What is this??

[FN in MT]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/montanaguy375/DSC00947_edited-1.jpg

I have three of these rectangular ingots. It is quite hard and doesn't THUNK when You tap it like a bar of lead. The ingot on the right is lead and weighs 4#. the rectangular ingot weighs a mere 5 1/2#'s.

Could this be 50/50 lead and TIN??

FN in MT

[Cherokee]

Could be, also could be 60/40. Have you tried casting with any of it ? What I will do some time it melt the batch in question and cast some bullets with it. Then compare the results with bullets previously cast from a known alloy, such as WW's. Lighter bullets have higher tin content. Real smooth shiney bullets usually have more tin in them. Write down how you thin it so you can do the same with the other two ingots.

[FN in MT]

I had the thought of casting a few, then melting some 50/50 bar solder and comparing the two. We are both thinkiing along the same lines.

I'd still bet someone is going to know exactly what it is. Far too much experience on this site for this ingot to be a mystery for long.

FN in MT

[randyrat]

Possibly ZINK...... I have had ingots that look like those and they were 99.8% zink. I got good money out of them. If they go tink/ring when you drop them be aware. The other reason they are suspicious is the weight for that ingot is very close to ones i had.. Can you dent them or cut them with a knife? You can barely score zink with a knife.

[Pepe Ray]

Some where on this site there was a remark which sounded accurate to me.
Zinc can be determined by an acid test. It will react whereas lead is inert and does not.
I don't recall the specific acid suggested but it seems to me that any dangerous acid would do it. HCl. H2SO4 etc.
Also-- The ingot may be a babbitt alloy. High speed or low speed, who knows.
IAC, as long as it's not contaminated with Zinc you've got valuable stuff.
Good luck.
Pepe Ray

[Gohon]

You can test it with muriatic acid which is available at most paint stores. Just a couple drops with a eye dropper is all that is needed. You will get an immediate foaming action and often a blackening of the spot the acid was dropped on the ingot if there is any zinc present. If you want to be sure what you are looking for, take a galvanized roofing nail and put a drop or two of the acid on the nail and you'll know what to expect. Do wear eye protection and gloves and stay outdoors. Good idea to wash everything off with cold water when finished.

[rbuck351]

this looks like a zinc annode for a boat. The acid test will tell.

[FN in MT]

If it's ZINC it's not useable for bullets CORRECT? Wonder if my local scrap yard could ID it?? I'm headed to town in a few days so I'll stop in.

Also..notice the edges of the other ingots.....very grainy.

Mystery Metal!

FN in MT

[montana_charlie]

Looking at the ingot in question...then seeing those two on the far right...it looks like they may have originally been connected. But, the ingot on the right which is most visible doesn't have a 'D' on it.
Reassemble the original (complete) ingot, matching up the broken ends, and tell us what all of the letters are.
Maybe that will help in identification...
CM

[FN in MT]

D V S with one or two ingots missing on the right side.

But from lft to rt; DVS

[garandsrus]

FN,

Many scrap yards have a special "gun" that can read the composition of the metal and tell you exactly what the percentages of each component are.

There is also a "specific gravity" test that you could do to help determine what you have, assuming that there isn't any zinc in it. The search tool should turn up several threads about running the test.

Good luck...

John

[Gohon]

D V S with one or two ingots missing on the right side.
But from lft to rt; DVS

Well......... if it is from this company named "DVS Company LTD" ( http://www.bizearch.com/company/DVS_Company_LTD_36220.htm ) it could be Cadmium/Indium Ingots. I sure wouldn't be wanting to smelt that stuff.

[FN in MT]

UPDATE.........Stopped in at Pacific Recycling in Great Falls. They were nice enough to use the GUN on my ingot. Turns out I have 99.87% Zinc, the remainder is a trace of copper. So...basically worthless.

DID snag some wheelweights at one of the tire stores and 50#'s of pure lead for thirty bucks. So with $2.14 per Gal fuel....well worth the ride to Town.

Thanks to ALL for the input.

FN in MT

[MtGun44]

Find a boat owner and sell/give it to him to bolt near the shaft or other
underwater metal to help slow corrosion.

Bill

[hiram]

I have a strip in that ingot shape of 5 1/2. There are 5 ingots attached. They are linotype--I will check later to see if there is a letter stamped on them.