Any of you guys cast boolits? I got several hundred pounds of wheel weights from one of our local tire stores. Guy gave them to me. I don't plan to cast boolits but will use them for fishing weights. I just don't want to get foreign metal like zinc in the lead. What method do you guys use to keep that from happening? There's a whole lot of stick on weights in the buckets. I'm hoping the adhesive will burn off and that by fluxing I can get rid of any impurities. Will the stick on weights be a more pure lead (softer) than the clip ons?

The impurities will float. I used to make fishing weights from tire weights.

The glue from the stick ons will burn off. I pinch each one with a pIr of side cutters. The zinc you can barely scar. Zinc does melt at a higher temp and will float before they melt. That should really be enough as long as you dont turn it wide open and walk away from it.

I know the impurities will float when smelting lead but melted zinc won't float. I've already got close to 80 pounds of ingots that I've melted down and fluxed from scrap lead. I've never used wheel weights before and I know that zinc will ruin the lead if it gets hot enough to melt it. I will probably just use what I melt to make larger catfish weights because on my crappie jigs if I don't use lead that's close to pure they don't pour well.

FLdoghunter, I wondered if the zinc would float. That's good to know. I had thought about using an infrared temp gun but wasn't sure if that would work. I can buy a lead thermometer but I'd only need it one time so I hate to buy one just for that if I can avoid it. The wheel weights aren't going anywhere but I'm the kind of person that once I start something I want to finish it. I don't know how long it will take to process 700-800 lbs of wheel weights at one sitting but I guess I'll find out.

I'm fairly new to casting, so take my advise for what it's worth.

Zinc melts @ 730 something and lead melts @ 620 something so the lead will melt before the zinc. The last batch of ww I sorted and smelted, I missed a couple of zinc weights. They floated and I got them out before they melted and they were easy to spot. I thought about using an infrared thermometer too but haven't yet. I read over on the cast boolits forum that for some reason they didn't work well on lead. They said they would float a blackened steel washer on the lead and it would work well on that. I have no clue why, but that's what I read. There is a wealth of knowledge on the cast boolits forum (spelled wrong on purpose).

I always use a pair of side cutters to test, as soon as you squeeze you’ll feel the difference. Lead will cut with little effort, anything else will hardly dent with the same effort

I used to melt wheel weights for casting egg weights for duck decoys. I never had a problem using them and just skimmed the floaters off.

As Fldoghunter says, melting temps of zinc and lead are different. Zinc takes higher heat. Zinc WILL float in melted lead. The trick is to very slowly get the weights up to temp, few at a time, and slowly add. Lowering the temp is ok as long as you bring it up slowly - ie the melt has to be uniform temp throughout (harder than it sounds when smelting!!!). As long as the melt has liquid lead below about 650, and solid zinc hits it, it will float. Also, as he mentioned, ton of info on Cast Boolits forum

How are you fellas processing the dirty lead into your ingots? I’ve seen an old cast iron skillet and propane burner used but didn’t know if that was the best way for getting the clips and dirt out of the melt.

I use a large cast iron dutch oven on a Turkey fryer. The clips and dirt skim off of the clip ons. When I melt the stick ons, the glue burns off. I flux a few times with a candle, then ladle the molten lead into a cast iron muffin pan. Then I can use only clean lead in my lee bottom pour pot.

"How are you fellas processing the dirty lead into your ingots?"

Turkey fryer. old dutch oven (caution - I have HEARD of them cracking and spilling lead, but never seen evidence of it). I now use a propane can, cut in half, with a chain handle on it. Two issues with it: 1) You can't load it full or the weight is too much!, and, 2) it can be a small challenge getting the last bit of lead out.

Glen Frxyell's book is great info for leadcasters.