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Posted: 8/21/2009 7:55:05 PM EDT
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For those casting their own pistol bullets from wheel weights––do you take the time to clean the wheel weights before melting? I got a box of about 7-8 lb of wheel weights from my mechanic––some are pretty foul, with oily, grease, and gunk. These are going to be turned into .357 158gr projectiles. Also––those metal clips that attach them to the wheel––do I fish them out, or will they melt or float to the top? Should I cut them off first?
Since the weights are heated to around 750 degrees––I could see where all the organic crap would just burn off––but I'm not sure. I also have some pure lead ( about 40 or 50 lbs) from lead-lined X-ray walls that has some dry wall paper––I've tried peeling it off, but it isn't coming off––looks like heat will be helping with that mess. I bought some tin and antimony to add and alloy. Thanks for the help. |
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I haven't cleaned any yet. Just flux the pot and skim off the dross. The clips will float to the top and you can skim them out with pliers or a metal spoon or whatever. Oil and paper will burn off. Go to Brownells website and get ya some Marvelux.... Marvelux |
| I cook mine down over a turkey fryer in a cast iron pot first (garbage, tire valves, stick on tape, etc). Scoop out the clips and crud that didn't burn off, and pour into ingot molds for use in my RCBS electric furnace. no need to clean them before. Obviously you should be doing this outdoors as it will smoke and stink. |
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I haven't cleaned any yet. Just flux the pot and skim off the dross. The clips will float to the top and you can skim them out with pliers or a metal spoon or whatever. Oil and paper will burn off. Go to Brownells website and get ya some Marvelux.... Marvelux I bought a ten pound block of candlemakers wax from the local hobby lobby. |
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Since you didn't mention what you have for pots or a furnace I'll expand on Stove Pipes post. Most of us use a Dutch oven type of cast iron pot to reduce the wheel weights to lead ingots then add these to our bottom pour casting furnace for the final pour into the bullet mold. This reduces the possibility of crud fouling / clogging up the spout of the casting furnace.
Flux is a good idea and lots of stuff with serve as flux. You can buy it or as pointed out candle wax is popular and I've used fine DRY sawdust. I'd invest in a casting thermometer also. Biggest problem you have at this point is the lack of lead, 7 - 8 lbs of WW's ain't enough to fire up a pot for most of us. I'd add some of the pure lead to the WW's to stretch the supply. Good luck and welcome to the casting part of the hobby it's an entirely new road and a very rewarding one at that. |
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The only thing that can go afoul here is if you add more and a weight with a contaminate is pushed down into the molten lead… If the contaminate boils (nothing burns under molten lead) into a gas, it will be the same as dumping water into your molten lead.
The end result is you wear what is ‘blown’ out of the pot. Add slow with the cautious respect that a molten 700° F metal deserves and there should not be a problem. It really stings when you peal it off of your neck… 
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I bought a Lee bottom pour 20 lb pot and Lee dies. I'm looking to get an RCBS 75gr .32 (.312) and somebody's 45gr .225 with gas check down the road, but am starting with .358" 158gr projectiles.
I also bought antimony & tin as I said––the goal at this point was to melt the wheel weights into ingots. And then, melt the lead wall lining with roughly 6% antimony and 1-2% tin––again, to make ingots. Maybe I have about 10 lbs of wheel weights––but they are pretty filthy. There's about a good inch in the bottom of a 12"x14" box––so I'm guessing about the weight. The lead lining is in a 5 gallon spackling bucket that feels like it weighs 50 or 60 lbs––maybe more. A fellow local shooter/reloader/caster who casts has offered to show me this stuff––but I didn't want to go in wholly stupid––so thank you to all who offered help. I figure––it's pretty tough to screw up an ingot. I guess I could get the alloy wrong. I've read what I can find on line––everyone talks about fluxing & wheel weights––but nothing I could locate talked about the filthy weights or dirty scrap lead. I contacted a gun mag who said they would put me in contact with Mike "Duke" Venturino a couple weeks ago––but no reply. Then I thought––I bet there are a bunch of ARFcommers who do this––maybe they'll help. I plan to do this prep part in my driveway or open garage, as I suspect this will be very smokey. Do many people cast bullets in their basements? I thought this may be feasible after al the crap is burned out––but I'm not sure, which is why I'm planning on the garage or driveway. Thank you again, gentlemen. |
| OP, you might want to head over to the cast boolits forum and poke around a bit. |
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Best thing you can do right now if you're considering casting in the future is hoard as many wheel weights as you can afford to.
They are going bye bye very shortly in California, and other states are sure to follow suit very soon. Wheel weights are a wonderful alloy for the home bullet caster, because they are so versatile. You can air cool them for pistol bullets, or water drop/heat treat them and shoot them in your rifle bullets up to 2000-2200 fps with no leading if the bullet fits your bore properly. |
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Don't be afraid to buy WW's on ebaY if you want to build up a decent hoard of WW's.
