Making my own wheel weights

[microbrush]

First I made a wax pattern of the inside of a wheel. I cut out the hub from a wheel and placed it in the middle of my wax pattern so the wax pattern would fit on the pro hub shaver. Shaved the wax down so it would fit inside the wheel without binding. Used a drill bit after shaving the outside to enlarge the center hole. Cut the wax to my desired size. Cast the wax pattern and clean up. The metal I used is lighter than Tungsten. I wonder if it could be done in this manner using tungsten putty?

I didn't have enough putty to make a full circle. It may distort too easy.

Enjoy.

 

[Vitamin K]

How dense is tungsten putty? I had thought that it had a density similar to lead?

What metal did you use for the ones cast out of metal?

At any rate, this is very cool. Thanks for showing us your process! /images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif

 

[Crash Enburn]

I made my own using an unusable block. I don't remember the sizes of bits I used now, but I drilled a large hole with a forstner bit (1-1/2"? 1-1/4"?) to a depth of 3/16" (I think). I then took a 5/16" (11/32"?) bit, and drilled into the center of the hole the forstner created. I then took that same bit, and inserted it base first into the hole I just drilled. I poured in molten lead, let it cool, then pulled out the bit and the wheel weight and tapped it off the bit.

The weights all came out ranging from 20g to 23g each -- depending on my pour. They worked perfectly.

Just measure the sizes and clearances carefully, and you'll be golden.

 

[microbrush]

I used a non-precious metal. I would like to have used Gold, but at 1200 an ounce seemed a little steep. Mine came to 1 ounce total, eliminating a row of 6 cubes. We are not allowed to have exposed lead in our cars for our district/council. The lead would be easier and cheaper for sure. I could buy some, but it's more fun to make stuff on your own. The metal cost about the same as the puma with shipping would have been. I learn a lot by making my own parts. I wonder what would be the ideal weight density to put in there?

 

[Vitamin K]

I used a non-precious metal. I would like to have used Gold, but at 1200 an ounce seemed a little steep. Mine came to 1 ounce total, eliminating a row of 6 cubes. We are not allowed to have exposed lead in our cars for our district/council. The lead would be easier and cheaper for sure. I could buy some, but it's more fun to make stuff on your own.

Are you...being evasive about the metal you used for a reason? /images/boards/smilies/smile.gif

If you can't use lead, you might consider bismuth as an alternative? Also, if you painted the lead with an acrylic coat (like nailpolish), would it still be considered exposed?

 

[Crash Enburn]

if you painted the lead with an acrylic coat (like nailpolish), would it still be considered exposed?

I was going to ask the same.

The canopy on this car is lead I melted into a tablespoon, then spray-painted silver, and then clear coated.

 

[Vitamin K]

if you painted the lead with an acrylic coat (like nailpolish), would it still be considered exposed?

I was going to ask the same.

The canopy on this car is lead I melted into a tablespoon, then spray-painted silver, and then clear coated.

I dig the look!

The lead in our cars this year ran all the way to the back of the cars, so the kids and I coated it in several layers of nailpolish before painting over it.

Has anybody ever tried casting lead into depressions made with damp sand?

 

[microbrush]

It appears it does not matter if it is covered or not. This is in the rules for NSC:

Please avoid Lead (Pb) in cars this year! Note the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act restricts the amount of lead that may be contained in children’s toys (ages 12 and under). For a 5-ounce toy, the lead limit would be 3/1000 of an ounce!

Therefore, we strongly encourage you to use other material for weight. Common alternatives include zinc, tungsten, and Tundra.

As Joey from Friends says: "the point is moo, like a cow." My kid's cars do not contain lead. I guess if you want to be technical it says "avoid". I will not use it anyway.

 

[Vitamin K]

Banning lead is kind of a bummer move, IMO (or, shall I say, strongly discouraging it). I know lead has dangers, but it's not terribly hazardous in solid form. I mean, ever gone fishing with a lead sinker before? Certainly, kids shouldn't be melting or pouring it, or being exposed to it in dust or powdered form. But when you ban lead, it gets a lot harder to find a competitive form of ballast without going the expense of tungsten. 'Tundra' is not cheap at all.

