Zinc WW

[siamese4570]

Had a learning experience on Saturday. Due to the continuing Monsoons here in Oklahoma, I decided to get out in the garage and cast a few bullets and render down some WW. I had got a 5 gallon bucket of WW from a local garage and sorted through them. I had segregated the ones with the grey/shiney epoxy coating thinking that they may be zinc. I was melting the others and had about a half pot of molten lead and got an idea. I checked the melting point of lead (about 620 F) and then checked the melting point of zinc (about 780 F). My pot was about 600 F so I put one of the grey shiney weights in the molten lead. It almost immediately melted, so I concluded that the grey/shiney weights were lead. Several batches later, I was skimming the clips off the top and had a zinc weight float up to the top. Won't bother to segregate the next batch (except for the stick-ons) now that I know that the zinc won't melt at the temperatures that I'm working at. Learn something everyday - whether you want ot or not!

Siamese 4570

[Uncle Grinch]

A good inspection and low heat is the way to avoid the dreaded zinc contamination.

[sundog]

S4570, wharyat? I'm in Coweta. I cast yesterday. I put a small fan in the south window of my barn and pulled in enough rain cooled air to be quite comfortable. Made 12 lbs of the Lee GB 453374 from straight WW. Maybe get to shoot them over the summer. Couldn't mow, so had to have something to do. I know the dogs are still alive, because I can see the grass moving....

I segregate the stick ons, too, for making RBs, and boolits for single shot. Usually, I will dump a pale of WW on a sheet of plywood in the sun and sort through them real quick, pull out trash, and let them dry. Then they get loaded into the smelter with a flat bottom shovel. Occasionally one or two zinc WWs slide by and float to the top and get dipped out.

[ron brooks]

Sundog, you sure that ain't the pythons that live in the jungles that are making the grass move? :-)

[Blammer]

I too was wondering what a Zinc WW looked like, according to all the descriptions they were shiney greay. I found that MOST of my ww's were shiney gray but were plastic coated lead.

Only had ONE zinc WW, and it had some 'rivets' in it.

[siamese4570]

Sundog: I'm over in Broken Arrow. I noticed that you're using straight WWs for your boolits. Going to have to try that. I normally use WW+1-2% tin. Course, I do a lot of HP's and figured that I needed to make them work. I cast about 400 - .313"/200 gr boolits for my Mosin in the morning and smelted in the afternoon (about 150lbs). Probably childs play for some of you guys out there, but pretty big day for me. I shoot out at Oil Capitol. Been trying to get a load for my Mosin Nagant to use in the Military Bolt Action Matches. Think that I'm getting pretty close.

Siamese4570

[45nut]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=17681

More info there on the good and the bad.

[Orygun]

We should resurrect this thread;
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=14369&highlight=orygun

[NVcurmudgeon]

Blammer, try a magnet on that "riveted zinc" WW. So far all the zinc weights I have found (not many) are stick-ons with "Zn" and the weight in grams (10, 15, or 25) cast into them. And all the riveted weights so far are magnetic.

[pumpguy]

Melted up a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights this weekend. I use a turkey fryer and a cast iron dutch oven. I found a couple of zinc as I was loading the pot. When all was said and done, I had pulled out 6 from the melt. I melt low and slow and never exceed about 650*. You can find zinc or steel this way every time. I always sort the buckets as I get them so I rarely have to worry about the stick ons. Keeps the plastic stick ons and the old stems from stinking up the whole neighborhood, too.

[WHITETAIL]

4570, You and me both. I was smelting erlyer this year and did the same thing.
First, Dunped each 5gal. pail on the floor of the garage.
Then with gloves on pulled out all of the non lead things out of the pile.
Got out the turkey fryer and the cast iron pot.
Put the new thermometer in the pot and fired it up.
And yes I had a few floaters.