Zamak

[StarMetal]

My neighbor gave me a bag of hammer heads good number of months back and I just got to around to checking them out. They look like lead, but are not. They are Zamak. I know you can't cast bullets from this stuff nor even blend it, but is there any use for it?
Can someone use it?

Joe

[The Double D]

Yes, I can use it.

How many pounds do you have?

[StarMetal]

Yes, I can use it.

How many pounds do you have?

I'd have to weight them, I believe there's 3 or 4 heads (these aren't the screw in type, these are the complete hammer with handle hole). I'll weigh them up see what I have.

Wanted to add that they were pitched out because they were used, in other words ends mushroomed.

Joe

[StarMetal]

There are 3 and the total weight is 4.250 lbs. Here's a picture:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/starmetal47/Zamak.jpg

[Old Ironsights]

OK... what is Zamak and why can't it be used in casting? (Enquiring minds...)

[Cherokee]

I believe ZAMAK is zinc based.

[StarMetal]

I believe Zamak is Zinc, magnesium, aluminum, and maybe some other alloys. One original use was for making those matchbox cars.

Joe

[Old Ironsights]

Ah... might be a decent light-weight for caliber paper-patching alloy...

[StarMetal]

Ah... might be a decent light-weight for caliber paper-patching alloy...

It has a very very high melting temperature. I think it would be hard on any mould. Whacking the sprue off would more then likely damage the mould. I put a propane torch on a thin edge of one of them and couldn't even get it to bead.

Joe

[swheeler]

There is an article in the Handloaders Digest #12 by Karl Bosselmann on casting and shooting Zamak bullets, Veral Smith made him three molds for the project, good read. Zinc alloy was used for commercial injection cast bullets in a variety of calibers in the USA in late 1940's until middle 1950's. Kirksite is virtually the same alloy.

[Dye]

I have some Zinc alloy bullets made by Western Alloy. They look like they was cast in a Lyman mould 311333 or311335. They are gas checked and weigh 115 gr.

Dye

[The Double D]

There are 3 and the total weight is 4.250 lbs. Here's a picture:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg51/starmetal47/Zamak.jpg

Hang on to them, and when you get another 15 pounds of zinc in wheelweights pack them in a bulk mailer and send them to me and I will send you an equal weight of sheet lead smelted into Lyman/SAECO ingots. You pay your postage, I pay mine.

ZAMAK is a brand name for a family of Zinc alloys alloyed with 4% Aluminum.

[SCIBUL]

Here in France a manufacturer makes shotgun "bullets" with zamac alloy. I discussed with him several years ago and I remember he told me that zamac was 90 percent zinc and 10 percent tin.

[Bret4207]

Zamak is also the stuff the change gear for Atlas lathes are made of. Apparently it casts well and machines easily.

[uncle joe]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamak

[montana_charlie]

So far, it sounds a lot like 'pot metal'...
CM

[bangerjim]

Old thread but new stuff to me!

ZAMAK (or ZAMAC) is an alloy of Zn, Al, Mg, and Cu. It has a BHn of between 90 and 115 according to the alloy mix.....and there are several of them.

Zamak (formerly trademarked as ZAMAK and also known as Zamac) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminum, magnesium, and copper.

Zamak alloys are part of the zinc-aluminum alloy family; they are distinguished from the other ZA alloys because of their constant 5% aluminum composition.

The name zamak is an acronym of the German names for the metals of which the alloys are composed: Zink (zinc), Aluminium, Magnesium and Kupfer (copper). The New Jersey Zinc Company developed zamac alloys in 1929. Zinc alloys are popularly referred to as pot metal or white metal. While zamak is held to higher industrial standards, it is still considered a pot metal.

The most common zamak alloy is zamak 3. Besides that, zamak 2, zamak 5 and zamak 7 are also commercially used.[2] These alloys are most commonly die cast.[2] Zamak alloys (particularly #3 and #5) are frequently used in the spin casting industry.

A large problem with early zinc die casting materials was "zinc pest", owing to impurities in the alloys. Zamak avoided this by the use of 99.99% pure zinc metal, produced by New Jersey Zinc's use of a refluxer as part of the smelting process.

Zamak can be electroplated, wet painted, and chromate conversion coated well.