Course, we don't set the rules, so they are what they are, right?

 

[561 racing]

Seriously VK, do you even read your comments. Lead=poison. I guess I value my children health a little differently than you. Your on so many forums maybe its time you go back and read your post and maybe you too will come to the same conclusion the rest of us have.

 

[Crash Enburn]

Seriously, Brian. Your comment was unnecessary and unnecessarily harsh.

 

[Guest]

...

 

[561 racing]

Seriously, Brian. Your comment was unnecessary and unnecessarily harsh.

That's ok if you feel that way, you know how I feel and we will leave it at that.

 

[Guest]

"Lead can enter the body in only two ways"

My .357 Magnum says otherwise..

Seriously though, I would imagine dermal absorption is still possible by merely handling the lead.

 

[Crash Enburn]

Before this thread digresses any further (that was rather funny, btw Corvid)...

Micro, can you clarify things a little? If I'm reading/seeing this correctly, you used wax to make a form to make wheel weights. You then showed a pic of the cast forms before, and then after cleanup. And then finally, a pic of a wheel weight made of putty. Is that right?

I ask because the cast pieces are hollow, and so wouldn't weigh as much as they could.

Also, I doubt that a putty weight could be attached to the car reliably.

Thanks!

 

[Knotty Racing]

Does anyone know anyone that has lead poisoning from toys or eating paint chips?

Not trying to flare this up, but we were talking about it this past season and I don't know of anyone personally affected by it.

It has widely been used for fishing for a long time. water pipes even used to be made out of it.

I am just not seeing it as a major problem - that said I do not recommend that you eat it or smoke it.

 

[Vitamin K]

Well, since it got brought up...

OCDD's understanding of lead toxicity is the same as my own. That said, whenever I or my children handle lead, hand-washing is mandatory afterwards.

When we use lead in our cars (and we do!), it is either contained within the car body or coated with several layers of barrier substance.

Any cars that have lead in them are not permitted to be "playthings". The car I built for my two year old, for example, has penny-weight for ballast, because he insists on being able to play with his.

I value my children's health very much and take it seriously. I also trust that we are able to follow proper precautions in this matter. For the record, I also allow the children to use scissors, to cook on the stove and to cut with x-acto blades and pocket knives (given proper supervision).

Mr. Clark, I'm not entirely certain what bone you feel you have to pick with me, but feel free to PM me about it. You seem to be irritated about the fact that I post to several boards, but, since you're aware of that fact, you post to all those boards too.

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand...just got a new cast iron pot for lead melting, and plan to experiment (tonight, if I can escape the honey-do list!) with casting some ingots into damp sand. I'll report back on how that goes. Maybe take pictures if I remember.

 

[KTMracer]

I know that most of you don't have a subscription to read the UpToDate article (I posted the link if you have a subscription), but it claims that ingestion and inhalation are by far the biggest sources for lead poisoning. Also, the cdc link shows the incidence rate. Lead poisoning is fairly rare, but still a serious problem. I personally am not against using it in scouts, but it should be coated before handled by anybody who isn't aware of the lead (before it leaves the workshop). It appears the majority of the danger for scouts is offset by handwashing and being careful to make sure hands don't go near open wounds or mouths. I couldn't find anywhere that said transdermal lead poisoning exists, but the risk of hand to mouth is still significant.

http://www.uptodate.com/contents/childhood-lead-poisoning-exposure-and-prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/data/stateconfirmedbyyear_1997_2013.pdf

Just my two cents.

 

[BulldogRacing]

"Lead can enter the body in only two ways"

My .357 Magnum says otherwise..

 

[Kinser Racing]

Lead poisoning is mostly due to ingestion. If you work with it, you must wash your hands thoroughly with soap for at least 30 seconds, most people don't. It is a toxic metal. I go through an annual training for toxic metals.