fshng2 Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Starting point for discussion: We will start by using Wheel Weights to increase hardness. Many of us use them as a source of Antimony and they are either free or cheaper than pure lead. lets say we are molding 3/4 oz gigs and larger. What % of WW's do you recommend adding and why? What are Pros and Cons associated with increasing the hardness of lead. Fluxing Mold fill Prone to sticking in mold Mold flash Temperature of lead mixture Harder end product Powder coating Melt Temp Lead = 621 F Antimony = 1,167 F TIn = 449 F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimpNoodle Posted June 7, 2015 Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 I run pure lead in my molds. Only time I use harder lead is when working with a spin cast machine. Antimony will harden the lead and tin will help it flow it better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljaw Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 I buy my lead from roto metals, I buy both pure lead and 5% antimony and there is a big reason why I no longer use wheel weight lead for antimony. The shops I use to get weights from don't separate new ones from old weights, and the new ones have a high zinc content. If you want to ruin 10 pounds of lead, add 30 percent wheel weight lead that had a high zinc contenet and watch as it gets thick and clogs up your pot. It is so bad that new LEE furnaces now come with a warning against using it. That said, I run a 70/30 soft to hard ratio for spinnerbaits and a 60/40 for jigs, what happens is the lead will sometimes, not always freeze faster, I'm not 100% sure but I have a feeling humidity places a roll as I have very few bad pours during the winter than in summer. In order to combat that problem, make sure your mold is hot, and try to keep hooks in a place that they are at least room temp, if they are cold it can cause problems. But there isn't too many problems when making leads hard, and if I do have a little problem I'll bump up the temp of my pot and it usually works. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted June 8, 2015 Report Share Posted June 8, 2015 There are so many variables in pouring, that it is really hard to tell you what to use. You have to be able to pour what works for you and your molds, and that is trial and error. Also temp is a factor on how hot you keep your pot.. If you are a beginner stick with 99.9% pure soft as it is easier to pour. I do the same as smalljaw does. I buy my soft from Roto-Metals along with lead with antimony. I like all my baits at 70 % soft 30% hard. I find that the lead from Roto-metals comes in much cleaner than the stuff you get at the scrap yard. Also lot of wheel weight are a mix of lead and zinc, and I don't want to guess and separate the two, I find it a waste of time to sort. The way I get it from Roto-metals is the way I use it and I have no problems. However that is just my personal opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshng2 Posted June 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Limpnoodle, Smalljaw, and Cadman thank you each for sharing your years of experience, and valuable input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooki Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 You can always check out the castboolits forum, lots of information about casting and different alloys. Spent days at that site just to get a handle on the "liquid silver"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshng2 Posted June 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2015 You can always check out the castboolits forum, lots of information about casting and different alloys. Spent days at that site just to get a handle on the "liquid silver"... Thanks for the castboolits forum. The members have alot of posts about lead.They even talk about removing zinc from lead. Much to learn on that forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
