Articles on casting with zinc.

[The Double D]

Back in the 40's and 50's casting with zinc was part of the experimentation going on in the shooting community.

Does anyone have copies of any of the articles written specifically on zinc casting bullets they would share with me?

I need to learn the secrets!

http://www.fototime.com/E881C140ABAA673/standard.jpg

[Cannoneer]

IIRC, zinc bullets were lighter than their lead counterparts, and depending on bullet shape, could be driven a whole lot faster and produced some impressive "wound cavities" in duct seal blocks.

[JeffinNZ]

HOT is the major word. I have just read an article on zinc bullet in an old Handloader. I will try and scan and post for you.

[jleneave]

I am a little interested in this too. It would be good to know if I should be putting zinc WWs back in case of hard times. I have started to notice that there is getting to be more and more zinc WWs mixed in with lead WWs here lately.

Jody

[docone31]

I am the bad one.
I mix zinc in with my wheel weight to cast for paper patching my .30s, or .303 British.
So far, so good. I crank up the heat. I use a bottom pour and I have only had the spout clog once. It was before I knew what was happening. Now, I blend my zinc a little lighter. One ingot per 20lbs.

[The Double D]

I'm not loading for a rifle, I am loading for this.

http://www.fototime.com/DFACAFD85F20492/standard.jpg

I am interested in the casting technique, how hot, fluxing etc.

Jeff, a scan of the article would be most appreciated.

[docone31]

Wowser!
I bet you can use the balls over and over.
Did you do the forging?

[beagle]

Now, that looks like an interesting project./beagle

[leadman]

I have a friend who is a reenactor. His group has a cannon, I think a 4". They go to the junkyards and get old carb bodies and melt them down for their cannon.

I'll contact him and see if he has any tips for you.

[The Double D]

Yes I do go down range and recover and re shoot, often in the same match. Last match I lost two, one 2.6 inch and one 6 PDR. I looked for a week and sulked for a month! :)

[jleneave]

I'm not loading for a rifle, I am loading for this.

http://www.fototime.com/DFACAFD85F20492/standard.jpg

I am interested in the casting technique, how hot, fluxing etc.

Jeff, a scan of the article would be most appreciated.


Is that a cannon or a morter?? How do you cast a ball for it? How accurate is it? Sorry for all the questions, just curious.

Jody

[JRW]

I just want to see a video of that thing being shot! I thought it was pretty big stuff to be shooting the 577's and so, but this thing beats out all the elephant guns Iv'e ever played with!

[nicholst55]

Years ago Gun Digest ran (reran?) an article that I think was originally written during WWII, when lead was a strategic metal and nearly impossible to obtain, about casting with zinc. I don't remember when I saw it - probably sometime during the '80s. I realize that doesn't narrow it down much...

[jleneave]

I just want to see a video of that thing being shot! I thought it was pretty big stuff to be shooting the 577's and so, but this thing beats out all the elephant guns Iv'e ever played with!

I know what you mean, that thing makes my Barrett .50BMG look like a .22LR!!

Jody

[mrbill2]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=64166&highlight=casting+zink+bullets

[JeffinNZ]

I scanned the article last evening so if y'all want to PM me with an email address I will forward.

[The Double D]

Click on the image to start the video..

Rolling thunder!!


.http://www.fototime.com/CB1A2CD81D7C84C/thumb.jpg (http://www.fototime.com/CB1A2CD81D7C84C/convx264.mp4)

[The Double D]

Here's another ...

http://www.fototime.com/F082D9381EF2BE9/thumb.jpg (http://www.fototime.com/F082D9381EF2BE9/convx264.mp4)

[geargnasher]

Wow.

Gear

[The Double D]

Finally found one of the 6PDR strap Mortar!

http://www.fototime.com/460095F860FE6FC/thumb.jpg (http://www.fototime.com/460095F860FE6FC/convx264.mp4)

[JRW]

Outstanding video! I want one!

[The Double D]

JRW,

You don't want one, forget it, I will not encourage you to infringe on my private source of zinc!!!

