2. Sorting Wheel Weights for Bullet Casting
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- A five gallon bucket of wheel weights can be a frustrating task to sort out if you aren't familiar with the weights. There is steel, zinc, plastic and some other rubbery type of weight just waiting to give you fits.
In this video I'm going to break down what is what for the novice. The detail is great and the video is designed to be paused and restarted so that you can use it for reference while sorting. Thanks folks, like, subscribe and leave me a comment.
MC just denoted the type of wheel that the weight will clip on to. Loving this video. Good content.
Thanks for this video. Myself also being long time automotive tech, am used to this but I'm sure this will really help others that don't sort castings by temperatures. Great explanations with detail.
Dont throw out the zinc though - separate it out, and make zinc ingots. Start casting zinc bullets but you'll need an old Saeco or Lyman 61 pot and an iron mold. Alot of people are casting zinc now, and my testing with 45 Auto, 35 Remington and 35 Whelen shows real promise
I've thought about holding on to the zinc. I probably should. But there is sooo much of it out there right now that I don't think I'll have a problem getting enough to cast with one day. I'm just not sure that I want to lol Thanks for the view, like and subscribe!
@@leadsmith5873 Its a different game, but even big ammo companies are putting out zinc ammo now. Theres a group of guys casting with zinc on youtube check it out. I see alot of promise for high velocity rifle bullets.I did the Saeco #352 (.358-245gr) in zinc also 160gr. I laddered up in 35 Whelen and stopped at slightly sticky extraction. I'm guessing it was easily over 3000fps but didnt have the chrono.
I'm a bit slow to catch on to new trends lol. I have yet to get into powder coating or casting with zinc. I see that those are going to become (or have become) the "new norms", and I'm curious about the challenge. I'll likely get into it soon. Perhaps it will be a good topic after this long series (cast bullet success) is completed.
This might be a domb question but what effect does zinc bullets have on the riflings??
@@REB-forever Zinc bullets have been around along time and are currently making a resurgence in factory ammunition as 'lead free' pistol ammunition in places where lead (commiefornia) is being outlawed even for target shooting. Thats how I got into casting zinc bullets. I think there is alot of promise in zinc rifle bullets if people start testing and developing it. You would think if it was a detriment on barrels and the rifling it would've come up by now. They used to make bullet molds that took a zinc washer (no leading) and while they dont make the molds anymore, people still sell the washers for it so somebody is buying them. Also, Lyman cast bullet manual 3rd edition references that Remington used to make an armor piercing zinc pistol bullet. Zinc is somewhere around 35-40 on the BHN scale which is alot softer than copper as whether its a copper jacket or solid copper bullet which is about 85 BHN.
I usually keep my "raw" pot 1/4 ish full and when i get it up and running drop a few weights in it keep the temp around 650-675 and let the heat sort the weights ... zinc having a higher melting temp...
Recently ive been getting around 30% out of a bucket by weight. And its not getting any better...
My weights vary in hardness as well avg close to 15bhn using the lee tester...
Yes, and its getting harder to pick out the zinc. I'm finally at a point where I accept that some of my sorting will be done in the smelting pot.
Awesome video!!! Love the power tools!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the info
Glad you found it helpful
I forgot to mention earlier, you and your viewers should make a concentrated effort to collect WW if that is what you are going to cast with. I'm surprised they haven't been outlawed yet with the political climate as it is, and the basic misunderstanding of lead by so many. Eventually, they will be replaced completely with zinc and others as you may well have noticed from the amount of zinc now with retrieved WW. They make a perfect alloy for handguns as stated earlier.
It is getting harder to get lead weights. They are still out there. I've got enough to keep me going for a good while, but we'll see how things shake out.
Great WW primer.
Those newer weights wouldn't be American. The last lead mine in the US threw its hands up and closed after Obama's restrictions killed them.
The “AL” designates for use on alloy wheels.
The M is to fit a particular wheel profile and the C designates that the weight is coated (painted)
There are weights to fit many other wheel styles that use different letters.
The bad thing is that you can have an “MC” marking, yet it could be either iron, zinc, or lead. The MC just tells you what wheel it fits, not what it is made of.
FE is ferrous/ferrum = iron.
Wheel weights are about the perfect alloy for most handgun applications. The composition has changed over the years, but still quite viable. If you need them for rounds faster than 1400 fps heat treating will raise the BHN. Don't bother to try sorting different types of clip-on lead for hardness. It's a waste of time and effort. Melt all together, and it will work just great. Do sort out the soft stamped stick on weights. While they can be mixed in with the clip-ons for melting, they are a great source for muzzeloading or swaging.
I wouldn't have the patience to look at the markings, although some of the older WW can be worth $3-$10 each to vintage car people and are worth setting aside if found. As you stated, after a while you just begin to recognize which is lead or not, and if in doubt, tape on concrete or metal for the thunk/clink. Melt the lead at just above leads melting point of 621 degs and all the debris including the zinc/steel/paint will float to be scooped off as you well know. Just don't leave the zinc to set there and float as it will eventually start to break down. And don't ever let the rubber ones get into the melt. As a friend of mine can attest, you end up with one gooey mess.
Thank you for giving some insight to what the markings mean. Just one more piece of info to make us all a little more proficient.
I've been doing this since the '70s, so have probably forgotten more than I know now. I finally decided that I'd probably not be able to cast all the lead that I have accumulated and started selling a little excess last year. After selling 660 lbs I still have 6026 lbs of lead plus around 300 lbs of linotype and 50-60 lbs of tin. I'm also down to around 250 or so molds.
Hey thats a great book right there! Is that a Lyman vise?
Jerry K. ?, yeah he's a great smith, writer and teacher! I've worn those books out. The vise isn't a Lyman. It is by a company called Forward (Chineseium). When I remolded my room I wanted an American made vise, but I'm too poor to purchase one in good condition. I could have rebuilt one but I would have then needed a vice to rebuild the vice lol. It is what it is, but I do like that vice a lot.