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Old April 28, 2010, 09:27 PM   #26
darkgael
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lbs

I have no doubt that a five gallon bucket weighs up around 225lbs. Last Summer, I was cleaning tyhe collection trays under the backstop at an indoor range that I administer. I took the "range lead" so as to turn it back into bullets.
In order to be able to lift them at all, I had to fill only to half.
I have worked in a gym. Moving 50 lb plates around was a whole lot easier than trying to move one of those half full containers.
Pete
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Old April 28, 2010, 09:48 PM   #27
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I just looked it up and most places I looked said wheel weights in a 5 gal bucket produce around 120 lbs of lead. If it is filled with pure lead that had been melted it would be close to 375 lbs. So if you were picking up bullets it would probably weigh more because of the smaller pieces of lead are packed in closer together.
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Old April 28, 2010, 10:32 PM   #28
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There are commercial fluxes available; but, I make my own using wax and saw dust cast into flat cakes and wrapped in wax paper. Break off a bit and toss it in.

Lavid2002, before you start to do any serious cooking, you should search out and read about the perils of zinc when using wheelweights. You may wish to get a lead thermometer.

A 5-gallon bucket for $25 is a good deal in some areas, but it's a heavy mother in all areas. Having a few bad discs, I avoid heavy lifting. I approach the tire shop with a few smaller containers and usually get them filled for less per pound. I think I gave $10 for four one-gallon containers last time. If you're quoted a very low price, don't get all anxious and excited. Come back the next day and tell them that you underestimated how far the wheelwrights would go, can you get some more at the same price?
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Old April 28, 2010, 10:40 PM   #29
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I just weighed a 5 gal bucket full flush with the top and it weighed 130 pounds. Now my back hurts......
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Old April 28, 2010, 11:51 PM   #30
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A 5gal bucket always weighs 130-`135 lbs for me.

A 12 pack of Bud Limeys will get you multiple bucketfulls if you have it iced in a cooler conveinantly

The cheapest most effective flux has always been candle stubs.

If you don't want zinc contamination stay <650
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Old April 29, 2010, 01:42 AM   #31
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I guess 235 lbs in 5 gallons over 6,000 158 grain bullets

Specific gravity of lead is 11.3 (source http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8223608AAIqEik)

Density of water is 8.33 lbs per gallon

Weight of 5 gallons of lead is 11.3 x 8.33 lb/gal x 5 gallons = 470 lbs.

If the open spaces between the weights is 2/3 the volume (packing ratio 33%), that is 156 lbs of lead. That is over 6,950 158 grain bullets. 4,673 235 grain bullets. 3,660 300 grain bullets. 2,745 400 grain bullets. (Maybe less because you have to skim off the dross.

Remember that some elements mix with lead and will ruin the alloy. I think it is tin, antimony and stuff are used to harden cast bullets, but zinc, I don't know about The bullet casters on the forum can post which are good and which are bad for sure.

(My estimate of 33% packing ratio for the wasted volume in the bucket is WIDE open to question, as is the density of wheel weights (vs pure lead). Loss to contaminants in the dross skimmed off the top of the melt, you will have to research yourself. Everything else is solid.)

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Last edited by Lost Sheep; April 29, 2010 at 01:54 AM. Reason: to delete: Theoretical density superceded by real world data posted while I calculated
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Old April 29, 2010, 02:48 AM   #32
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1000 158-grain lead round-nose from Missouri Bullet Co. costs $56.00, or 5.6 cents per bullet, add flat-rate shipping of 13 bucks and you're up to 6.9 cents per bullet. What I'm getting at is that sometimes casting your own saves money, sometime it doesn't especially when you look at the cost of your own time. If you pay 25 bucks, or even 50 bucks, for a 5-gal bucket of wheel weights and it's lead or lead-based alloy, even discounting the weight of the clips on the weights, you're still coming out WAY ahead.
My free time is just that, FREE! If I'm not casting bullets, I could be watching TV. Or sitting here talking about casting. I feel like I'm MAKING money while I'm casting. Every bullet that falls from my mold LOOKS LIKE MONEY!

You can figure out what it costs to breath! You can do complicated math to figure what each bullet costs, from what the lead costs, the mold, the electricity or gas to melt the lead, even the flux. Relax, enjoy the hobby, quit trying to put a price to everything.

Lavid, flux can be ANY carbon based material. Used crankcase oil, candle wax, paraffin, beeswax, bullet lube, even sawdust. If the melt is hot enough, most petroleum products will flash ignite. You want to stir the flux into the lead to clean it. Then skim whatever does not stay in the melt. Be careful with the zinc weights, they melt at a higher temp,(787 DEGREES), than the lead weights. If you see intact weights floating on the lead, GET THEM THE HECK OUTA THE POT! Even ONE zinc weight in a pot of lead will ruin the lead for bullet casting.
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Old April 29, 2010, 06:45 AM   #33
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After all that you can make yourself a bullet trap....so when you shoot them ya get em back....like I do... my money comes back to me again and again
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Old April 29, 2010, 07:07 AM   #34
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Thanks

Quote:
it weighed 130 pounds
Thanks for doing that.
It sure felt heavier.
Pete
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Old April 29, 2010, 08:15 AM   #35
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I just weighed a 5 gal bucket full flush with the top and it weighed 130 pounds. Now my back hurts.
You also have to realize ... you can't weigh 5 gallon buckets on a regular house scale. House scales work on an algorithm and if the weight isn't evenly distributed in the bucket it will not weigh right. It could be as much as 80# off. Even if you DO have it evenly placed in the bucket it might not weigh right! House scales work on a beam type sensor inside the unit itself. It counts on you having two feet on the scale, and not one big foot! See my point? You have to use a pallet or postal scale to weigh 5 gallon buckets.


I would bet a 5 gallon bucket of lead weighs a lot more than 130#. I have a 3 gallon ice cream pail that only has 10 'corn cob' ingots in it that weighs 25 pounds!

On another note .... a 5 gallon bucket of flint rock weighs 60 - 80 # on a good day, and lead is 3 times as dense as flint.
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Old April 29, 2010, 08:35 AM   #36
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You also have to realize ... you can't weigh 5 gallon buckets on a regular house scale. House scales work on an algorithm and if the weight isn't evenly distributed in the bucket it will not weigh right. It could be as much as 80# off. Even if you DO have it evenly placed in the bucket it might not weigh right! House scales work on a beam type sensor inside the unit itself. It counts on you having two feet on the scale, and not one big foot! See my point? You have to use a pallet or postal scale to weigh 5 gallon buckets.
Now your going to make him pick it back up and hold it while he stands on the scale and subtract his weight.

FWIW I bet the weight is more evenly distributed in the bottom of a short bucket than in the bones of my feet, just from surface area.

I don’t have any full 5 gallon buckets but I do have 3 house scales, two analog and one digital. All three stay within 2 pounds, if I am standing on two feet, only one, or even off to the side. Where did you get 80#'s from? I don't see how you can get it this far off unless you have the scale on it's side.
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Old April 29, 2010, 08:58 AM   #37
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I would bet a 5 gallon bucket of lead weighs a lot more than 130
I agree
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Old April 29, 2010, 09:50 AM   #38
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I weighed my wheelweights with a digital refrigeration scale. Is it 8o lbs off too? lol It costs a bit more than a bathroom scale at 150 bucks so I bet it's accurate.
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Old April 29, 2010, 10:56 AM   #39
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This bucket was a little over 3/4 full.. It weighed 109 lb.

ENOUGH WITH THE WEIGHT OF THE BUCKET!

Lmao

I found this forum
http://castboolits.gunloads.com

Heres the scoop...
I have been poking around there. I found an old muffin tin I am going to use to make the ingots. I learned that zinc can cause the lead to become cottage cheesy because it has a higher melting point. If you keep it under 700* you can pick em of the top before they melt. I also found an old pot I can use to melt the lead in. Ill melt it over an outdoor propane burner.

