Iridescent balls

[ronaldrothb49]

I use lead from old water pipes, had around 500 lbs of it at one time. Also use plumbers lead that I got from my father years ago. See what you are describing in both so not something unique.

 

[Kevin]

Your getting it too hot. Back off on that fire.

 

[Coldfingers]

That could be correct in other circumstances.
The color deepens even as it solidifies, Most of the time while doing this it was barely liquid.
Just something in the lead, I was just wondering if anyone else had run into this.
Again, I have only seen this on xray sheeting. I can melt roofing sheet lead in the same pot and no color. WW no color. Rotometals lead, no color.

 

[deerstalkert]

close to 35 years ago my construction company remodeled the old dental school buildings at Loma Linda University.
Turned it from dental school into offices. guess who grabbed the lead lined drywall. I had 2000 one pound ingots from that haul. and got paid to haul it off. I only started needing to buy lead in the last two years.
there is a misconception that Lead shielding absorbs x-ray. it only blocks it.
over the years i have seen the color phenomenon with all types of lead alloys. I, having not one iota of proof surmised it was from over heating alloy with small amounts of tin.
only once that i can think of did the rainbow colors cast into bullets. some 520g for a 45-90.

 

[IanH]

The more pure the lead, the more rainbows I see. If it is overheated (800-900⁰F) the dross goes dull and forms a thick skin but retains the color. Any antimony content seems to deter any color formation other than greys.

 

[aussie pete]

I have run into this for the third time now whenever melting sheet lead from xray rooms.
Regardless of temp, as soon as it melts it goes pretty rainbow colors.

Has anyone else noticed this?

I run thus same setup with wheel weights or other lead sources and this doesn't happen.

Coldfingers, apt name in this case. Those colours are caused by the absorbed, trapped radiation, being released back into the atmosphere.

Only kidding! Have fun sending that lot down range. That soft lead will sure work beautifully!

Pete

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

And I thought this thread was going to be about a disease.

Had to be a STD created from that Covid thing. First thought, Asian girl related.

 

[jfaldo]

Can't believe it took a page and a half nearly to get the correct answer. It's simply way too hot. Put a thermometer in there and I would bet your way over 1000 degrees.

 

[flconch53]

Remember the flashbacks we were warned about? Never have seen 1 before

 

[kevin mcshane]

I have run into this for the third time now whenever melting sheet lead from xray rooms.
Regardless of temp, as soon as it melts it goes pretty rainbow colors.

Has anyone else noticed this?

I run thus same setup with wheel weights or other lead sources and this doesn't happen.

why would you mess with that stuff

 

[Tenring]

Don‘t want your Muzzle Loader getting sick from using this stuff. Just a little humor, He He…But seriously that’s so weird getting that multi color effect..

 

[flntlokr]

I got a couple of hundred pounds of lead that had shielded some sort of solar radiation detector. It also made pretty blue ingots. Beautiful soft lead; probably the best I have ever had. Shoot well, but I have shot everything from that thru wheel weights, melted birdshot, marbles, and ball bearings, just to see how different things worked. None of those made much of a difference except shooting higher or lower. Maybe if I (and my toys) were capable of shooting through the same hole repeatedly, I would notice a difference in accuracy (group size). But I can't, and don't.

 

[SwampBilly]

That is very cool.

Lead absorbing the x-ray stuff that's not supposed to get to us humans?

And wheel weights are bad for muzzzleloaders.

If your gun doesn't blow from not using pure lead, the projectiles will be so inaccurate that you won't be able to keep them in the same zip code when shot at a target.

That's unusual because I have shot many lead ball from my 1858 cast from wheel weights.

No explosion yet.

 

[BadDaditood]

Been my understanding that those colors come from pure lead. I get them with Roto 99.9 percent pure too.
Add a trace amount of tin and pot goes grey.
If X-ray lead scares you, I’ll take it off your hands ;-)

 

[BadDaditood]

For WAAAAY more than you ever wanted to know about casting lead boolits, try Science instead of witchcraft-

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sh...to-Target-A-Cast-Bullet-Guide-for-Handgunners

 

[Coldfingers]

Been my understanding that those colors come from pure lead. I get them with Roto 99.9 percent pure too.
Add a trace amount of tin and pot goes grey.
If X-ray lead scares you, I’ll take it off your hands ;-)

Now this is a interesting idea to ponder.

I'm just skipping all the ones that say "TO HOT!!!"

 

[Coldfingers]

I'll keep it, and smile for every free ball downrange.

 

[Greenjoytj]

To each their own, I bought some supposed to be lead back a few years ago, after casting within a short amount of time they actually expanded enough to cause issues when loading.. got rid of that manure.

I have used pure lead from Rotometals ever since.

Alloy containing antimony will continue to expand for about 1 month after casting.
If casting bullets (not balls) age the newly cast bullets 1 month before running them through the lubrisizer tool.

 

[64Springer]

That's unusual because I have shot many lead ball from my 1858 cast from wheel weights.

No explosion yet.

Your sarcasm detector requires calibration.

 

[Mogadishu Meanderer]

Now this is a interesting idea to ponder.

I'm just skipping all the ones that say "TO HOT!!!"

Good idea. I ran into the same issue with the same type of lead some 15 years ago. I thought was arsenic or some weird chemical that could kill me. After a weeks of research (not on forums) I discovered that it was pure lead as it comes. Not too hot and the rest of the nonsense. Cast it and shoot it. If you do some research you will find out that pure lead does show those blueish/purple hues when molten.