Lead ball casting

[Bill Bryan]

If you live near water there is a lot of lead used as ballast in older boats. Bill

 

[VADSLRAM]

While they may not be the most consistent in hardness, I use old wheel weights. The tire shop by my house has to pay to get rid of them. So they are happy when I ask them to give them to me. It takes a little bit of work to melt them down, skim off the steel parts and dross then cast them into some home made ingot molds but the price is right.
I use them for target shooting and general blowing off of steam. To hunt I use either commercial precast balls or sabot-ted .45 bullets.

 

[Eutycus]

....''but the price is right". That pretty well sums it up. There is plenty of wheelweight lead out there that is good enough.To each his own. Some of us are not perfectionists and just enjoy a cheap hobby. Just avoid the zinc!

 

[smo]

Question?

How long does it take to get zinc poisoning ?

 

[45man]

Question?

How long does it take to get zinc poisoning ?

About 5 minutes. My dad took zinc pills for some reason and gave me a few. I made the mistake of taking one. I was on the floor right quick with every nerve buzzing. After 10 minutes of that I had to run like crazy to the toilet, talk about a clean out, Like eating a box of rid-ex.
True it is not like the metal but handling lead is far more dangerous so wash up after is all you need.
The problem with zinc is that it messes up your casting. You will poison the pot for sure.

 

[Juice Jaws]

About 5 minutes. My dad took zinc pills for some reason and gave me a few. I made the mistake of taking one. I was on the floor right quick with every nerve buzzing. After 10 minutes of that I had to run like crazy to the toilet, talk about a clean out, Like eating a box of rid-ex.
True it is not like the metal but handling lead is far more dangerous so wash up after is all you need.
The problem with zinc is that it messes up your casting. You will poison the pot for sure.

What do you mean by poisoning your pot? I melted something a few months ago and it dirty up my pot with some kind crud. Still in there.

 

[Eutycus]

The pot can be reused, I think. But DO give it a good cleaning and please dont reuse any of the crud with zinc in it. I"m not really sure how one goes about cleaning a pot once it's zinc contaminated.

 

[bang]

Ok. Did some experiments today.
Known factors:
lead is 5.
Molds, lee double, 495 and 457.
Lee bottom pour pot.
Molds preheated on top of pot while lead got to temp.
Poured at 500, 550, 600, 650, 700 and 750. 750 tops for my pot.
Minimum 3/8 diameter build up on cutter.
Ambient temp 65-68.

Made no difference in measurements.
Could make rounds faster at 500-600. Less cooling time.

 

[smo]

Anyone got pics of a “contaminated pot” ?

Is zinc lighter?

What’s the difference in hardness between zinc & lead?

Would zinc matter in a smoothbore?

Can zinc be scratched with your thumbnail?

 

[Ames]

I just ran up here to ask a question (taters on the boil). I was thinking about this thread and others. Didn't have time to read all the pages. Again, taters on the boil.
My question is.......so what happens if you end up with one half of one percent zinc or other funny stuff that did not flux out before casting? Do the round balls end up lighter and fly? Do they end up too hard and ruin your barrel? Do they end up too hard and not expand properly for a kill shot?
I'm trying to cast as pure as I can, same as everyone I guess. But if you get Zinc in the mix, what happens?
Not trying to show how stupid I am, just trying to learn why.

 

[Eutycus]

Sad and sorry to say but you'll see. Lead and zinc dont mix.

 

[Ames]

Okay. What happens?

 

[smo]

I’m not sure that it matters as long as the weight & size of the ball remain the same and the ball fits the bore correctly ....

What’s the issue?

Is it just hardness?

Or something else ?

If the two metals won’t mix...

I would think the lead would be heavier and force anything
lighter out of the mold before hardening..

The reason I’m asking is, I’m finding some of the last batch of balls I ran some are as much as 10 grns heavier than others ...

I’ve never weighed that many balls over the years, but the ones
I did , I don’t remember there being that much of a difference in ball weights..

Hopefully someone can post a pic showing exactly what to look for ..

 

[Howard Pippin]

I just ran up here to ask a question (taters on the boil). I was thinking about this thread and others. Didn't have time to read all the pages. Again, taters on the boil.
My question is.......so what happens if you end up with one half of one percent zinc or other funny stuff that did not flux out before casting? Do the round balls end up lighter and fly? Do they end up too hard and ruin your barrel? Do they end up too hard and not expand properly for a kill shot?
I'm trying to cast as pure as I can, same as everyone I guess. But if you get Zinc in the mix, what happens?
Not trying to show how stupid I am, just trying to learn why.

Hi Ames. I have been melting wheel weights for about 40 years making the majority of it into lead hammers in some molds I had made. I have no idea if there was zinc in it or not. I generally melted it with open doors in a big homemade melting pot that was about eight or 10 inches in diameter made out of flat steel with 2 inch sidewalls. I could get so much lead in it I couldn't lift the darn thing but had to scoop it out to make hammers. My worst problem was the grease And the paint that was on some of the wheel weights I have no idea if they had zinc or not it sure never gave no problem, I Melted some in my cast iron lead pot I had, And it didn't give no problem and I still use the same equipment 40 years later so I have no idea what they're talking about zinc and wheel weights. I've weighed the balls and they are little lighter then pure led but it never really concerned me for using it, I don't shoot into a recoverable trap so I don't worry about contaminating someone else's good lead. I one time made some R.E.A.L Bullets in one of the Lee molds with wheel weights and is not a good plan, they were too hard to get down the bore the gun. I was shooting them in a Thompson Center 50 caliber cap Lock. I have had zinc poisoning From welding galvanized culverts, a job I did at different times and generally the cure was to drink quite a bit of milk and it offset it. You soon learn to do all galvanized cutting and welding outside regardless of the temperature, and then it didn't seem to bother. Much the same as trying to braise zinc coated metals that are galvanized, you need to do it outside. I'll just wait and see what other lead melters have discovered.
Squint

 

[Griz44Mag]

The zinc will make it impossible to cast a smooth ball or bullet.
It will also plate the inside of your pot with manure you don't want.
Best to not try and melt it. If you have a zinc wheel weight, it will feel different than a lead one and if you drop it on concrete it will sound funny. I gave up on wheel weights a long time ago. They just have too much variation in alloy composition and hardness.

 

[Eutycus]

This was mentioned way back when this thread started. If the letters Zn appear on the wheel weight, dont use it. Thats one of the Zinc ones. The ones with Fe will just refuse to melt in your pot but it won't contaminate your whole batch.

 

[Many Klatch]

Just for your information. Lead from old car batteries is alloyed with Arsenic and other poisonous items to improve it's use as a battery. I recommend that you not go that route. There are large companies that refine battery lead. They heat the lead to a gaseous state and then run it through a column still. They separate the lead from all the additives. There is no way for the hobbyist to purify lead. People that work in those factories wear air supplied full coverage suits and still have to have monthly blood checks.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The zinc will make it impossible to cast a smooth ball or bullet.

I have cast a huge number of zinc balls for my smoothie that are smooth, shiny and perfect. I did not use the same pot I use for soft lead.

 

[Griz44Mag]

I have cast a huge number of zinc balls for my smoothie that are smooth, shiny and perfect. I did not use the same pot I use for soft lead.

I have never tried to cast a zinc ball. And never will.
You must have some super natural secret if you can cast a zinc bullet that is shiny, cause zinc is NOT shiny like a lead ball.
I have never seen a shiny zinc wheel weight either...

 

[Eutycus]

Zinc by itself may work, its the mixing with lead that does not.