.75 cents to a buck a pound is CHEAP once you figure how many bullets a pound of lead will make. I started casting in February of this year and have hoarded in the neighborhood of a ton of lead (about 60-70% of it is WW) in less than 5 months. Just make it a priority and you'll be surprised how fast you can collect a decent amount of it. |
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My plan with the antimony was to melt 1 lbs, and add lead a lb at a time––and mix like crazy, until I have 1:10 of Sb/Pb, then add 1/2 lb or 1 lb of tin. I have the exact proportions in the basement––the "Lyman #2 alloy" that Midway sells is like 92% lead/6%antimony and 2% tin. I realize Sb has a melting point of around 1100F (which is a mild red glow in steel, from what I've read), but from what I've read, just adding tin won't make an alloy like linotype, which has Sb & Sn. Or, they have a recipe of a harder alloy that's 84%Pb / 12%Sb / 4%Sn, which they say is comparable to linotype.
It seemed crazy to walk away from hundreds of pounds of free, pure lead, so I thought I'd buy some antimony––I hope I haven't embarked on an undoable project.  Rotometals, Inc. had granular antimony, and some high antimony content lead alloy––I hope I haven't bought 4lbs of antimony for nought. If the Lee pot didn't work, plan 'B' was an old cast iron pot & fire outside––like ye olde-tymers did....and Plan 'C' is to send everything to an engineer friend who has an alloy "mixing bomb" (I think that's what he called it) in his shop. I'd rather do it at my home, but if I need him to mix the Sb & Pb into a more workable alloy––I can go that route.
Does anyone have tips on how to alloy antimony with lead and tin? ETA; My mechanic said he'll give me 10+lbs of wheel weights several times a year––so I have a supply––but the 50-60 lbs for pure lead shielding––I think THAT will give me a fair lead stash IF I can figure out the alloy process with antimony & tin. |
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Once upon a time, I decided I was going to alloy lead and antimony 50/50 for use as enrichment metal. Getting 15 pounds of metal over 1,000 degrees is not as easy as it sounds. I constructed a charcoal fired blast furnace using fire brick and a vacuum cleaner. Place the lead and antimony in a heavy and well supported iron pot and cover with an inch or 2 of powdered charcoal. At the 1,168 degrees required to melt the antimony, lead will give off significant amounts of vapor. It should also be noted that antimony is more toxic than lead. Well ventilated, outside is the only way to go.
Anyway, I was successful, but it was an enormous PITA. I'll never do it again. I'll buy type metal instead. ETA: Adding anything to 1,168 degree melted metal is a bad plan. Have everything in the pot cold and start from there. Alloy the Sb 50/50 with Pb and the result will alloy into your remaining lead at normal casting temperatures. Iron molds only for the ingots. Preheat the ladle before you stick it in the pot. Wear protective equipment. You really have to respect metal that hot. |
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Quoted:
My plan with the antimony was to melt 1 lbs, and add lead a lb at a time––and mix like crazy, until I have 1:10 of Sb/Pb, then add 1/2 lb or 1 lb of tin. I have the exact proportions in the basement––the "Lyman #2 alloy" that Midway sells is like 92% lead/6%antimony and 2% tin. I realize Sb has a melting point of around 1100F (which is a mild red glow in steel, from what I've read), but from what I've read, just adding tin won't make an alloy like linotype, which has Sb & Sn. Or, they have a recipe of a harder alloy that's 84%Pb / 12%Sb / 4%Sn, which they say is comparable to linotype. It seemed crazy to walk away from hundreds of pounds of free, pure lead, so I thought I'd buy some antimony––I hope I haven't embarked on an undoable project. Rotometals, Inc. had granular antimony, and some high antimony content lead alloy––I hope I haven't bought 4lbs of antimony for nought. If the Lee pot didn't work, plan 'B' was an old cast iron pot & fire outside––like ye olde-tymers did....and Plan 'C' is to send everything to an engineer friend who has an alloy "mixing bomb" (I think that's what he called it) in his shop. I'd rather do it at my home, but if I need him to mix the Sb & Pb into a more workable alloy––I can go that route.
Does anyone have tips on how to alloy antimony with lead and tin? ETA; My mechanic said he'll give me 10+lbs of wheel weights several times a year––so I have a supply––but the 50-60 lbs for pure lead shielding––I think THAT will give me a fair lead stash IF I can figure out the alloy process with antimony & tin. Just buy some linotype and call it a day. |
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I'll just add in one more web site to read; http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm.
Look through the entire web site. |
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Actually, I've been & read the LA shooter's info....it's bookmarked & reread several times––it's a lot of good info.
It sounds like––once again, I may have bit off a little more than intended 
I'll post pics of any major mishaps––at least there's THAT to look forward to.... 
Guess I should have researched before the "look at all that FREE lead/bullets.." Thanks again gang! |
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