We could cast boolits out of it as long as you treat it as a Zn alloy and adjust the loads for the new weights. It is harder than all get out! And it is sometimes called (loosely) pot metal.

I plan to play with some this fall.

[Geezer in NH]

To me it is leverite. Meaning leave it right there where you found it.

I am not making cheap guns and it is a favorite of those that due just check some state laws on alloy guns and melt temps.

Those states by the way do not want poor folk to be able to defend themselves. Used to be called the Jim Crow laws but that is not PC anymore as all gun wanter's are the same to them.

[DougGuy]

I seriously doubt you'd be able to fire any boolits cast from it without risking permanent damage to the barrel with very very few shots fired, maybe only one.

[swheeler]

I seriously doubt you'd be able to fire any boolits cast from it without risking permanent damage to the barrel with very very few shots fired, maybe only one.

Why would you say that????????????????? hundreds of thousands of bullets cast from it have been fired, maybe millions.

[DougGuy]

Maybe that's a different compound the mazac I know of is used on Fender guitars as a tailpiece, I couldn't conceive a chunk of that being swaged into rifling without major pressures building.

[Green Frog]

At one time Lyman sold a special mould that cast a bullet that used a zinc “washer” as a base band that served as a “wiper” to remove fouling from the bore as they were being fired. IIRC, they proved unpopular not because of damage to bores but because of cost and effort to make them. :castmine:


Froggie

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Long ago some company (C-H ?) made swaging dies that would use a zinc washer to protect the lead base, like a gas check or half-jacket. Mostly handguns and the 30 carbine, best recollection from very long ago (50 years plus).

[gwpercle]

I believe Zamak is Zinc, magnesium, aluminum, and maybe some other alloys. One original use was for making those matchbox cars.

Joe

The other metal is usually copper . Zinc , aluminum , magnesium and copper .
Is this what is commonly referred to "Pot Metal " ?

[Petander]

Maybe that's a different compound the mazac I know of is used on Fender guitars as a tailpiece, I couldn't conceive a chunk of that being swaged into rifling without major pressures building.

Oh,you mean those tremolo blocks where the springs are attached?

Live and learn. I always wondered what that (horrible) material is. All I know is,if you change them to heavier brass or steel blocks the instrument "comes alive". I started changing mine in the early 70's.

[EDG]

Before you waste anytime on zinc or zamak read about zinc pest or zinc rot.

When the basic alloy is contaminated the slightest amount you get intergranular corrosion.
The corrosion products form inside the object causing it to swell and disintegrate.

244623

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu131/_rotormotor_/IMAG2771_zpsc77pgwk8.jpg

I ran into this about age 5. My mother went to a variety store for something and bought me 2 die cast toy cars about 4" long and 2" wide. She handed me the first car and my grip crushed it like foil. The strongest part of the car was the red paint that held the broken pieces together.

She then handed me the much stronger blue car. I rolled it across the hardwood floor and it hit the wall at an angle breaking into pieces - that resulted in a lot of laughter.

[EDG]

Before you waste anytime on zinc or zamak read about zinc pest or zinc rot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest


When the basic alloy is contaminated the slightest amount you get intergranular corrosion.
The corrosion products form inside the object causing it to swell and disintegrate.

I ran into this about age 5. My mother went to a variety store for something and bought me 2 die cast toy cars about 4" long and 2" wide. She handed me the first car and my grip crushed it like foil. The strongest part of the car was the red paint that held the broken pieces together.

She then handed me the much stronger blue car. I rolled it across the hardwood floor and it hit the wall at an angle breaking into pieces - that resulted in a lot of laughter.

[Tracy]

Home metal casting of parts (auto, motorcycle, gun, machine etc.) and ornamentals is a somewhat popular hobby. ZAMAK and other zinc alloys are a good starting point because they melt at low temperature and are similar in strength to iron. Bronze alloys and iron are also popular, but require much higher heat and better equipment.

I've experimented a bit with zinc casting. It makes good bearings and all kinds of gun parts, including receivers. I actually cast a revolver frame of it, to accept an existing cylinder.

[tankgunner59]

I seriously doubt you'd be able to fire any boolits cast from it without risking permanent damage to the barrel with very very few shots fired, maybe only one.

+1
This is just what I was thinking. With the hardness of Zamak I would be very concerned with barrel damage.