yondering
08-05-2008, 01:45 PM
I have some 5 lb ingots that have an "S" cast into them, as shown in the picture below. Can anyone here identify them?
I melted one last night, and had to use the weed burner, since my propane burner wasn't doing the job. The weed burner melted it pretty quick, and when it had melted, the "skin" left from oxidization started to burn with a green flame and some smoke that left a whitish residue on the pot. (Like when you weld zinc plated steel.)
I cast a few boolits in my Lee 255gr .452 mold, and while I couldn't get complete fillout, I got a couple that were OK, and they weighed 160 - 170 grains or so. This puts the density about right for tin or zinc, possibly other alloys, antimony maybe? This stuff is pretty hard, shaking several of the boolits in my hand, they sound like marbles, and the ingots ring like aluminum.
I cast a few 1 lb ingots in my Lyman mold, and remelted them in my 4 lb lee pot. The melt was grainy and slushy up to about 700 degrees or more, and became liquid at about 725-750. (This is my first time to use this thermometer, so I can't verify it's accuracy). The liquid tended to sheet when poured from the pot.
Based on my observations, I think this stuff is probably zinc, but I'd like to hear some other opinions. I haven't encountered antimony by itself before, could that be an option here? I have about 40 lbs of it (8 ingots) so I'm open to suggestions on what to do with it. Otherwise I'll just take it to the scrap yard .
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/zthang43/molds/IMG_1242.jpg
I melted one last night, and had to use the weed burner, since my propane burner wasn't doing the job. The weed burner melted it pretty quick, and when it had melted, the "skin" left from oxidization started to burn with a green flame and some smoke that left a whitish residue on the pot. (Like when you weld zinc plated steel.)
I cast a few boolits in my Lee 255gr .452 mold, and while I couldn't get complete fillout, I got a couple that were OK, and they weighed 160 - 170 grains or so. This puts the density about right for tin or zinc, possibly other alloys, antimony maybe? This stuff is pretty hard, shaking several of the boolits in my hand, they sound like marbles, and the ingots ring like aluminum.
I cast a few 1 lb ingots in my Lyman mold, and remelted them in my 4 lb lee pot. The melt was grainy and slushy up to about 700 degrees or more, and became liquid at about 725-750. (This is my first time to use this thermometer, so I can't verify it's accuracy). The liquid tended to sheet when poured from the pot.
Based on my observations, I think this stuff is probably zinc, but I'd like to hear some other opinions. I haven't encountered antimony by itself before, could that be an option here? I have about 40 lbs of it (8 ingots) so I'm open to suggestions on what to do with it. Otherwise I'll just take it to the scrap yard .
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/zthang43/molds/IMG_1242.jpg