Question for alloy/casting experts

[JonBishop]

zinc antimony n tin are the big concern.
lead i think has a lower melting point than zinc so if you can regulate you melting temp the zinc may be able to be scooprd out...if there is zinc present.

i have a lee hardness tester....if you want you can send me a small piece i will test for you

This stuff seems to melt at a lower temp than my 99% pure lead. This is based only on the time it takes to get to melting in my pot. It also seems very clean. Only a bit of a film on top, no big slag pieces. And thank you for the offer but I’m not that invested in this stuff.

Thanks, Jon

 

[FPDoc]

Sure looks like Linotype ingot to me. Wonderful for those alloys we can't push down a rifled barrel with a stick. Usually goes for a bit of a premium over pure lead or wheel weights for alloy use. You could sell/trade and buy pure lead for muzzle loading rifle use. It would work fine for smoothbore ball or swan shot etc. just a bit overkill technologically speaking and if it's pure linotype it can shatter rather than expand like pure lead would. I was a printer in one of my past incarnations however and used a lot of hand set type and linotype. Have cast babbit bearings as well and never saw them in ingots like that. If the size is appropriate (different alloys will cast slightly different size and weight from same mold) and if it works for what you want, great.
It won't hurt your barrel.

P.S. If OP has has easily cast projectiles with this and it cast well.. it isn't likely to be zinc and it certainly wouldn't be cast iron or steel. Also zinc will ring when tapped (at least wheel weights) and it does melt at a somewhat higher temp (787F) than lead (621F) although not too much higher so you can pretty easily ruin a melt with unnoted zinc wheel weight. Bismuth would melt lower at (521F) and is used as non-toxic shot for bird hunting. If you have a casting thermometer try and determine the melting point and for sure if you do figure out what it is, let us know.

Bismuth usually costs a lot more than lead (maybe 2x-7x as much) so if it is Bismuth you might consider selling it and buying lots more lead to cast.

From Ballistics Products dot com:
Softness: Bismuth is the softest metal of all available non-toxic shot types. Bismuth is much softer than any barrel iron and steel shotgun barrels. Therefore it is the non-toxic shot that is easiest on your fine shotguns. Bismuth shot is alloyed with approximately 6% tin in order to maximize bismuth pellet integrity.

 

[Master Blaster]

 

[JonBishop]

P.S. If OP has has easily cast projectiles with this and it cast well.. it isn't likely to be zinc and it certainly wouldn't be cast iron or steel. Also zinc will ring when tapped (at least wheel weights) and it does melt at a somewhat higher temp (787F) than lead (621F) although not too much higher so you can pretty easily ruin a melt with unnoted zinc wheel weight. Bismuth would melt lower at (521F) and is used as non-toxic shot for bird hunting. If you have a casting thermometer try and determine the melting point and for sure if you do figure out what it is, let us know.

Bismuth usually costs a lot more than lead (maybe 2x-7x as much) so if it is Bismuth you might consider selling it and buying lots more lead to cast.

From Ballistics Products dot com:
Softness: Bismuth is the softest metal of all available non-toxic shot types. Bismuth is much softer than any barrel iron and steel shotgun barrels. Therefore it is the non-toxic shot that is easiest on your fine shotguns. Bismuth shot is alloyed with approximately 6% tin in order to maximize bismuth pellet integrity.

 

[JonBishop]

I don’t have a thermometer to test this with. It most certainly does melt faster than “pure” lead. I’ve done some youtubing on making shot. I think this is what I’m going to do with this stuff. If this is bismuth, it seems odd they would be window weights, given other comments. As I recall though, these windows were kind of narrow and about ten feet tall.

Thanks , Jon

 

[JonBishop]

This is good information, but I really have no interest in these weights except shooting them in a couple rifles and a smoothbore. Making shot seems the thing to do.

Jon