bhn numbers

[hickfu]

I just wanted to ask a question to see what input I would get.

I purchased some supposed straight wheel weight alloy from a guy on feebay.
After getting the alloy and finding that some of it was contaminated with zinc I tried to get it all out with sawdust fluxing. I contacted the seller and he informed me that he throws in stick on WW's as well but they were mostly COWW. I figured when I was getting the zinc out I was most likely taking out some tin and antimony as well so I bhn tested it afterwards and it tests at around 10 so it seems that it is a few bhn below straight WW's.

I added 2% pewter for the tin and a little more antimony and it still comes out at 9.5 to 10 air cooled but when I water quench it comes out perfect at 20.1 bhn, just where I wanted it.

Does this make any sence? I didnt think that water quenching would double the bhn as it never did before!

My old alloy was made by me from COWW with 2% pewter and air cooled it was 11 to 12 bhn but water quenched it was closer to 18 to 19 bhn......

I am just baffled with how this is quenching, I am not complaining since I wanted it right at 20 and it now is but why is it doubling in bhn now?

Oh and I made sure that it is not brittle or soft, I put a boolit on the concrete and hit it pretty darn hard with a hammer and it barely smutched out a bit so it seems to be fine.

Thanks for any input,

Doc

[white eagle]

Its no surprise really
ww's can be all over the board in regard to bhn
there is no standard for the alloy that is used to make ww's
region also plays a factor in the #'s as well
just take the bhn with a grain of salt anaway

[Uncle Grinch]

When I smelt my ww into ingots they typically run anywhere from 10~12 bhn (if that's even accurate). Then I alloy 9 lbs ww to 1 lb of lino and water drop my boolits, which run close to 22 bhn.

Now I don't necessarily think this proves anything due to all the varibles, it's just the way I do it, along with my results.

[hickfu]

Thanks guys!! I will just go with it since it is right where I want it anyway.... I water quench so they are 20 to 21


Doc

[JeffinNZ]

If you oven heat treat them correctly you can get over 30 BHN.

[44man]

Its no surprise really
ww's can be all over the board in regard to bhn
there is no standard for the alloy that is used to make ww's
region also plays a factor in the #'s as well
just take the bhn with a grain of salt anaway
This is the truth.
But Doc, you can NOT remove zinc by fluxing and a lot of stick on weights are zinc.
Melt to 600* and skim WITHOUT FLUXING.

[Iron Mike Golf]

Doc, you might also read the threads on adding copper to alloy. One of those methods is:

1. Add zinc to the alloy by melting new pennies (which are copper plated zinc)
2. Replace the zinc with copper using copper sulphate (root killer, I think)