[Paul Donahue]

Hi guys. I just got a five gallon bucket of wheel weights, many of which have a glossy grey finish, that is hard to scratch.They seem to be lead underneath, but the grey finish is very hard to scrape of with a knife. The guy at the tire store sold me these for 20 dollars, saying that was what he usually for them at a recycling place.He also said these glosssy finished wheel weights are more and more the coming thing.I asked him about zinc wheel wts, he never heard of them.Have any of you melted down these glossy finished wheel wts? Will they flux out ok to make good pistol bullets? Thanks for any help. Paul.

 

[unclenick]

Most likely to be zinc, I'm afraid. It corrodes a lot more easily than lead, so it gets paint or some other protective coating. The EPA wants all lead out of all new wheel weights by some time next year, unless the date has been moved forward? So, they are going to dry up completely and the zinc or other lead-free materials like steel will replace them.

Scratch one and place it in a little muriatic acid. If it start fizzing where you scratched it, then it's zinc.

 

[Marshal Kane]

IME, this is kind of a "try it out and see" as I too, have melted these wheel weights along with the conventional unpainted ones. In my case, all weights melted and cast good bullets. I would be concerned if the painted ones did not melt as fast as the upainted ones and floated around in the pot as they could be cast from zinc. I've wondered why the weights were painted. My guess would be the painted weights may be the ones installed at the auto manufacturers assembly line because I have seen some with "Honda" cast into the weight. That's as much light as I can shed on your question, others can probably supply more information.

 

[Marshal Kane]

. . . The EPA wants all lead out of all new wheel weights by some time next year, unless the date has been moved forward? So, they are going to dry up completely and the zinc or other lead-free materials like steel will replace them.

So where will I obtain a comparable alloy as I have a complete casting outfit and hate to see it turn to rust? Another example of "Big Brother" running our lives?

 

[unclenick]

I think we'll be stuck either buying virgin alloy or finding good quality scrap and adjusting it with tin. I expect more shooting range excavations for remelting to occur. There are actually quite a few small metal foundry operations that will let you buy a ton of an alloy you specify. Getting it to your house economically is another matter. I expect group buys of several tons and rent on a U-haul big enough to carry it will become increasingly common. Meanwhile, collect what you can to put the day you need it off as far as you can.

 

[Paul Donahue]

Reply to Uncle Nick

To Uncle Nick, I tried your sugestion with the muratic acid on the glossy & regular looking wts, there was no reaction.I melted a small quantity of the glossy ones, they look like lead, I fluxed them with a small amount of beeswax, all I had to use at the moment. It looks like its going to take a lot of fluxing to clean up the coating, otherwise it looks like I got lucky.Thanks for the advice,Paul.

 

[unclenick]

Glad I was wrong about them being zinc. I don't know why they feel the need to coat a lead one? Maybe that's an environmental work-around? I'm going to have to check on the state of the EPA rule?

 

[Paul Donahue]

To Uncle Nick

Uncle Nick, the tire shop I got the weights from told me there are now aluminum wheels that use the clip on weights, and there is some sort of reaction between between bare lead and aluminum that causes the aluminum wheels to corrode thus the reason for the painted weights.I picked through the whole bucket of weights, and found some that were rusted and seemed to be steel,and others that were painted and so hard that I could barely scratch them with a sharp buck knife.I culled these out because I doubt they were lead. They did not seem light for there size,but not being able to tell what they are I dont want to risk contaminating my good lead.Are zinc wheel wts exceptionaly hard? Please let us know anymore you here about the lead wts being phased out and when. Thanks for the help. Paul

 

[Chris Dingell]

The really heavily coated wheelweights I see are marked "AL", and are intended for use of aluminum wheels. Uncoated ones will cause corrosion.

The coating creates some smoke, so I frequently use a weedburner over the melting pot, it adds a lot more heat and burns off the smoke.

CDD

 

[unclenick]

It turns out the 2011 deadline is state law in Washington, and California has some agreement for some car makers to stop using them in California-compliant cars by the end of this year. In additon:

The state of Washington passed a ban in 2009 which will go into effect in 2011. Maine passed a ban which will go into effect in 2010. California and Iowa are currently considering similar bans. Vermont has banned lead wheel weights for state-owned vehicles by 2010 and for all new vehicles by 2011.

I'd read elsewhere that this was the EPA's ruling, but apparently that is incorrect. The EPA website only hosts the voluntary National Lead-free Wheel Weight Initiative. Since the impact of metallic lead on the environment is greatly exaggerated, this is pretty much yet another example of taxpayer money going to non-rational environmentalist propaganda as far as I'm concerned.

The one interesting stat they had posted was that of the 25% of wheel weight lead that "is uncontrolled or unmanaged in the environment" (12.5 million pounds a year; "uncontrolled or unmanaged" meaning there is no government paper trail showing who has control of it) 87% of that goes to hobbyists who melt it for fishing sinkers (and bullets, etc.). So it isn't just us.

I expect other states following suit is just a matter of time, from this. Keep your eye's peeled.

 

[recoil junky]

I've been getting quite a few of the "glossy painted" ones as well. Some of the don't melt and they get thrown out with the "slag". I've been using my coal-fired forge to melt the wheel weights, then poor it into ingot molds. Makes less smoke in the gun room that way, plus all the "stuff" that is on the wheel weights burns and makes slag removal easier.

I picked up another two 5 gal. buckets, about 250#, yesterday for $20. That makes five buckets I have to "smelt" down. I should have enough to last a while now.

RJ

 

[brad925]

I just try cutting them with a pair of side cutters. If they can't crease them toss them they are not lead.

 

[Wrench Man]

Many of the lead weight we have at work are painted for corrosion resistance, the zinc weight will be large for the specified weight and the best test is to simply drop them on a HARD surface (concrete), the lead weights will drop with a "thud" the zinc weights will land with a "tink" sound, I've seen enough of them now that I can spot them before I even pull them off of the wheels.

 

[Peterg]

A lot of WW's are painted with a grey enamel. The WW that are marked FE or ZN need to be thrown out, as they are steel or zinc. Use a set of pliers with a wire cutter on them and mash the weight in the cutter jaws, if the WW mashes easy they are ok, if not they are probably zinc or steel and should be dscarded.

 

[BackWoods Billy]

I just got into casting a month ago and went out to find some WW..LOL What a joke. Calif. is a joke and I have been living here most of my life. I go to a tire shop to ask about WW and they look at me as if I worked for the state..I guess I have to go to AZ. to get WW not too..Been mixing #7 1/2 mag shot with whatever lead I can dig up. With alittle heat treating it seams to work fine..

 

[gmd3006]

Usually, the Zn weights are riveted onto the mounting tab, while the Pb ones are cast with the tab embedded in the weight.

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