Zinc wheel weights

Warhorse · Feb 26, 2011

Karl/PA said:
I suspect that the weights are made of kirksite (alloy of aluminum & zinc) which melts @ 725F.

This simply confirms my previous caveat of keeping the pot temperature below 700 degrees F when melting wheel weights. :thumbsup:

I generally melt them in batches and pour the lead into ingots for future use. That avoids problems and makes the actual bullet casting an operation of its own without taking the time to sort out the clips and other debris and then cast. Besides, the WW melting operation tends to be rather smokey and smelly, better done outdoors. Actual bullet casting with the cleaned up lead doesn't require nearly as stringent ventilation as the WW melt process.

Gordon · Feb 26, 2011

Zinc below 800 starts chilling

Oreo · Feb 27, 2011

Gordon, I'll try to answer your question about custom molds but please understand that I'm well outside my competence on this subject...

As I understand it it partly has to do with the amount the zinc shrinks when it cools. Molds for lead bullets mostly take this into account for lead but for zinc has a different requirement. I also think that zinc will stick to some metals that lead won't so using the wrong tools could just end up in a mess with ruined tools. Finally, I think it's supposedly just a harder skill to cast with zinc because it's more finicky then lead. In other words, poor fill-out and wrinkled bullets are a frequent problem.

Then there's the issue of doing load-work-ups with zinc. No "book data" to be found at all. Just as lead bullets require different load data then jacketed, zinc also requires it's own data set that you're left to determine on your own out in the wild.

Casting zinc is just one of those hypothetical things that really isn't worth it until lead becomes scarce, which it isn't in the foreseeable future.

Gordon · Feb 27, 2011

I agree zinc is not easy to cast, but still enjoy trying something different.Thanks for info.

psuedoperson · Mar 3, 2011

wheel weights

Where do you guys get all these wheel weights from?

Cowboy T · Mar 4, 2011

Gordon said:
I agree zinc is not easy to cast, but still enjoy trying something different.Thanks for info.

It's also good for shotgun slugs, for those who cast them, especially out of Lee's moulds (they're very rounded and thus friendly to zinc's high surface-tension). Don't mix them with lead, obviously, but I see no problem with casting with zinc if 1.) you get it hot enough, and 2.) you keep it very separate from the lead.

Warhorse · Mar 4, 2011

Bad idea!

Cowboy T said:
It's also good for shotgun slugs, for those who cast them, especially out of Lee's moulds (they're very rounded and thus friendly to zinc's high surface-tension). Don't mix them with lead, obviously, but I see no problem with casting with zinc if 1.) you get it hot enough, and 2.) you keep it very separate from the lead.

Careful there! While you could easily get away with zinc slugs in a shotgun with a cylinder or improved cylinder choke, if the shotgun has a tighter choke than that you are looking for trouble. Zinc is not very ductile compared to lead and you could easily damage your barrel. I wouldn't do it! :tdown:

Why do you want to fool around with casting zinc bullets or slugs in the first place? I'm having trouble making sense of this. :sad20:

Kinbote · Mar 4, 2011

If I had another lead furnace, I'd try zinc slugs. I don't want to mix ZN in with my lead though. I'd do it to use up the zinc WW and not waste good WW on slugs, and I'd like to see how differently ZN slugs performed. I'd expect them to shatter more easily, might be able to get more velocity since they are lighter. It's good advice not to shoot them from anything other than OC and IC bbls, but it's not a good idea to shoot lead slugs from tight chokes either.

I'd like to see any results other people have with ZN slugs, or bullets for that matter.

Cowboy T · Mar 4, 2011

Warhorse said:
Careful there! While you could easily get away with zinc slugs in a shotgun with a cylinder or improved cylinder choke, if the shotgun has a tighter choke than that you are looking for trouble. Zinc is not very ductile compared to lead and you could easily damage your barrel. I wouldn't do it!

Why do you want to fool around with casting zinc bullets or slugs in the first place? I'm having trouble making sense of this.

I don't. Remember, you're the one who brought up the subject of zinc. I was simply going with it. :rolleyes:

ZnGuy · Jul 17, 2015

Karl/PA said:
I suspect that the weights are made of kirksite (alloy of aluminum & zinc) which melts @ 725F.

You are correct that ww are zinc aluminum mix but it is not kirksite. WW in US are made with zamak 3 alloy. Kirksite is sometimes called zamak 2 although most of the kirksite is made with zinc scrap and used for auto, aircraft tooling. Kirksite tends to have more contaminants (Fe, Pb, Cd, Sn) than zamak which are primary alloys. Zamak (and kirksite) have about 4% aluminum content. The other elements for zamak and Kirksite are .02-.06% magnesium. Kirksite Cu content is about 3% whereas zamak 3 Cu is .10% max. Zamak 3 is more fluid, softer than kirksite.
Wegman (or sometimes called Perfect Eqpt) in TN is the largest producer of zinc and lead ww. Lead ww are being phased out..
725F melting is correct.

Traveler · Jul 17, 2015

Holy necro thread. This only happens about 3% of the time.

SRD · Jul 17, 2015

Traveler said:
Holy necro thread. This only happens about 3% of the time.

Beat me to it. :lol2:

jimbobborg · Jul 17, 2015

Wow, haven't seen Cowboy T or Warhorse post in a while.

CXD Arms · Jul 17, 2015

I know I'm only making it necro-worse but I so wanted to add to the discussion!!

Traveler · Jul 17, 2015

CXD Arms said:
I know I'm only making it necro-worse but I so wanted to add to the discussion!!

Was that your addition?

SRD · Jul 17, 2015

Traveler's on a roll today. :lol2:

jimbobborg · Jul 17, 2015

SRD said:
Traveler's on a roll today.

I believe someone else did this, too, a while back. His name is a type of car produced by Mazda :innocent0

SRD · Jul 17, 2015

jimbobborg said:
I believe someone else did this, too, a while back. His name is a type of car produced by Mazda

He was bumping some necro threads there for awhile,might have been a Meds thing (or lack of). :lol2:

CXD Arms · Jul 17, 2015

Traveler said:
Was that your addition?

Just that the clip on wheel weights already have a steel 'clip' that will float once the lead melts, and that so long as you take out the steel slips once the lead liquifies, and flux the lead, you should be good to go.

Also, the stick on wheel weights are usually softer than clip on. The clip on have been alloyed which makes them better suited for casting bullets. Not that the stick on can't, but that the clip are are ideal.

outrider58 · Jul 17, 2015

Traveler said:
Holy necro thread. This only happens about 3% of the time.

Damn you, Traveler! I slogged through this thread hoping to insert that 3% antimony joke! :mad54:

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