How do I clean up rusty wheel weights? Help?

[Robert]

I was just given a full bucket of WW.  They were sitting out in somebody's yard for a few years in the rain and they are really dirty and rusty.  Is there something I can soak them in to clean them up a little before melting down?

[Kenneth L. Walters]

Don't worry about it.  When you melt this stuff up all that will form as slug that you can easily remove.

[Robert]

I put a double handfull in a smal bucket and rinsed & shook about four times, then cooked them up and poured the clean stuff out into 'cookies'. They look pretty good, might just have to skim them when I melt them down to use.  Thanks.

[Badnews Bob]

I never clean lead before I melt it, everything floats on top and you skim it off. No need to bother with another step but then I'm kinda lazy at times.

[The Shrink]

Robert

I nveer clean, melting is adequate and, as stated, all the junk floats to the top or comes out when you flux and stir in the flux.  

Be cautious if you clean the lead, you are putting your self in a classic position to create a lead/steam explosion if one is damp and you add it to the melt.  This can quickly ruin your whole day.

My advise is forget the mess, just melt.  The organic stuff will burn off, creating a flux for you.  The rust floats to the top if it releases from the clips, and the clips float.  You just scoop them out. So far, in my limited experience, wheelweights are almost completely self fluxing in the original melt.  

Wayne

[richp41]

Wayne touced on the critical point-- water in molten lead is VERY dangerous-- even in minute quantities. Melt the weights in a cast iron pot with a heavy lid. An old dutch oven is perfect fot this. Wear protective goggles or face shield and protective clothing. You haven't seen anything until a drop of water causes a pot full of lead to errupt and spray everything within a 30 ft circle with 700 degree lead. Take my word-- you can do without the first hand experience Rich P

[John Y Cannuck]

yup, water + molten lead = OUCH!
Believe it.
 
I will wash only the muddiest of crud from my wheelweights, then let them dry thoroughly.  
Melt them in an old pot, not a bottom pour unit. The crud will mess up the seal on your pour spout. Once you've skimmed it all off, and cleaned it up, you can transfer it by pouring ingots.

[Cheyenne Ranger]

Yep, been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.  Long, sad story--basically I screwed up.

Bout the only way to deal with anything wet is put it in a COLD pot.  Then as the lead comes up to temp the liquid (water, antifreeze, oil, whatever) will vaporize before you get to the temp needed for the lead to melt.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER add the wet, damp lead into the hot pot!  Clean the melted lead, cast,  then let it cool completely down (next day) and you can again deal with wet lead.

This is why I don't wash mine--too likely to get some liquid hidden in some small nook or cranny--only takes a drop and then it's like holding on to a gernade when it blows.  

ÇR

[Gun Runner]

While back was melting a bunch of old bullets, getting ready to dump the rest of the box in the cast iron pot. My guardian angle with the size 16eeee booted me in the butt. Last second decided to look in the box, supprixe 3 live primers in the bottom of the box.  :eek:  Read a story some years ago bout a guy casting and a 22 round fell off a shelf above his electric pot, 20 pounds of lead will go a long ways. He spent a lot of time in the hospital, and got a lot of skin graffs. He was lucky he dint loose his eye sight.

Gun Runner

[Tom W.]

There is a 500 lb. capacity pot at work in which we melt babbitt  to cast for saw guides. When we change guides, the babbitt is sometimes wet. I've seen some bodacious explosions  due to idiots that won't take advice. One man was lucky to have his safety glasses on, as the resultant explosion went up his face, and would have blinded him had not it been for the glasses.