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View Full Version : Scrap lead what is it?????



jdhenry
02-28-2007, 01:53 AM
I bought these through an ad in the local paper and was wondering if any of you might know any thing about them. Like what the content might be.. The round one is 42LB and the other is 52LB .




3234

3235

Bigjohn
02-28-2007, 02:04 AM
I've seen some strange things made from lead and it's allys in my lifetime but never anything like those.

You can try the scratch test with thumbnail.

Cast it into ingots and see if it rings when dropped.

IMHO anything so big made from lead would need some tin to stop it from collapsing under it's own weight.

John.

Buckshot
02-28-2007, 02:21 AM
...........That rectangle open ended box might be some type of connector for a conduit of some type. Obviously a rectangular conduit! Or possibly a shield of some kind. The round one may be some kind of weight, meant to stack or to go over a rod?

Heck, melt it and try it :-)!

................Buckshot

jdhenry
02-28-2007, 02:35 AM
I have already melted 4 of the round ones and they poured good boolits but when I tap the 1lb ingots together they seem to have a higher pitch ring than my WW lead... would that mean more TIN??

Thanks,
Jeremy

buck1
02-28-2007, 03:20 PM
Well its hard anyway. I bet it does have a fair bit of tin and antimony as well.
Some boolits from WW and some from your new alloy and a hammer could shed a bit of light on the subject.
Also some good boolits put to a scale would help. ....Buck

jdhenry
02-28-2007, 03:47 PM
Some boolits from WW and some from your new alloy and a hammer could shed a bit of light on the subject.
Also some good boolits put to a scale would help. ....Buck

Hammer????????? What do I do with the hammer?


the boolits I did cast are from a LEE 158 RNFP mold, and weighed as follows:

WW lead: avg. 161g

scrap lead: avg 163g


Thanks,
Jeremy

Sundogg1911
02-28-2007, 08:27 PM
jdhenry. If you don't have a hardness tester and would like to know how hard it is, PM me and i'll give you my address. If you want to send me an ingot or any kind of small sample I will test it for you.

buck1
02-28-2007, 10:26 PM
Thats strange ......I dare say thats mostly pure lead??? WW should be heaver if theres any noticeable tin/antimony in the scrap.

""Hammer????????? What do I do with the hammer?""
Sorry that was kinda crude.... :(

Thats the Elmer Keith brand of hardness tester!

Hit a WW boolit and then a boolit of the new alloy.
use the same pressure with the swings.
The more antimony ,the harder and more brittle the alloy( and often the more tin).
It will just give you a rough Idea of how hard/ brittle it is compared to WW.
And that can be a clue as to what the alloy is.
WW will squish wile lots of type alloy will shatter.
Its a poor mans hardness tester, I used to do that quite a bit before I got my cabin tree hardness tester.
Also tin/antimony are not as heavy as lead and the weight will clue you in to how much of the alloy is not lead AKA antimony/TIN/copper etc... Buck

ron brooks
05-22-2007, 04:35 PM
I know that this is a little late, but the photo looks something like a microwave guide to me.

Ron

MT Gianni
05-22-2007, 04:45 PM
Set a ww bullet and a unknown alloy boolit in opposite edges of the vise and turn. The softest will give first. Gianni

WHITETAIL
05-27-2007, 09:47 AM
jdhenry, I will also test these unkown boolets for you.

NVcurmudgeon
05-27-2007, 11:15 AM
I use a variation of the Elmer Keith method. I mark an ingot of pure lead, an ingot of WW, an ingot of linotype, and an ingot of the mystery metal for identification. This is a very scientific test, because all the ingots are the same size and shape. Then I bash the edges of them together and compare depths of impressions, using two precision optical devices-a pair of MK I eyeballs.

beemer
05-27-2007, 09:59 PM
I usually take two ingots, one of a known mix and one of the mistery metal put a 3/8 steel ball between them and put them in a vice. The softer one has the biggest dent. I know its a relitave test but it's better than a guess.
beemer

Pepe Ray
05-28-2007, 12:02 AM
beemer
Actually this is a very pricise method if you know the hardness of the standard.
Usually a known Lead sample is the cheapest and most available.
The indentations are easily measureable by caliper. The two msmts are plugged into a formular/equation and voila!!

jdhenry
05-28-2007, 02:48 AM
Well now I have a weed burner so I can melt them down and play around.They were too thick for my set up, But with the turkey fryer burner and the weed burner I should be good to go. Well after I finish the "Honey do list". Yea right like we can ever finish that :) It is sad, Since I started casting I now look forward to winter so I can go out to my casting room and make Boolits......oh well only 5 months to go. Till then the chase is on for that hard to find silver stuff.....