Using wheel weights? FYI

[FROGO207]

Yesterday as I posted a reply I was reminded that some of the wheel weights use zinc in them and know from experience that when used will ruin a batch of lead as far as bullet casting goes.
The way to tell if it has zinc in it is the "lead" part of the weight will have that still new shine while the mounting clip will look old and or rusty. Another way is to use the "fingernail method". Your fingernail will scratch standard weights some but the zinc ones are as hard as brass.
You will know real quickly if this happens to you as your bullets will not cast correctly and will be brittle and too hard for use. It's far easier to cull out any suspect pieces and count your blessings.

 

[kanook]

don't forget the Zn on it. I use a set of side cutters on the ones that don't have visable letters

 

[saltydog452]

And the side cutters tell you...what?

Thanks,

salty

 

[ArchAngelCD]

And the side cutters tell you...what?

The lead will cut easily, the ones made of Zinc won't.

 

[RustyFN]

I just throw them all in the pot and keep it around 700 degrees so the zinc won't melt. Then I scoop them out with the clips.
Rusty

 

[dagger dog]

Rustys got the ticket!

 

[armoredman]

Ditto

 

[CSA 357]

Bingo:d

 

[FROGO207]

Learn sumti'n new every day! Never thought of the low temp trick. Now I gotta try it. Thanks

 

[Darth AkSarBen]

Most wheel weights are not pure lead anyway and it is desirable to have a bit of zinc in there for hardness. If you shoot bullets out of modern rifle/pistol, you want them to be a certain hardness. I've even read about water quenching and tempering them to improve their "brittle" or hardness. You don't want wheel weights for casting for black powder guns, as they require a fairly soft lead.

Too soft of a lead bullet will cause excessive leading in your barrels.

 

[SciFiJim]

Actually all three methods work together.
1. Visual inspection while sorting weights. pull out the obvious ones (ie. with rivets)
2. Test ones that are questionable with side cutters. soft=lead, hard=something else(discard)
3. after first two methods some always sneak by. Keep an eye on your pot. When the clips start floating on top, skim everything that floats. The stick on weights are usually close to pure lead and melt at a higher temp than clip on weights. After skimming let them cool enough to handle and then use method 2 to test for softness.

 

[bombmaster]

what is the best way to sort out zinc?

 

[SciFiJim]

I should read all of the posts before posting myself.

Sorry Darth, the easiest way to ruin a batch of lead is to add zinc.

Antimony and arsenic are what gives wheel weights (WWs) the hardness that we need. It also gives the alloy the ability to be further hardened by dropping the freshly cast bullets into water directly from the mold. They can also be hardened by heat treating them in an oven at 450* for an hour and then immediately water dropping them.

The elements in WW alloy are 95.25% lead 4% antimony .5 % tin and .25% arsenic. Adding zinc can cause all kinds of problems when casting.

 

[Darth AkSarBen]

Thanks SciFiJim!! I stand corrected. I remember casting bullets when rocks were soft and dirt was new.. LOL That was back in the days when I went to High School and you could get good wheel weights. I also remember when you could get "regular" leaded gas and the unleaded stuff we called "White" gas. It was for camp cooking stoves and the like. Gas was $0.34/9 a gallon then....that's 35 cents rounded up.

So, I am sure wheel weight might have changed a bit since I was a kid.

 

[454PB]

Actually, you don't need arsenic for heat treating. It does improve the process, but is not required. It's the antimony that facilitates precipitation hardening.

 

[bullseye308]

Drop the suspect ww's on concrete and listen for the ring. You'll either get a thud or a ring. Ring does not go in the pot.

I melt mine on low heat and only throw a bunch in to start that I am sure of. Once that os molten, add a few more and so on. Anything floating gets removed.

When in doubt, look in the for sale area and buy from there. Yep, that's the ticket.

 

[RustyFN]

Hey Darth, I remember those day's.

Rusty

 

[CoRoMo]

If you guys don't mind, I'd like to ask a question about using WW for casting rifle bullets. My dad has been casting handgun bullets our of wheel weights for years, but has recently begun casting bullets for a number of rifle cartridges he reloads.

.30-30
.30-06
.270
8mm Mauser
.25-06

He uses gas checks, but no filler in the cases.
He uses IMR, Hodgdon, and Winchester powders.
He doesn't slug the barrel diameters.
And, he loads these rounds with a 50%+ charge listed for jacketed bullets.

What say you?