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csspecs
02-07-2009, 06:03 AM
I bought about 100-200lbs of scrap lead from a metal salvage yard and in one of the buckets was a chunk that would not melt but that was pretty heavy.

Anyway long story short I broke the lump with a splitting maul (like 15+ lbs) and its hard as glass and pretty much black but very shiny and breaks into flakes.

I cast hard buck shot and I'm looking at maybe some low power loads for a .308 so it would not break my heart if I could make my lead harder using this stuff if thats what it is.

EDIT:

Ok according to Wiki thats not what zinc or antimony look like... So what is heavy like lead, dark in color and shatters?

housedad
02-07-2009, 10:42 AM
uranium

:mrgreen:

Just kidding

Leadforbrains
02-07-2009, 11:14 AM
I am no expert, but it could be some form of lead based Babbit for making bearings? I guess the only way to tell is to try to melt some of it down in a separate pot and record the temperature it melts at. Pictures would probably help.
Welcome to the forum!

Never heard of anyone finding pure antimony in scrap.

csspecs
02-07-2009, 05:30 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/csspecs/th_IMG_0063.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v299/csspecs/?action=view&current=IMG_0063.jpg)

Thats some flakes I busted off of it..

Anyway to test what it is?

Fixxah
02-07-2009, 05:41 PM
I bought about 100-200lbs of scrap lead from a metal salvage yard and in one of the buckets was a chunk that would not melt but that was pretty heavy.

Anyway long story short I broke the lump with a splitting maul (like 15+ lbs) and its hard as glass and pretty much black but very shiny and breaks into flakes.

I cast hard buck shot and I'm looking at maybe some low power loads for a .308 so it would not break my heart if I could make my lead harder using this stuff if thats what it is.

EDIT:

Ok according to Wiki thats not what zinc or antimony look like... So what is heavy like lead, dark in color and shatters?


Do you cast buckshot for home defense or killin deer? I f it is for deer try casting sabots instead, that way you can be more than ten yards away and kill efficiently.

csspecs
02-07-2009, 05:44 PM
I cast and sell a lot of it, I have used some to plink with.. Seems like most just want the stuff for low recoil loads for target shooting.

I cast lee drive key slugs as well and looking into getting a lyman sabot slug mold.

hemiallen
02-07-2009, 05:59 PM
It isn't Tantalum, but the color seems right. Are you sure it feels as heavy as lead?

It isn't Tin, too dark. Looks very brittle.

If you could take one piece and focus on it we may have a better chance determining how it breaks. Another clue would be it's melt temp. I imagine you won't be melting it without the use of an oxy-acetalyne or MAP gas.

Whatever it is, it won't be useful for casting.......ie alloyed with lead.

Allen

csspecs
02-07-2009, 09:26 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v299/csspecs/th_IMG_0067.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v299/csspecs/?action=view&current=IMG_0067.jpg)

Thats about as close a picture as I can get, I cropped it so that photobucket would not resize it.. It's a clickable link.

It's a little softer when hot, like in my smelting pot it seemed close to melting, but I was concerned that it was zinc.

EDIT:
Ok back from outside, it won't melt with propane it does get softer with that amount of heat. Also the flame turns white and the metal oxidizes white as well. Hope thats helpful.

If I can't mix or alloy this then its going in the slag bucket with the rest of the garbage.

Direct link.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v299/csspecs/?action=view&current=IMG_0067.jpg

44mag1
02-07-2009, 09:48 PM
can you dent this stuff with a hammer?

csspecs
02-07-2009, 10:00 PM
Nope shatters. It dented a couple times with a hand ax when it was hot.

44mag1
02-07-2009, 10:04 PM
I doubt its tungsten but it sure seems strange that it is so hard. If it is tungsten the scrap yard wont be happy they sold it at lead prices, but they will pay a pretty penny for it.

Tokarev
02-07-2009, 10:16 PM
How representative are your pictures from the colour perspective? What I see is light-grey with yellowish hint.

csspecs
02-07-2009, 11:22 PM
They are pretty close.

Ok I got the volume of it by setting it in a tub of water and then weighing the over flow. My math says its 5.73 grams per CC so I don't know it that helps at all.

I guess my weight guess was thrown off by it being a solid block.

Firebird
02-08-2009, 01:21 AM
Arsenic is 5.7 g/cc, dark grey metallic, very brittle; and doesn't melt until 1500 degrees. Probably shouldn't try to melt it anymore as it will give off poisonous fumes long before it will melt. I don't know what a chunk of metallic arsenic would be doing in a scrap yard.

Tokarev
02-08-2009, 10:50 AM
But you said it was heavy as lead...
Probably worth a few bucks on the eBay or at a local university

Cap'n Morgan
02-08-2009, 01:29 PM
Ok back from outside, it won't melt with propane it does get softer with that amount of heat. Also the flame turns white and the metal oxidizes white as well. Hope thats helpful.

Stay the hell away from it!!

If it is metallic arsenic the white oxidizing you see is pure arsenic.