WTB: Wheel Weights

[49erRider]

Hey Guys,

I'm looking to see if any of you guys work at a shop / tire place where I could come and get your old wheel weights. I'm in need for casting bullets and right now the shops I've been to they are already spoken for.

I don't mind paying for it or bringing some pizza or :beer: when I come to pick them up.

Thanks for anyone that can help. The closest to Charlotte the better.


Brad

Please shoot me a PM if you can help.

[5-90]

Wheel weights are good casting alloy - but if you can find a print shop that still does linotype (or has a bunch of linotype alloy to get rid of,) you will probably find that better.

I used to cast a lot of bullets with my granddad - for black powder and smokeless. If you're casting for smokeless, you'll almost definitely find linotype to be better alloy.

Pity I got rid of all my lead ingots a few months ago - I'd ship them to you (USPS Priority Post flat rate boxen are great - 70# for twelve bucks!)

Good luck! I just wanted to let you know about an alternative source...

[49erRider]

Ahh man dangling the carrot. I'm going to go out tomorrow and try a few more shops to see if anyone has anything.

Thanks

[wolfpackjeeper]

My dad lives in HKY, good luck. I think he bought out everyone within a 100mi radius. That is obviously a bit of a stretch, but last time I was back that way he had 3 or 4 5 gallon buckets full. He got a bunch of ingots of lead on ebay too. His mailman said those flat rate boxes almost gave him a hernia.

[Stallacrew]

I work at a bullet company. Our lead for swaged lead bullets is 2.7% antimony by weight. I buy dead soft lead (100% Pb) and then alloy it as we need it. We use 4 alloys, 0% Sb, .7%Sb 1.5%Sb and the hardest is 2.7%. If we alloy it too much harder with Antimony, then its got to be heated too hot to be extruded into wire (which we later cut into slugs to be formed).

I recommend that you test your different lots of lead for Tin before you throw them in your "pot" and combine them. Our supplier of lead (Sanders of Troy Alabama) says that if they get poor quality lead with Tin mixed in, the Lead becomes "Foamy" and is very hard to cast well. Their pots are 100,000lbs and if one pound of Tin gets in, it ruins the whole pot. Our pots are just 16000 lbs. and dad is VERY particular of what we use if we buy it from individuals (sometimes we get wheel weights and old bullet caster's left overs and other sources).

We count our wheel weights at 3% antimony, but we dont use a whole lot of them ever, so we dont have to be dead on and can re-alloy if needed.


Also, be sure to keep your lead "drossed off" (not sure of you experience level as a caster) but we sometimes have issues with dross (Lead oxide) being mixed in inadvertently into out billets. This causes several problems. It scratches our dies, and we have to clean them out. It throws a slug that isnt up to weight since dross is lighter than lead. and it causes ugly bullets, especially on round nose bullets with the exposed flat back.

I hope this is helpful for you. Let us know more details about your operation.



I understand that with experimentation you can pretty reliably cast lead shot from a cast iron pan (or whatever you want to use) with holes drilled in it, by letting the hot lead drop into liquid laundry detergent. Because the detergent is thicker than water, it slows the dropping of the lead (I think 6 or 7 bird shot might be the biggest you need to go) and allows it to stay round(ish). Normally, to make shot, you need a 60 to 100 foot tower to allow the lead to drop and cool and stay round.

I have never done this method since I dont reload shells, but I'd like to hear from someone first hand if they try.


Let us know how everything turns out.






Edit: we can likely ship you some lead if you are willing to pay for it.....I dont know what that may be per pound, but you could likely get some already alloyed. Give us a call and ask the lady that answers and she'll get you an answer. Thats not part of my job so I dont know. Our number is being sent in a PM.