Wheel Weights That Won't Melt

[Bluehawk]

At first you're going to ask what this has to do with BP...read on and you will see!
Recently I made a deal with a gentleman to cast some 9mm bullets for him in exchange for wheel weights. Today I started melting down these weights and behold about half of the 35 pounds either didn't melt or it was pure lead...not WW alloy! That's fine though because those of course can be used for my BP guns!
I'm posting some pics so you can see and use as a future reference what these weights look like so you can toss them away. The strip of small squares is the pure lead and are marked 1/4 oz.
The closeup shows clearly how one weight is marked Fe...showing it is made from iron!!!

 

[Rock Island]

The new wheel weights are zink, or steel they will not melt in our casting pots and are useless to us anyway. You will start seeing more and more of them as time goes on.

 

[Walkalong]

The Zinc weights melt at a higher temp than lead, so when the lead melts, scoop out the Zinc ones. I do not remember the temps offhand, but if you keep your pot in between those temps (Melting point of lead and Zinc) then you will not have to worry about melting some Zinc into your lead, which will ruin the mix.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Folks might want to think about holding onto some of the zinc..., if the nutters ever get a lead-ban into effect that's probably the next choice..., zinc.

LD

 

[BHP FAN]

yep Zinc. Zinc melts at about 420C, lead at about 328C.

 

[Bluehawk]

they will not melt in our casting pots and are useless to us anyway

That's what I said in the original post...did ya not read it??

 

[Bluehawk]

Zinc = 788F.....Lead = 622F...if you set your pot for 622 degrees F you will be sitting there a long time waiting for it to melt. I would go with 700-725 degrees.
I don't think any zinc was in the ingots I poured as it would have made the melt sluggish and it poured quite well.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

That's what I said in the original post...did ya not read it??

Of course sir, but it won't melt in your melting pot does not mean it won't melt in all melting pots, and you then will need to get a hotter pot if the nutters get a lead ban in place requiring a different metal for bullets, which will make your melting pot unuseable. Did you read all of my post?

LD

 

[Nomad44]

Iron wheel weight how engenius...Now there is something else to rust on our cars.

 

[Bluehawk]

Iron or steel weights are probably coated in zinc for corrosion resistance which is what a lot of zinc is used for.
Loyalist...for the record, the quote had nothing to do with you...it was Rock Island's comment and it was that which I was responding to!
Zinc will melt in my melting pot though. I can get as high as 875-900F out of my Lee pot according to my Lyman casting thermometer, so I doubt I would have a problem melting down zinc, but it would be a poor choice for bullet metal.

 

[BHP FAN]

My LEE pot melts that stuff quite well also, 'Hawk.In fact, about the only way to tell that there's zinc contamination is that it ''blurs'' the features of my bullets. The lube grooves look kinda ''melted'', and I used to give them to a buddy to re-cast as fishing weights. Lately though, I've just ''bit the bullet'' [pun intended] and seperated them out for ''plinking'' rounds. And...they work. Obviously, this advice is intended for smokeless gas checked rounds, for black powder I'm a bit more selective, and use only pure lead.

 

[trog]

The wheel weights marked Fe may not all be steel. This is what type wheels it will fit Fe,TN
AL,FN etc.. Alot of the new wheel weights are so hard I dont know if they will have any use in casting bullets.

 

[Bluehawk]

trog...
thanks for the info...I had no idea wheel weights weren't "one size fits all".

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Sorry partner, totally misunderstood.

Iron in wheel weights...., well my blacksmithing buddies might like them then! Maybe? No?

LD