Melting sesion

Q

QBall45

New member
I had a little fun melting lead today. I had 2 five gallon buckets of wheelweights, so i thought i'd melt some ingots. It had been probable 4 months since i'd casted any ingots... forgot how hot and dirty a job that it can be.

I'd like to make another bucket or so of ingots yet this fall. this will for certain get me through winter casting bullets.

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I had a little fun melting lead today. I had 2 five gallon buckets of wheelweights, so i thought i'd melt some ingots. It had been probable 4 months since i'd casted any ingots... forgot how hot and dirty a job that it can be.

I'd like to make another bucket or so of ingots yet this fall. this will for certain get me through winter casting bullets.

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ingots

Must be nice to have such a problem!I have a hard time finding anyone who will sell me wheel weights.Since I went back over the road I have found about 30 pounds though.
 
Since you went back OTR? You drive for a living? That's what I do.

Ever had any luck finding the large size weights at the truck stop shops?
 
What do you use for a smelter? I use a propane cast iron fish fryer I got on clearance at Cabela's. It works great.

I call it "Cooking in Hells Kitchen" because I put burning cardboard on top of the melt to reduce the oxidation of the lead and to help burn off the paint and other impurities. You start to stir what looks like a pot of glowing embers and the visual just stuck in my head. Need to get a photo of it.

I have only about 1,500 pounds of lead stocked up. (Best guesstimate.) My last batch was about 210 pounds of finished Ingots.
 
Don't be sniffin' the fumes! Nasty stuff.....
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WHAT FUMES? If you're referring to lead fumes, you are mistaken. Lead doesn't begin to generate fumes until it reaches 1200 degrees. While a propane fired turkey fryer has the ability to generate those temps, you would have to let it work on molten lead for at least 45 minutes AFTER it has the lead melted.

If you're talking about the smoke, that is probably NOT good for you, but does not contain lead fumes.

Good lookin mess of ingots there Qball, but did you have to bring it up 3 times?!:D
 
Not sure why/how it posted 3 times... I know I was having trouble making the pic show as a pic in the post rather than just a hot link at the bottom.

What we got here sounds like a truckers convention... I drive an '08 long nose Pete & pull a food grade tanker.
 
Really disappointed in some of the boolit casters that lurk here... I fully expected one of them to say something about the round ingots not going with the square ingots and that you should send the round ones to them. Since none of them have said that yet, let me be the first to offer to take the round ones off your hands... You would not want the other casters to think you messed up and accidentally poured the wrong moulds. I mean, it is the least of what I could do for you. :D

I have not been able to get wheel weights in quite awhile. Everyone I know who has a tire or repair shop saves the weight for their race cars.
 
I fully expected one of them to say something about the round ingots not going with the square ingots and that you should send the round ones to them.
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That's a good one as all of mine are round from using old muffin pans to make mine. Yard sale for 25cents. .. :)


Be Safe !!!
 
I stole my wifes steel muffin pan right out of the cupboard. She asked way I needed it and she just smiled. She's been wanting new muffin pans of the silicon type like her mom. However, had no real excuse to spend the $$$.
 
we must continue the truckers convention on here,,LOL, i have been making the rounds at the truckstops for a while to no avail... the shop guys keep the old stuff for makin fishin sinkers,, i have been able to get some 1 and 2 pound weights though,, now i get all i want from my tire guy,, i cast 9mm and my lead man has a 9 so it only cost me 2 bx's of 9 per 5gl bucket oh weights,,,
take care of the tire guy and he will take care of you in more ways than one,,
i looked all over the country for used weights and found them in my own home town here in central missouri,,
good luck,,
 
roscotnt, 458 and trip sticker,
just stay away from the petro in knoxville, that's mine. just kidding. i try to stop in every week or so but i have problems getting them to save me any. they keep throwing them in the trash barrel :mad:. worse part is that they use all stick ons now so it's been a real problem finding the clip on weights :(.
 
howlinmad,
LOL i hear ya,, well i gave up the shops on the road, i visited my tire guy today and ive got the exclusive at his shop now, it will only cost me 2bx of 9mm reloads per 5gl bucket,, i think thats more than a good deal,, and he is excited to have such a deal for himself,, so,, im done lookin for lead,, :D
good luck,,
 
haha i must have gotten one hell of a hook up. the tire shop up the road just lets me take em since they throw them away... so i pick em up weekly. though its only bout 1/4 a 5gl bucket per week but hey its free :D!!!... also if your in a bigger city try some of the dealerships... and hit up new tire shops since they are less likely to have a source for their WW's yet... or so that's how its been in my experience.
 
Got to love the local tire man.

All the truck stops I've checked say the same thing... Wheelweights? Nope aint got any.
 
truckstop lead

Yeah I am a OTR again but like has been said most of the shops keep them for themselves.I try to go for a walk as often as possible once I park for the day and pickup what I find.It is a winner either way cause I get some exercise and I almost always find some lead.
 
Glad to hear you make time for excersise. It seems I'm alway running hard with the left door shut & the right foot in the throttle.

I talked to my tire guy on the phone on friday...it must be tire season again. I stopped in a week ago saturday & snagged another half bucket. Now this past friday he says "when are stopping again? I got another half bucket."

A week!! And another half bucket. That's 5 gallons in 3 weeks! Over the summer it took almost a month & a half to get that much.

I'm not complaining. I'll make the weekly stop after work til it slows down to everother week or so. It gives me an excuse to stop & bs with a friend that I wouldn't see otherwise.

Gotta pay attn to the road.

Happy lead hunting.
 
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