310 grain 44 magnum "Zead" boolits

[country85]

Precursor: I got my hands on some wheel weights not too long ago and not wanting to exhaust my supply of pure lead I decide to melt them down, well all was going well until I barely touched them temp(to turn it down) and whooom instant solidification. So I barely bumped it back up and scooped the oatmeal off the top, refluxed about a thousand times and all seemed to be okay. When it cooled in the pot I noticed it had some crystal looking things in it. Not ever dealt with wheel weights I was hoping it was normal.

Now to just a few hours ago.

I smoked and lubed my mold and let my pot heat up. All looked well and I started casting. I thought the boolits looked a little strange but kept dropping them in water. So after casting the whole pot of I got to work double checking the boolits for damage etc. Well then I heard it. I was digging through the bullets and cut offs and the cut offs sounded like pot metal jingling around, sounds just like pewter or silver plated silverware rattling together. Only about a quarter of the boolits are even shaped right cause since I knew they had zinc in them I just started dropping them on top of each other. Now the question of the day, Are they usuable? They are hard as rocks, but look and measure perfect. Any one ever run into this before?

Sorry for the book but felt the need to fully explain

[Wayne Smith]

They are useable. No way they will be harder than the steel of the gun! Be sure to measure them before you assume that they are full size. Don't expect expansion, and check weight. You can pretty much determine the amount of Zinc by the weight difference between these and casts of ww boolits with out Zinc. These will be lighter.

[country85]

I measured them and they average .431 to .432, and since these are for my handy rifle this is perfect. I weighted all of them and they are all around 308 grains, so I think the amount of zinc is very little, just enough to discolor the lead slightly. Would I be okay to add lead to the mix to change it back to mostly lead or would it mess it up. I'm not getting any oat meal and it melts at the same temp as my pure lead. I kind of like the idea of having a super hard boolit, just in case I need to take a cape buffalo with my 44 mag lol

[SciFiJim]

It's been acknowledged that one day we may have to learn to cast with zinc as the lead supplies dry up.

There is a caster here that uses zinc to harden alloy with. It is on my list of things to try someday. I think he kept the percentage of zinc down to about 1.5% or so. Depending on how much lead you have left with zinc in it, it might not be worth trying to save. If that is the case, just ingot up the remainder, mark it as containing zinc and stick it under you bench for use in another project.

[country85]

The more I mess with the boolits the more I like them. I loaded up a couple in cases to try next range trip. It melts fine and can be scratched with a nail so I think I'm going to save em. I'll just add a lil more pure lead next time I melt. Thanks guys!

[snuffy]

Precursor: I got my hands on some wheel weights not too long ago and not wanting to exhaust my supply of pure lead I decide to melt them down, well all was going well until I barely touched them temp(to turn it down) and whooom instant solidification. So I barely bumped it back up and scooped the oatmeal off the top, refluxed about a thousand times and all seemed to be okay. When it cooled in the pot I noticed it had some crystal looking things in it. Not ever dealt with wheel weights I was hoping it was normal.

I'm confused!:confused: I also assume you didn't/weren't using a thermometer? Why I'm confused about what you wrote, is the the sudden freezing of the alloy should have been at a temp well under the temp required to melt zinc. Wheel weights made of lead should be fully liquid @ about 700 degrees or under, but zinc does NOT melt until 787 degrees.

Therefore I don't think you have zinc contaminated lead. What you have is water quenched wheel weights that can easily be hard enough to ring like bells, and be impossible to scratch with your fingernail.

The crystalline looking stuff is probably antimony. It sometimes appears on the surface of an alloy that has some in it. It's entirely normal and is another reason why your water dropped/quenched boolits are so hard.

If you're seeing misshaped boolits, IE not filled out, you mold is not hot enough and/or you alloy needs to be hotter. Preheat the mold and cast as fast as you can to get the mold hot. Then if you want softer boolits, drop them on a cotton towel and allow to air cool.

Also, quit smoking that mold. Clean what's left of the smoke out of the cavities AND the vents on the mold face. I know that lee recommends to smoke his molds, he's wrong. be careful with those soft aluminum mold blocks. Use a good dish soap and an old teeth brush to clean the mold.

[Four-Sixty]

The freezing you described sounds like antimony to me to. Many alloys do have a melting temperature lower than their individual elements. Keep your melt hot and do not cast too fast. You'll find your grove. Fluxing with saw dust helps keep it from producing too much of the "oatmeal". You will be fluxing often though.

I cast with reclaimed shot. While you can make good boolits, there is one drawback. I have seen it referred to as antimony wash. I would not decribe it as leading, but more like staining. I can fire 50 rounds of 38 before I decide to stop. Using 45/45/10, tumble lubing helps, but has not fixed the problem.

[Four-Sixty]

And... If you get headaches from casting, you are experiecing antimony poisoning. Please be sure to use good ventilation.

[country85]

Thanks!!!!!! I have always cast with pure lead so this whole alloy thing is new to me. I knew antimony makes lead harder but I never knew that there would be that much of it in WW's. After casting some more today I paid extra attention on how the lead looked and recovery time. I don't have a thermometer for my pot, I know it may be a sin but just can't afford one no do I do enough casting to really need one. I know my temp is well below 780, as a pure lead 430 grain 54 maxi ball takes about 3 seconds to melt completely. I did have the same thing happen when first heating the lead where pure lead of the fine oat meal appearing. but it is not light weight, it weighs just as much as pure lead so I'm 95% sure it's just the antimony. Thanks for all the advice, And the tip about the Antimony poisoning, never knew that but always keep my pot under the range hood and never ever flux indoors.

Snuffy: thank you so much for making me realizing how much of a duh moment I was having. I have been casting pure lead for years but apparently forgot how to cast for a moment lol. And I'll try cleaning all the soot off the mold, I'm hoping that will help it, Cause right now it takes about 15 fills to get it to drop good boolits, which is crazy for an aluminum mold, Heck it only takes my lyman 54 maxi mold 2 fills to drop a perfect boolit