First smelting session

[rugerfan.64]

I have taken the leap. I smelted wheel weights this evening and have 14 clean ingots for casting. This is all borrowed equipment and I am looking forward to casting up a bunch of 45 bullets. I was amazed at how the lead just melted and the clips just floated on top.

[Land_Owner]

Mine were ingots so ugly that only their creator could be proud of them..and I was!!!

My first bullets filled out as warped, distorted, unfilled moulds, EASILY remelted and remoulded, until the mould and spru plate were sufficiently heated, and now, with some time and personal experience, which you can not buy, my bullets are FINE.

Good luck on a GREAT hobby.

[Nobade]

Just don't let the temps get much higher than just past "slushy" so you don't end up melting any zinc weights. When everything else is melted and you have one or two floating on top, you want to skim those off because they are not lead. Otherwise, have fun and be safe out there!

[Hairy Chest]

There was some "info" on the cast boolit site about using a torch to speed up the process.  They had it as a sticky on their website.  Until I pointed out to the "expert" by using the torch he was melting zinc.  Maybe they still do it like that.  Dummies.   

[rugerfan.64]

Thanks for the encouragement y'all. I sorted all these by hand, knife and pliers,didn't come across any zinc,found a few steel tho. It wasn't a whole lot of ww but there will be more than I had. Should make some nice 45 ACP bullets.

[mdi]

Zinc is easy to spot in a bunch of "regular" wheel weights (or am I the only one that can tell the difference by looking?). I haven't run across many, yet but I haven't smelted any wheel weights lately, but they are slightly different color, and if you pick one up it will feel "light" for it's size. There are "tests" like trying to cut one with wire cutters, dropping one on cement and listening to the sound, etc. BTW for 19 years I have been speeding up my lead melting using a propane torch. Just don't put any zinc or iron wheel weights in your pot, pick them out first. Would you inspect your brass after it was sized/deprimed, cleaned, and re-primed? Or before you started? 

[Richard P]

As you are early in your endeavors of melting weights, I hope someone has cautioned you to add new metal to your alloy only in a cold pot. This ensures you will drive off any collected moisture as the pot warms.  If you are in a cold climate this may become especially valid during your winter.  Welcome to the club.  Richard 

[rugerfan.64]

I had to take my wife's truck to get a tire plugged today at the local tire place. I ended up trading a box of 444 for a bucket of wheel weights. I'm set for a while I think.

[Hairy Chest]

I had to take my wife's truck to get a tire plugged today at the local tire place. I ended up trading a box of 444 for a bucket of wheel weights. I'm set for a while I think.

Great.  I just casted 30 bullets.  It was more of a chore this time.  I first made a few and the melt poured kind of clumpy, even with hot mold and 800' melt.  I weighed one and it was way heavier than normal.     Too much pure in the mix, so I dipped Sb (antimony) and now bullets are right at spec.     I don't want to go too heavy or too soft because I am shooting max loads and those increase pressure.  So, before you make a bunch, just remember to weigh a few to see what you have first before you spend time making too many that are useless.