[Auctioneer]

Some of the wheel weights are marked with ZN. That I'm pretty sure is a zinc wheel weight. Are there any other mrkings that will ID zinc weights?

 

[ricks1]

quick answer NO Melting temp is only sure way.

 

[Auctioneer]

Thanks that was very helpfull. I'm working on melting some of the 4000 pound + wheel weights that I have. Fun fun.

 

[blkcloud]

I wish you would hurry up and drop some lead to see how its going to work!!

 

[Auctioneer]

I will let you be the first to know how it comes out. Right now its still cold as hell here to do any shotmaking.

 

[plinker611]

i foung the weights markings of MC-ZN,contain zink,and will melt at lower temps(600-650 degrees),and will give you fits at the drippers.as stated above watch temp(i have a digital pistol type thermo.put the red dot on what your reading,and its gonna keep you in the heat range needed)and dont allow temp to get over 600-650(pure zink needs 900+degrees. i sort my weights to get out the steel,fe,and mc-zn,and soft strip weights(for black powder bullets),to save headaches,and heat,.i also run the junk weights back to the scrap yard,and they give you wheel weight price.mark

 

[grntitan]

Have they always had Zinc? My uncle has a 55 gal drum almost 3/4 full of old wheel weights. He use to cast his own bullets. He had accumlate these weights over the last 30 years or so. Are the older ones be better than the more recent? I think he stopped collecting them about 8-10 years ago when he moved away from the local source.

Matt

 

[plinker611]

yes,the older weights(3 + yrs) are better,as far as zink they started using them 4-5 years ago,when the tree huggers pressured the manufactures,and gov.into banning them.the mix'd weights dont hurt pistol bullets,just the shotmakers.mark

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

auctioneer: do your self a favor and go buy a lobster cooking pot and burner. You can get one at any big box store for less than $39. Add a plumbers cast iron pot that will hold 20-30 lbs of lead and you're ready.

I did 1100 lbs in one 5 hour day, with this set up, and after diddling with a coleman stove and a 10 lb pot only to yeild 100 lbs in one 8 hour day, I think that speaks volumnes about the volumn.

Since you are not going to use the pot itself you can still cook a turkey or boil lobsters.

Mine paid for itself the first time I used it and we have cooked several turkeys since too.

It's a really simple solution to a problem we as lead casters face.

Randy

 

[Auctioneer]

Zinc started when China had the Olympice and took all the lead they could get. That is why we also have $35 to $50 bag of shot. Damn CHina. We needed wheelweights and lead was getting to high in cost so they went to zinc. The EPA wasn't helping either.

I have a turkey cooker and I was using a skillet. THe skillet was a pain in the a$$. I now have a cast iron pot that hold's about 50 pounds of lead at once. I pre heat the cast iron muffin tins and I use stainless steel spoons and lable. Face shield is a must, heavy gloves, heavy boots and I wear a insulated bibs over my pants to protect my legs. I melt the lead and then use the lable to dip the lead out and put in the muffin tins. I also pre heat the tins and spoons so I don't get a flash back from hot lead going into a cold cast iron. The cold spoons can do the same also. All this is outside and I stand up wind.

I'm also looking to build a exhaust system for the ingot making. I will put it on my west porch off my shop. It will be from a old metal cabinet that I will put an exhaust fan and a chimney so to pull all fumes up and out. I will also be under cover so if it rains I don't have to worry about flash back when the rain hits the hot lead. No fun.

Improvements are being made alittle bit at a time.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

Zinc fumes are quite toxic. If you are going to be melting zinc, you need excellent ventilation, and you need to be wearing a mask rated for radon daughters, because of the small size of the zinc molecules. You'll need a mask that accepts a dust pre-filter, because ordinary dust will clog up the radon filter quickly.

Zinc is also a PITA to make alloys for bullets from. Antimony is much easier to work with, but in larger quantities it also needs to have ventilation and possibly a mask per above, especially if you see an orangish dust forming on the surface of the lead in your melting pot. That indicates the temp is too high and antimony is oxidizing, making a toxic dust (the reason for the mask). Antimony can be bought pure or it can be found already alloyed as linotype or the harder foundry type. These are easier to use than pure antimony.

If it was me, I'd set aside any zinc and turn it in as scrap.

BTW, I've advertised a natural gas fired small industrial lead melting pot here before. Still have it, if anyone is interested.

 

[Auctioneer]

In have been going through the barrel as I need weights. I have been picking out the known zinc weights and putting them in a bucket to either resale or scrap.

 

[plinker611]

auctoneer,i use 2-8 qt(cast iron) dutch ovens purchased from harbor freight($50 for both),can do just under 200 lbs a round 1-1.5 hrs depending on outside temp,for heat i have a camp chef,tubular frame,2-30k btu burners,with nice controls for flame,and its at the perfect heighth,so you dont have to bend over to work your melt like you do with a turkey fryer,mark