 785 degrees, the zinc wheelweights will melt. Keeping the temp under that temp, allows you to skim the un-melted zinc weights off with the steel clips. A fire like that could be very useful IF you also have a metal thermometer so you can monitor the temp, remove the pot from the fire if it gets too hot. 2. Aluminum pots work just fine, IF you keep the temp under 1220 degrees F.,(melting temp of alum.). That means a flame,(or elec. element), that's over that temp will soften the alum pot. Another word for that is weaken it. Then you have a large quantity of heavy molten metal being lifted to pour with a soft, weak pot. Just be sure you have long, heavy pants on and high top heavy leather boots. Hot lead raining down on moccasins will hurt! It's a free country, well at least for the next 18 days it is, so do whatever turns your crank. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

January 3, 2009, 01:10 PM	#10
billbeq Junior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Posts: 5	Zinc I forgot to mention zinc in my original post. I look at the wheel weights carefully to see if their marked Zn or have rivets for the metal clip. If they do I chuck to the side. I am too lazy to use a thermometer but that is an excellent point.

January 6, 2009, 01:37 AM	#11
totalloser Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2007 Location: Fort Bragg, CA Posts: 679	I've read a couple of pretty gnarly horror stories with flame heated aluminum pots. I can't remember for sure, but isn't the tip of a flame in the realms of 1350F? So couldn't there be hot spots to blow out? Sounds dangerous to me. Probably worth a little extra care? __________________ You only truly believe in freedom if you believe in the freedom of those you disagree.

January 2, 2009, 10:33 PM	#2
Csspecs Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2005 Posts: 1,111	I have a propane turkey cooker, just drop a cast iron pot on it and I have melting lead in about 10 mins... I need a bigger pot with a lid, so that I can toss it all in and let the lead melt off the tabs with out having to fuss with it.

January 2, 2009, 10:36 PM	#3
billbeq Junior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Posts: 5	I used what I had but I prefer your method with the turkey cooker. It has more BTUs than my initial attempt with a propane camping stove. The charcoal and wood worked but was smoky and kept having to add more fuel.

January 2, 2009, 10:54 PM	#5
the machinist Member Join Date: November 25, 2008 Posts: 66	I have poured about 500 lbs of lead using a electric hot plate and a alum. cook pot. the alum pot heats up quicker than a cast iron one does.

January 2, 2009, 11:04 PM	#6
billbeq Junior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Posts: 5	Those are great ways to do it! I like the capture of all the wheel weights at one time but also like the AL pot transferring heat better. Wow!! Nice.

January 6, 2009, 07:52 AM	#12
cchardwick Senior Member Join Date: September 26, 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 574	I use a propane fueled aluminum melting furnace that I built out of an old electric smoker. I lined it with lightweight fire bricks that I cut with my table saw. I built the furnace, burner, and tongs myself and use a big crucible. I pour the lead into muffin tins that I coat with soot from my acetylene torch. It gets hot enough to melt aluminum and I can do some pretty amazing sand casting using aluminum. Here are some pics of my lead cleaning operation: And here's a pot of MOLTEN ALUMINUM, made from automobile engine pistons! Last edited by cchardwick; January 6, 2009 at 07:59 AM.

January 6, 2009, 09:16 AM	#13
cgaengineer Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2008 Posts: 264	You gonna make some aluminum boolits cchardwick?

January 6, 2009, 10:50 AM	#14
teeroux Senior Member Join Date: December 12, 2006 Posts: 1,512	I'd almost pay to see someone try to get aluminum out the mold blocks.