Re: [multimachine] Melting lead tire weights for casting
I use a camp stove out side for good ventilation and bees wax for flux. Stir the pot the steal will float and you can skim it off with a fork or pliers and give it a tap and the lead will fall back in. It is good to keep stirring as the tin and alimony and lead will tend to form levels. Not good for bullets. the bees wax helps this but stirring is still a good idea . Some guys recommend more straight lead to the mix .But I have had great luck with just wheel weights. Have a 4570 revolver that at 30,000 psi well thump the hick out of rocks and such. it is a hoot to shoot. Good luck and your lucky to have found them. There very hard to come by around here. Warren Hughes
--- On Mon, 7/6/09, Nick Andrews <nickjandrews@...> wrote:
From: Nick Andrews <nickjandrews@...> Subject: [multimachine] Melting lead tire weights for casting To: hobbicast@yahoogroups.com, multimachine@yahoogroups.com, gingery_machines@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, July 6, 2009, 9:53 AM
Alrighty then, I know it's late after the 4th now, but I was able to buy about 250lbs of tire weights on Friday for $30. Now I want to melt them down to cast some crushing media for a ball mill to make airfloat charcoal and mill other things to a fine dust. And also to cast bullets. I bought some muffin tins to use as ingot molds. It is my understanidng that tire weights are supposedly 4-5% antimony to harden the weights a bit, which is good for ball milling media and bullets.
Any hints or tricks for the first melt to get rid of the steel clips and any rust/contamination in the melt? Do you guys use any flux of any kind for lead? Thanks.
-- Nick A
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Alrighty then, I know it's late after the 4th now, but I was able to buy about 250lbs of tire weights on Friday for $30. Now I want to melt them down to cast...
I use a camp stove out side for good ventilation and bees wax for flux. Stir the pot the steal will float and you can skim it off with a fork or pliers and...
On Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:53:42 -0400, Nick Andrews <nickjandrews@...> ... Long time bullet caster here... Muffin tins work good but the aluminum ones will...
I've melted quite a few wheel weights and the fittings and anything not part of the lead alloy is lighter so it will float to the top. One of the best things...
Oh, and I was planning to look for a nice cast iron pot, preferably with a pour spout, to use as a melting crucible on my turkey fryer/beer brewing burner....
I would use round cake mould for anything not immediately used. Maybe a bunt cake mould for a convenient handle. Lead oxides fairly quickly and you want to...
You are heading for trouble. Lead when heated or melted will deposit particles around the local area. Lead is a poison, causes cancer, ect. It is a bad thing...
Also consider all the lead dust you will create if you use lead balls in a ball mill. Even water hardened lead is still fairly soft. What size balls are you...
1/2" for the pint and quart jars and 3/4 cylinders for the 1 gallon jars. Using plans from Sponenburgh's book 'Ball Milling Theory and Practice For The Amateur...
I should have said old cake pans used for lead casting only. I was a HAZMAT trainer in the military. Lead is no where near as dangerous as mercury or...
I did a quick look at my three buckets last night, and found a number of weights that have square ends, but all are molded onto the clips, none are riveted...
I have cast bullets from wheelweights for over 40 years. I have used electric hotplates and Coleman gas stoves with 10 pound pots to melt lead, I have also...
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