Old wheelweights

Airman Basic · May 5, 2013, 08:13 AM

Just now perusing threads at Castboolits concerning whys and wherefores of wheelweights. I have several 5 gallon buckets of wheelweights which I regularly mix with my pretty much inexhaustible supply of linotype and monotype. (used to be in the newspaper business) Was wondering when the wheelweights started being adulterated with zinc, plastic, et al. The last time I scrounged for WW metal was 20 years ago, so my supply is at least that old. Should I be worried about my WWs?

Hawg · May 5, 2013, 08:41 AM

Keep your temp under 700 degrees and zinc weights will float to the top. If you have any stick on weights they are very close to pure lead, so if you don't shoot black powder you might sell them to folks that do.

sidewindr · May 5, 2013, 12:05 PM

If your stash is definitely 20+yrs old it should be very unlikely to have any zinc, Fe, or composite ww. I wish all my ww were 20yrs old, it generally has more antimony(not a concern with your lino/mono).Not all of us are that lucky.

If you can keep your temps below 600F, you will find a certain brand/shape of ww(it sort of has wings)that will not melt. I pick those out of all my ww, before even putting in the pot now. They are almost pure lead, melt at 625-630F.

lee n. field · May 5, 2013, 04:20 PM

Quote:

with my pretty much inexhaustible supply of linotype and monotype. (used to be in the newspaper business)

Ooooooo. I hate you.

(Kidding, of course.)

Beagle333 · May 5, 2013, 04:53 PM

You'll have no troubles finding nice clean WW if you can trade your harder metal for it. There are many, many people with a 4-5 lifetime pile of nice smelted WW ingots that don't have nearly enough mono/lino. You could even sell it outright and just buy virgin Lyman #2 or other bullet alloy from Rotometals or Mayco and never flux again!

Plumbnut · May 5, 2013, 05:59 PM

If you melt lead and stir it the impurities float to the top where they can be spooned off.

Never stick a cold tool into hot lead.....it will make the lead pop out on ya. So heat the spoon you will be dipping with a bit.

Just thought I'd throw that out there for folks who didn't know.

Rangefinder · May 6, 2013, 01:39 AM

Quote:

If you have any stick on weights they are very close to pure lead, so if you don't shoot black powder you might sell them to folks that do.

NOPE---save 'em for handgun--especially HP's. 50/50 stick-on with clip-on and add about 2% tin is my do-all HP alloy. Max expansion, max retention in 40S&W, and it's a great mix for any .45 bullet. Even my .357 likes it, but the higher velocities still blow the nose off the bathtub size HP's. Radio version: soft lead has its place in smokeless casting. Don't ditch it--you'll regret it later.

dahermit · May 11, 2013, 06:08 AM

Quote:

...my pretty much inexhaustible supply of linotype and monotype...

To the bullet caster, that is the equivalent of winning the multi-million jackpot! I have not seen any type metals for years.

**4V50 Gary** · May 11, 2013, 09:15 AM

There's a lot of wheelweights out there that aren't lead. Don't worry, they're the ones that don't melt. After you're finished, set them aside and toss those.

Airman Basic · May 11, 2013, 11:28 AM

When my old newspaper employer went to offset type, they had tons of lead to get rid of, and nobody seemed to want it but me. This was in the middle 70s. Still got most of it.

May 5, 2013, 08:13 AM	#1
Airman Basic Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2013 Location: South of Interstate 20 Posts: 219	Old wheelweights Just now perusing threads at Castboolits concerning whys and wherefores of wheelweights. I have several 5 gallon buckets of wheelweights which I regularly mix with my pretty much inexhaustible supply of linotype and monotype. (used to be in the newspaper business) Was wondering when the wheelweights started being adulterated with zinc, plastic, et al. The last time I scrounged for WW metal was 20 years ago, so my supply is at least that old. Should I be worried about my WWs?

May 5, 2013, 04:53 PM	#5
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	You'll have no troubles finding nice clean WW if you can trade your harder metal for it. There are many, many people with a 4-5 lifetime pile of nice smelted WW ingots that don't have nearly enough mono/lino. You could even sell it outright and just buy virgin Lyman #2 or other bullet alloy from Rotometals or Mayco and never flux again! __________________ . . . Have a Colt and a smile.

May 11, 2013, 09:15 AM	#9
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,829	There's a lot of wheelweights out there that aren't lead. Don't worry, they're the ones that don't melt. After you're finished, set them aside and toss those. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

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May 5, 2013, 08:41 AM	#2
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,188	Keep your temp under 700 degrees and zinc weights will float to the top. If you have any stick on weights they are very close to pure lead, so if you don't shoot black powder you might sell them to folks that do.

May 5, 2013, 12:05 PM	#3
sidewindr Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2011 Location: somewhere out there Posts: 101	If your stash is definitely 20+yrs old it should be very unlikely to have any zinc, Fe, or composite ww. I wish all my ww were 20yrs old, it generally has more antimony(not a concern with your lino/mono).Not all of us are that lucky. If you can keep your temps below 600F, you will find a certain brand/shape of ww(it sort of has wings)that will not melt. I pick those out of all my ww, before even putting in the pot now. They are almost pure lead, melt at 625-630F.

May 5, 2013, 05:59 PM	#6
Plumbnut Junior member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 219	If you melt lead and stir it the impurities float to the top where they can be spooned off. Never stick a cold tool into hot lead.....it will make the lead pop out on ya. So heat the spoon you will be dipping with a bit. Just thought I'd throw that out there for folks who didn't know.

May 11, 2013, 11:28 AM	#10
Airman Basic Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2013 Location: South of Interstate 20 Posts: 219	When my old newspaper employer went to offset type, they had tons of lead to get rid of, and nobody seemed to want it but me. This was in the middle 70s. Still got most of it.