Does lead work harden ?

[6mm250]

Does lead work harden the way that many other metals do ? I guess what I'm trying to get at here is , when you size a boolit , does that part of the boolit that is worked by the die get any harder ?

Thanks

Mike

[nhrifle]

In my experience no. The ony way I know to harden lead is to heat it and then drop it into cold water.

[swheeler]

I think it is actually the other way, it work softens.

[Calamity Jake]

does lead work harden the way that many other metals do ? I guess what i'm trying to get at here is , when you size a boolit , does that part of the boolit that is worked by the die get any harder ?

Thanks


mike

no!!!

[runfiverun]

lead work softens.
brass work hardens.
if you swage antimonial lead it comes out soft,chemical pipe is 3-5% antimony [so are most swaged bullets] but is as soft as butter from the swaging.

[Jim]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_hardening