Thread: HELP! Where's the Wheel Weight lead gone?

Originally Posted by muzza

get chummy with someone on the committee of your local smallbore rifle club and buy the lead from behind the targets. Wear a mask - but we are all used to that now anyway.

Wear a PROPER mask. Lead dust will fuck you up.

Originally Posted by berg243

yep might have to get into casting myself to use it up.

Buy / make a cannon.... Problem solved

Originally Posted by berg243

yep might have to get into casting myself to use it up.

Pure lead is fine for slugs and buck shot (useful also!) but not much good for boolets. You need tin/antimony to harden it. Wheel weight metal was ok although I have added tin containing solder to harden it up a bit.

Wow got quoted $100 kg for the 90/5/5 alloy. Cheaper to buy pre-cast

Ask any plumbers you may know. Lots of house roofs being replaced with tech screws which had lead heads or maybe house dismantlers with the amount of old dwellings being demolished for new builds.

Is it possible to get the lead out of car / auto batteries? Or is the acid and other nasties to problematic to deal with? I have four dead ones here. Going rate at the scrappers is 80c per kg.

Originally Posted by timattalon

Is it possible to get the lead out of car / auto batteries? Or is the acid and other nasties to problematic to deal with? I have four dead ones here. Going rate at the scrappers is 80c per kg.

From memory there is stuff in them which is not nice and they are a hassle to get the lead out of . The better option is to sell to the scrap dealer .

Originally Posted by Mauser308

Any ingestion of lead is bad for nervous system, balls, bones and brain. Oh, and everything else in the human body. Gloves when handling, hygiene before fondling your mouth nose or orifices, and full clean up before food, drink,vape/smoke or cellphones...

Lead dust is a bastard.

Originally Posted by Tankd

From memory there is stuff in them which is not nice and they are a hassle to get the lead out of . The better option is to sell to the scrap dealer .

It's no going to be fun opening car batteries, after you wash out the sulfuric acid you then have to crack the cases and remove the corroded plates. Melting it is likely to smell horrific.

Originally Posted by BSA270

Ask any plumbers you may know. Lots of house roofs being replaced with tech screws which had lead heads or maybe house dismantlers with the amount of old dwellings being demolished for new builds.

Yeah that's a good point buy it's pure lead (still welcome) but wheel weights are half way alloyed to make a hard bullet alloy. Just add tin solder and your done. If you have pure lead you must source and add antimony also (not fun).

Are diving belt lead weights any good?

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

Are diving belt lead weights any good?

Sure are!

Originally Posted by 223nut

Buy / make a cannon.... Problem solved

Ended up with a pile of 22rimfire lead and when melted it poured like porridge,so heated almost red and made cannon balls with it.

Originally Posted by berg243

got a few of them too.

That's probably where half the old wheel weights ended up!

Originally Posted by Tedz50

Ended up with a pile of 22rimfire lead and when melted it poured like porridge,so heated almost red and made cannon balls with it.

Attachment 180498Attachment 180499

Sounds like it had some zinc in it