zinc in lead bars

[encoreman]

Hi all, Newby question. I picked up some lead bars today that a guy melted in valve covers for weight in a race car. I cut them up and noticed that there were some clips in them. My question is if there is zinc mixed in this, if I melt in cooker will the clips and zinc float to top? Also just getting started casting. I will cast for a 357 revolver and 10mm. Would you recommend a lubrisizer or can I use a lee sizer die that fits into a single stage press. I want to do this right the first time. Been putting off casting for long time, now that bullets are ridiculously priced, now is the time to start. Thanks upfront for all the help. Mac

[HeavyMetal]

Without seeing the bars or how they were mounted in the valve covers I'll just be guessing.

Since that won't be anything new let's move on!

If the bars are just wheel weights that the fellow "quick" melted to hide for ballast I think you'll be O.K.! The clips, which are steel, will float to the top as will any zinc provided you stay below 850 degrees in the melt. Be right on top of this as your melting and flux a lot!

If he had these inside the valve covers I'm going to guess you've got some oil contamination to deal with!

This will mean a bunch of smoke until it burns off so don't do it inside!

As far as a sizer is concerned? Whats your budget?

The Star is top of the line but a new one is $275.00 from Magma. you can get others for far less money but if your planning any kind of major match shooting none will keep up with the Star!

If your a 200 round a year guy a Lee will be just fine!

This is a call you'll have to make yourself based on your budget. Let us know what you decide.

[DLCTEX]

You will not know what you have until you smelt it and then try casting with it. I ladle cast a few boolits with each batch I smelt, so that if a batch is contaminated, i won't mix it up with my good stuff. You will have to check for hardness, air cooled and water dropped to try to determine what you have and what may be added to get to where you want it. Lacking a hardness tester, scratch it with a thumbnail, compare to a known sample and work from there. If it's straight wheelweights, I cast pistol boolits with it as is. If it's softer it will work in most pistols even dead soft, but you may want to add to it to suit your needs. Let us know how it comes out. DALE

[454PB]

If your buddy poured this clips included, they floated to the top when poured. Now maybe he did it in layers, and that would trap them inside the "ingot". They will immediately float to the top once this lead is remelted, and you can skim them off.

I've never skimmed zinc off of molten lead, but zinc melts at 787 degrees. Some guys say keeping the melt below 650 degrees allows the zinc to be skimmed off. Again, I've never done it, but I doubt that it works. Once the zinc is alloyed into the melt, I don't think it can un-alloyed.

I agree with heavyMetal on the sizer choice. Let your volume of production determine the expense and complexity of the sizing method. The Lee system works fine, but it is slow compared to other methods.

You may be worrying about a non-existant zinc problem. Melt it down and try some before you jump to conclusions.

[mroliver77]

With the Lee TL designs and most of their pistol boolits you prolly will not have to size at all. All the Lee molds I have cast boolits at the minimum tolerance for most calibers. I would acquire a mold and cast some boolits then check the size. If they will shoot as is, handlube and shoot them. Be patient, take it slow and dont let anybody tell you you need hundreds of $ of toys to get started.
J