The 6PDR is a work in progress and will end up looking like either 8 inch Seacoast Mortar or a 24 PDR Confederate Coehorn.

The Dictator I purchased from Dominick Carpenter http://blackpowder-cannons.com/index.htm

[MT Gianni]

Zinc and galvanizing compounds are not something I would smelt without a good respirator. I have gotten the headaches from welding on galvanized. Make sure you drink at least a glass or two of milk 2-3 days before, during and after smelting.

[jleneave]

Zinc and galvanizing compounds are not something I would smelt without a good respirator. I have gotten the headaches from welding on galvanized. Make sure you drink at least a glass or two of milk 2-3 days before, during and after smelting.

At the risk of sounding dumb, why drink milk?

Jody

[The Double D]

Of course he says drink milk, he's a dairy farmer...he'll get me for that.:D

We do our smelt and casting out doors in clear and after an all day session we went for pizza and beer...no headaches that day or the next.

None the less it's a good warning.

[trevj]

At the risk of sounding dumb, why drink milk?

Jody

Google search "Zinc Fume Fever".

Milk offsets/blocks/stalls/mitigates the negative effects of breathing zinc fumes.

Gotta get zinc pretty hot to cause it to smoke, and you gotta breathe a fair bit of it to cause misery to set in, but if you do, you'll wish you didn't.

I filled my garage with snotty floaters (like the carbon snots from burning acet. almost) while grossly overheating a pot of molten brass, one day. I've learned a thing or two since... But I got away wityh that one without any worse effects than a mess to clean up.

The folks I know that had issues with it were all welding galvanized steel plate or fencing materials.

Cheers
Trev

[Lead pot]

Raw eggs and milk will help for zinc poisoning

Zinc will melt around 775 or 800 degrees but the flux is bad news. zinc chloride flux or zinc sulphate or ammonia. All bad enough stuff to not do it..

Back when I was a Kid in the 50's there was a .22 bullet called the stinger, and it was a zinc bullet. It was faster than Geeewizzzz and when you hit a rock it would throw sparks.

[MT Gianni]

You beat me to it guys. Yea, Double D I puled a lot of teats in my time, started milking by hand when I was 5 or 6.

[jleneave]

Thanks for the info/warning about the zinc. I had no ideal that zinc would do that. I just figured that it would have been the same as lead. Shows how much I know, Huh? Thanks again.

Jody

[sagacious]

Working with any molten metal can be dangerous. There is severe risk of burns, risk of fire, risk of poisoning, etc. Oh yes, it can be dangerous.

But shooting firearms also brings with it serious risks to life, limb, and eyesight. Anyone who can be trusted to handle a gun by themselves, and learn to always practice the basics of firearms safety can learn to work with molten metals safely.

It's when one is not aware of the risks, or is simply not concerned with the risks, that problems inevitably arise.

I used to pour zinc machine parts and zinc bullets. To my mind, the risks are in no way greater than lead. One must simply learn how to work with zinc, and then it's a straight-forward matter. I'm always amazed by those who run afoul with zinc-- it seems to be a lack of knowledge about basic safety procedures in almost every instance.

Read-up on how to work with zinc before turning on the furnace. Otherwise you might just end up with a "look what happened to me" story.

Good luck, and stay safe!

[Onty]

How about barrel life issue using zinc boolits? See http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=64166&highlight=casting+zink+bullets , post #30.

If all works well, there is a life after lead. The only issue, especially in pistols and revolvers, would be weight. Zinc is only 64% of WW. Now, considering that a good hunting bullet in 41 magnum should be at least 210-220, 44 240-250 and 45 250-260 all in grains, all those boolits should be larger for whooping 56%. That transfers that our zinc bullets will weight/have size in WW 41- 330, 44-380, 45-400, assuming that barrels have enough fast rifling to stabilize them. In other words, grab those long cylinder Supermags while you can...

[The Double D]

Now wait a minute here, you listen now Zincs no good for nothing except got my big round cannon balls!!!! Forget-about-it, it's mine, all mine!!!!! :)