what kind of lead is this?

[newtewsmoke]

found what i thot was a lead bar, melted it, began to cast rb's, after mould heats up have to wait several seconds till it (the lead) cools enough to solidify. any ideas about what it could be? alloy of some sort? Figured i'd go ahead and turn it into rb's but its going to take forever. Scott

 

[Stumpkiller]

Takes my .54 mold 21 seconds to cool from the pour to opening the gate.

 

[newtewsmoke]

Takes my .54 mold 21 seconds to cool from the pour to opening the gate.

WOW! this stuff doesnt take quite that long, just finished some balls from plumbers lead and that stuff is almost instantaneous.

 

[Rifleman1776]

It is simply hot. Probably much hotter than necessary for round ball casting. Not a problem other than the wait.

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Could be tin ... Much lower melting point than lead, weigh your cast balls, if they are lighter, I'd say you got tin.

 

[newtewsmoke]

Could be tin ... Much lower melting point than lead, weigh your cast balls, if they are lighter, I'd say you got tin.

they are much lighter. probly make slingshot ammo.

 

[RADeO]

Sure seems as if you got ahold of some tin as 123.DieselBenz said. If you have any friends who cast their own bullets for those new-fangled suppository guns, perhaps you could trade with them for some pure lead. Bullet casters use tin as a hardener. :thumbsup:

 

[Bill Hall]

Well, going by your description, it could be anything lead based. If you get pure lead really hot, it will do exactly as you describe. And, a lead/tin alloy has a lower melting point (so I hear), so it will stay liquid longer, only at a lower temp.

To ascertain whether or not it's pure lead, here's a couple of things to look for. If the balls start getting a dull grey look, like the next day after pouring, they have a high lead content. If the balls stay shiney indefinately, they have a harder alloy mixed in. Also, if the balls are coming out of the mold with a frosty look, they are not very pure lead, and you are running the metal too hot. Pure lead can be poured red hot, and the balls will not get frosted.

Hope this helps. Bill

 

[newtewsmoke]

Bullet casters use tin as a hardener. :thumbsup:

could I add real lead 2 this stuff to improve these RB's or 4get it and stick to the good stuff?

 

[newtewsmoke]

if the balls are coming out of the mold with a frosty look

They are difinetly frosty. Side question 4 ya...on the lee IV production pot, where do you want to run your heat? I guess ive been running it full tilt, turned it down to maybe 7 and started to get ridges on the balls, talkin soft lead here. Scott

 

[RADeO]

Bullet casters use tin as a hardener. :thumbsup:

could I add real lead 2 this stuff to improve these RB's or 4get it and stick to the good stuff?

I suggest you stick to the good stuff - pure, soft lead. :thumbsup:

 

[Va.Manuf.06]

Bullet casters use tin as a hardener. :thumbsup:

could I add real lead 2 this stuff to improve these RB's or 4get it and stick to the good stuff?

To put it your way, "4get it", use lead - PURE lead.

 

[Bill Hall]

Since it sounds like you're somewhat new at casting round balls, it is probably better to start with a whole new batch of known pure lead. That way, you can use your experience with the good stuff as a base, and later tweak it if you encounter harder lead.

Yes, you can add pure lead to what you've got, but you're just going to end up with some more unkown stuff. And once you make the mix, you need to keep track of it, and the balls that come from that mix. You can't add any new metal to the pot, since it will change the alloy. Gets kind of confusing, especially when pure lead makes everything so simple. I speak from experience here :surrender:. Bill

 

[ratslayer]

Is wheel weights pure lead ?where can a person find pure lead?

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Is wheel weights pure lead ?where can a person find pure lead?

No. The old weights were alloyed with tin. They are still ok to use for roundballs.

Be careful of some of the newer weights as they are not lead at all but zinc. A little bit of zinc with your lead will ruin the whole pot. As I understand it, keep temperatures down and zinc will not melt. GW

Pure lead can be purchased from ROTO-METALS

 

[123.DieselBenz]

You can also get soft lead from old lead pipes or roof flashing, the pipes joints though were soldered together with tin mixture ...

 

[Idaho Ron]

:thumbsup: