Can I use this lead to cast bullets?

[usmc0811]

A friend of mine gave me this lead. It is a mixed batch of different sorts of fishing sinkers, battery cable clamps, lead pipe, and a thing that looks like a bottle, not to sure what it is made of or what it is used for. Any help would be appreciated.
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[Dusty Bannister]

I would not melt the bottle since you have no way of knowing what it might have contained. Besides, it might like to live on a shelf somewhere. Not sure what the lead pipe really is, because of the junk on it. The sinkers could be made of anything that would melt. Might test a bunch of the different types with side cutters to see if they are soft lead or perhaps hard zinc junk that you do not want in your bullet alloy. I would keep the battery clamps separate and just melt them by themselves. If lead, they will melt easily and if zinc, they would not melt as easily and you can remove them from the pot. Nice pile of lead stuff, but can not really tell by looking if they are home cast. Dusty

[wmitty]

I'd melt it all down and see what hardness you have. Probably will be pretty soft so high velocity is probably gonna require adding wheelweights or another source of antimony. Heat it slowly and be real suspicious of anything that doesn't melt after the sinkers have. Zinc floats on the lead. Be careful about the vapors from that lead tubing; don't breathe any of the smoke/vapors coming off the melt. Do it outside and stay upwind.

[Traffer]

I would also not melt the bottle. It could have far more worth than the lead it is made from. As far as the other stuff, it will work BUT. When people make sinkers etc,. they will use anything that melts so you may have some crazy alloys in there. I would try and get an idea of the softness of the stuff at least by scratching it with my fingernail and comparing it to each other. Separate the softer stuff from the harder stuff (if there is a difference). Soft lead is only good up to about 1300 fps or a little more. So don't expect to make bullets for something powerful with the soft lead. Another thing you can do is put a drop of Muriatic Acid on some of the pieces and see if it bubbles. This is how you test for zinc. You don't want zinc in your lead. But I would say that the sinkers are probably good to use. I can't say about the battery clamps. For sure test them for hardness first.

[richhodg66]

You may want to research that bottle, very unusual and might have some serious collector value in some circles. Can't be that much lead in it anyway.

[Tom W.]

Or it could be pewter.....

[Chad5005]

id melt it all separate then test,then add together or add alloys to make what I wanted

[mdi]

If the sinkers are commercial made, they are prolly lead. The other stuff, excluding the bottle, can be melted and cleaned. Is that brown tube shaped stuff pipe? Also I would keep the clamps separate and clean them, wire brushed, before melting. Clamps are relatively soft but sometimes are cast around a spring strap. The mix would prolly be soft, but you would have to test your "mystery metal". BTW; I've used a lot of "Range Lead" which can be just about anything, but is usually soft. I used it a lot for 38 wadcuttters and other low pressure cartridges...

Wasn't acid kept in lead bottles?

[Mr_Sheesh]

Hydrofluoric Acid was at least, IIRC.

[dwtim]

Battery terminals are an alloy that generally contains copper.

edit: Now the colored clamps are zinc. The lead hysteria continues, apparently. Overexposure to zinc isn't any safer for adults as lead.

[bedbugbilly]

Are there any markings on the bottle? Lead or pewter - if in good shape - could possibly be worth more than the scrap value of wha is in the bottle. If old, you could always put it up on flea bay and see what it does there. I googled "lead bottles" ut about all I got was info on the dangers of lead and info and pictures of "lead glass" bottles.

[usmc0811]

Are there any markings on the bottle? Lead or pewter - if in good shape - could possibly be worth more than the scrap value of wha is in the bottle. If old, you could always put it up on flea bay and see what it does there. I googled "lead bottles" ut about all I got was info on the dangers of lead and info and pictures of "lead glass" bottles.
The bottle looking thing is actually solid no hole.

[GARD72977]

I did not see what cartridge you are casting for.

[lightman]

Most everything I see in the picture could be about anything. Lead pipe is usually soft. Fishing weights could be anything. I've found battery clamps to be mostly soft. There are a few things that I can't identify.
If it were mine I would buy a gallon of acid from a swimming pool supply store and an eye dropper and test for zinc. Then I would melt the individual items by batch. Then try casting with it and see how well they fill out.
I've also had odd small batches of scrap lead that didn't fit any category and I just blended them into a larger batch. After testing for zinc, of course.

Any score nowadays is a good score, Congratulations!

[gwpercle]

Keep the bottle looking thing out.... I'm not sure what that is .
For all practical purposes all the rest can be called scrap lead...melt it down and go from there.
I would mix it 50/50 with COWW and use it in handgun and rifle boolits.

Gary

[whisler]

Hydrofluoric Acid was at least, IIRC.

When I was in College (early 60's) it was supplied in wax bottles because it would eat glass.

[Traffer]

When I was in College (early 60's) it was supplied in wax bottles because it would eat glass.

yup it is used to etch glass. Don't drink it.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Don't drink it - LOL Uh yeah. If you want to see WORSE chemicals to work with, look up the "in the pipeline" chemistry guy's forum articles, he's hilarious and tells you of chemicals which - if he discovers they're on the premises - He will basically suggest that you try to keep up, as he runs away. (And he talks about wearing track shoes etc. so as to make good time when running for his life.)