Wheelweight Question

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  • Last Post 23 January 2015
GBertolet posted this 20 March 2014

I recently aquired about 30 lbs of truck wheelweights. In melting them I get an unusual slag on top. It's a pretty thick amount. No amount of fluxing will get this metal back in the mix. This slag is grainy, silver, and heavy like lead. Casting seems to be OK, but It seems to be of a very hard alloy. I have been using this mix for buckshot only to this point, and would prefer to use it all up on buckshot. Any ideas on what these wheelweights are made of, and what this floating slag is?

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JeffinNZ posted this 22 March 2014

Sounds like you have Zinc in the mix.

Cheers from New Zealand

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Longone posted this 22 March 2014

Many of the “truck” wheel weights I've come across recently are indeed Zinc as Jeff has pointed out. The big tip off was the “Z” cast in them and their weight to size.

Longone

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Coydog posted this 22 March 2014

It sounds like zinc also to me for what was stated .If they where melted down slow and empty out after.When you slow melt the ww you will have the slag and zinc surface and just remove it after.but since you have it mix,it is best to use it for what you plan on.

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coffeeguy2 posted this 23 January 2015

Yep, zinc for sure. That said, try heating it nice and hot, then skim off the 'oatmeal' if you can. You can still cast it as-is and shoot it, just don't expect stellar results. Tips for the future:

  1. Get a good casting thermometer, and keep your melt at 650 or below, lower if you can. Anything zinc will float before melting an you can fish it out.

  2. It's better to invest time in sorting. I've seen a lot of zinc now which looks just like lead, shape-wise...so...

---Youll get a feel for the density of lead WW's versus zinc.

---Aside from something obviously stamped 'Zn', it's hard to rely on stampings, raised or non-raised lettering, etc...If you see 'P', 'MC', 'AL' or the like, that's almost always lead; the stampings indicate use on aluminum/alloy wheels and motorcycles.

--When in doubt, use the sound test and use a pair of side cutting pliers. Lead wheelweights, when hit against concrete, tend to thump or sound really dull, and zinc and steel have a distinct ring and are very hard to cut with pliers. I've had lead WW's that ring a little bit, but the plier test tells me they're lead.

--Tape wheel weights are either pure, soft lead, the zinc and steel ones are almost always stamped 'Zn' and 'Fe', I just use the pliers test where it isn't obvious by feel or by looking at them.

You'll get a pretty good feel for when something's lead, and when in doubt, just use the pliers. This will keep almost all zinc out of the mix, and also keep you from accidentally discarding a lead WW.

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