Casting round ball?

[James Beardsley]

Going through my BP stuff I'm finding bullets I'll never use. I found some sabot that are lead but I don't know if they're pure lead or an alloy. I want to melt them down to cast round ball. Any way to determine if they'd be good for that? No brand or I'd look it up. Thanks all, James

 

[Sidney Smith]

I use the fingernail test. If the lead is easily scratched with a fingernail then its sift enough to use.

 

[Carbon 6]

Just a friendly reminder.

Rule # 9: We do not discuss copper and/or jacketed, plastic/polymer tipped bullets, sabots, power belts, or other 'plastic-wrapped' bullets. Smoothbores using plastic wads and steel shot are an exception to this rule.

I doubt it would be a problem, but You can take a regular ball and one of your bullets and do a side by side fingernail scratch test. This should give you an idea of how hard they are. You could also dilute them by only adding X amount to a pot full of pure lead. Rather than melting and casting them all as a single batch. Or you could single batch them and keep them segregated in case they don't pan out. I often take scrap lead or unknown lead and make pumpkin balls out of them, it eats up the lead fast and whatever I shoot the pumpkin balls out if doesn't seem to care..

P.S. I wouldn't cast them into revolver balls unless they are soft.

 

[James Beardsley]

They're for my TC Patriot. I've heard of problems using Lyman #2 in muzzle loaders.

 

[Carbon 6]

They're for my TC Patriot. I've heard of problems using Lyman #2 in muzzle loaders.

Then don't use them.

 

[CapPopper]

Probably fine for patches balls just keep them separate so you know what they are..... I don't know about those but a lot of modern "pistol" bullets have swaged lead cores and are pure lead (like the xtp) but I would keep the lead separate anyways..... Can always cast a few and see what they weigh also should be real close to weight of a pure lead ball if they are pure lead

 

[Taffyman]

Just got given a 16lb downrigger weight, pretty sure it is pure lead, keep me busy for a while, toughest part is cutting it into smaller pieces to fit my smelter.

 

[oldwood]

Taffyman..........if you have any friends w/ access to an acetylene torch , that puddles a large chunk of lead pretty quickly. Gave a friend a big medical counter weight and that's how he did it.......oldwood

 

[Tanglefoot]

Taffyman, If you don't have an acetylene torch available and still need to cut up that big chunk of lead, try using a chisel and mallet with a wood block under the lead to "catch" the chisel if/when it cuts through. I've had pretty good luck that way with a 1-1/2 inch wide wood chisel fitted with a hardwood handle. I've also used a short handled 2-pound sledge instead of a wooden mallet which works well but batters the chisel handle pretty badly. Mostly I just cut the big chunk into smaller chunks, melt the smaller chunks in a 5 or 10 pound casting pot, and re-cast the melt into 1-pound ingots for storage and later use. Ingot molds are inexpensive and the 1-pound bars they produce are much easier to store and use than odd-shaped ragged chunks.

 

[user 34300]

Large blocks of lead can be sawn into smaller blocks with a bandsaw. Use a little oil to prevent galling. It cuts like hardwood.

Using an oxy-acetylene torch to melt lead directly with the flame is asking to be dosed with lead vapors.

 

[Taffyman]

Thanks for all the advice guys

 

[oldwood]

Metal cutting band saw might work for lead , but careful about putting oil of any kind on a wood cutting band saw. The flexible plastic tires on the wood cutting band saw wheels , depend on friction to keep the blade in place. Guarantee oil will cause the blade to fly off...........oldwood

 

[eggwelder]

A tarp, a stump and an axe.

 

[Timber Wolf]

A tarp, a stump and an axe.

That right there sounds like a solution to a wide variety of problems. Maybe add a shovel.

 

[mooman76]

A reciprocating saw would work. Not everyone has a Metal cutting bandsaw available for their use.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I've also used the ax method on scrap lead.

 

[oldwood]

When I was still gainfully employed , had to sometimes get rid of my frustration by bludgeoning some of the larger pieces into shapes would fit into my lead furnace. Ax was effective as well on sheet lead. That's no sheet. Fun no matter which way you cut it.......oldwood

 

[eggwelder]

chopped up a lot of lead pipe with an axe. the tarp kept me from losing the small bits. always separated the soldered joints from the rest of the lead- lots of tin in those joints

 

[oldwood]

Friend of mine new to casting balls some where got a crap load of dental lead. He was so proud of the super shiny .490's he brought to show me. Them suckers were so hard perhaps could load them in a bore size smooth bore , but nothing rifled for a .490. Finger nail test totally failed . Showed him a standard soft lead .490 , he just laughed and was disappointed in his new hard balls...........oldwood

 

[Rifleman1776]

You can take a regular ball and one of your bullets and do a side by side fingernail scratch test.

When I have the lazies I'll do the fingernail test thing. But, easier is to take a known soft/pure lead ball and one of your mystery balls and put them in a vice. Squeeze slowly. Soft will smoosh. Hard won't. Both soft, both smoosh.