I went ahead and bought the bucket. Its heavy buy nothing un manageable. Tossed it right in the trunk and came home and sorted about half of it. I already have about 2 lb of zinc that I pulled out of the batch. Some of it is steel. Aside from that were looking good

Before I melt it down I want to learn more about how to flux, and lead mixtures. I still dont understand how I can control how much lead is in the mix. People say add tin. What does tin do? How much do I add...etc... I will learn it though
thanks guys u help a LOT
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Old April 29, 2010, 11:02 AM   #40
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Come back the next day and tell them that you underestimated how far the wheelwrights would go,
This is what happened. I called up this morning and told them I would stop by. Went down...owner came out trying to make a dominant first impression....kind of staring at me and got really close..like 2' (I HATE close talkers haha) He said can I help you, I said yeah I called about the wheel weights. We went outside. I said thats a half full bucket. Not worth 25 bones. He told one of the shop guys to toss in more...
"you want to give him MORE?" one of the guys said."
He snapped his fingers and a chubby dude tossed another gallon in there. It was about 3/4 full now. Why not? Gave em the 25 bucks and I was on my way...
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Old April 29, 2010, 11:03 AM   #41
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wheel weights are a little hard.. but nothing that you absolutely cannot use them straight... i use them straight because I shoot higher velocities and larger calibers... I like them on the hard side...adding tin to them will make them softer.
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Old April 29, 2010, 11:08 AM   #42
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Depending on the state you live in, many states require tire shops to use steel weights these days. My shop uses them exclusively now.
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Old April 29, 2010, 11:33 AM   #43
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Now your going to make him pick it back up and hold it while he stands on the scale and subtract his weight.
That wouldn't work either. You would have to hold it directly above your head & evenly.

If you understood the physics that household / cheap scales are based on ... you would understand what I am saying. Regular / cheap $20 household scales use either a $2 chip or cheap aluminum beam to decide the weight.

Don't take my word for it .... try it yourself. A standard 5 gallon bucket weighs 1.65 pounds. Take the contents to someone with a postal scale and see what you come up with as the difference. I would be willing to bet that you would be approximately between 37% and 58% off. Depending on the type of household scale you used.

Like I said .... household scales use an algorithm in the form of a differential equation that operates continuously on the data, running on an analog computer.
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Old April 29, 2010, 11:45 AM   #44
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I find it easier to just go to the local scrap yard and buy what I need. Last I bought went for around 50 cents a pound. Local yard has 55 gallon drums of bird hot from a trap/skeet range. Buying shot means not dealing with steel clips or zinc wheel weights. Local black powder shooters skarf up the soft lead so it's hard to come by at the yard.
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Old April 29, 2010, 12:11 PM   #45
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Im happy with the deal I got, 25 clams for 110 lb of WWs. Ill get at LEAST 50 # of lead out of this. I know I will have payed less than .50 cents a lb

-Dave
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Old April 29, 2010, 12:26 PM   #46
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25 clams
I like clams
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Old April 29, 2010, 12:33 PM   #47
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Clams are good. Legal tender in my context


Every time I see ur name I think of disco stew from the simpsons
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Old April 29, 2010, 12:47 PM   #48
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FREE is great when it happens......

......but you can't honestly expect to get something for nothing. Go to tire shops and offer to buy it. If you really want it for free try this: The next time you need tires get quotes from a few shops. Then before you commit to buying, ask the prospective tire shops if they will throw in a bucket of wheel weights if you choose them. A full 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights weighs enough that if you gon't get help lifting it into your vehicle you may have to visit the chiropractor afterwards. I'm not kidding. Two half-buckets are better than one full. South-Jersey huh? My inlaws live there near Philly. I spent a couple of years there doing residential tree service. Glad I'm back west of the Divide where I belong. Give my regards to the Soprano's. I'll fix their trees on my next trip back. Oh, another thing: Forget about the beer thing. Show some respect and give the boss a bottle of real Italian Primitivo or Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. It's not that expensive and shows you've got taste. You'll have more wheel weights than you can use.
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Old April 29, 2010, 01:23 PM   #49
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hahaha well i've hot the lead....for now Im sure I will need more very soon this guy seems legitimate. I get my tires there too...
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Old April 29, 2010, 01:38 PM   #50
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Pair of pliers, a bucket and a grocery store.
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