Unknown Lead – what now?

[Pistol_Pete]

I’ve been happily casting wheel weights into .44 mag and .45 ACP bullets for a while, but now I have a new challenge. My neighbor was cleaning his garage and he gave me about fifty pounds of “lead.” Most of it is in the form of some kind of a tape, 1/16 in. thick, by 1/2 in. wide by a foot or so long, very soft. Some is in muffin-tin ingots, which I can easily mark with a fingernail. There’s some shotgun pellets, and some spent .22’s in the bucket as well.

What do you guys do when you come across some lead and you don’t know what it is? Should I sort it some way? Or should I melt it all together and see what I end up with? I guess now is the time to buy a hardness tester, right?

[45nut]

It certainly sounds as if you have near pure lead, desirable for muzzleloaders and such. Adding the shotgun pellets would harden the alloy some. Either way it is not without value.
And Welcome to CB. :drinks:

[leftiye]

As 45nut said it is probly near to being pure lead. If you can score it easily with your thumb nail that is. You could try to heat treat it to see if it hardens. If it doesn't, then it is- again nearly pure lead. If it's nearly pure lead, then use it as if it were pure, for B.P. boolits, or for mixing into any alloy you want. Most of the time having exactly such- and- such given alloy isn't critical. This may be the only time I've ever said that anything close will work almost the same.

[ANeat]

Pete if its only 50 lbs I would cut it in with my WW. I cast a lot of 45 acp bullets 50/50 ww and pure lead.
Just be sure to check the size of your bullets. As you add lead the bullets will come out of the mold smaller. Just dont add so much lead that your bullets are undersized.


Adam

[454PB]

I have a bunch of the same or similar stuff that came with a motorcycle tire balancer, it is stick on balancing weight. Though I haven't done a hardness test, it is dead soft and can be used as pure lead. If you can find some linotype, mix it 50/50 for an excellent hard alloy for magnum handgun or rifle loads.