Remove zinc from alloy

[Sven Dufva]

I wonder if somebody have a good metod to remove zinc from alloy. Me and my freind have have 200 ibs of ingots with ww alloy. The man who melted dont sort zinc away. He melted to hot and zinc blended with ww. That mix is impossible to cast bullets. Bullets are to small in dia. they go thro the sizer die with no marks.
I have read about zinc bullets but that is nothing for me. Is it possible with some flux take it away?

[454PB]

Once alloyed with lead, there is no practical way to remove zinc.

[FISH4BUGS]

Once alloyed with lead, there is no practical way to remove zinc.

I would think that if you just keep cutting the "polluted" lead with more pure or WW lead, at some point you will thin the zinc enough to not be a factor. I wonder how much thinning that would take, however.
And besides........how could you tell?

[KYCaster]

One of the owner's of a foundry that I have bought alloy from once told me they remove Zinc by fluxing with sawdust. I've never had a problem with Zinc contamination, so can't tell you from personal experience if it works.

Jerry

[Bass Ackward]

I know that they tell you that it is supposed to be impossible to do, but I have been able to use contaminated stuff in the past. You want a long lasting flux right at the temp of liquification. Saw dust should work. It may take two or three times of heating and cooling, but I have saved batches before.

[fourarmed]

In the old E. H. Harrison book published by the NRA, they discussed this. One suggestion was to melt a pot and let it sit for an hour or so without fluxing, then skim off the top. Do this several times. In combination with the other suggestions above, you should probably get your mix to where it would work for undemanding applications like large caliber pistol boolits and round balls.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
Zn can be diluted to the point you can cast ok bullets. But it takes a WHOLE LOT of WW/Pb. I can 't remember what the ratio is but it isbig.

[Sven Dufva]

I would think that if you just keep cutting the "polluted" lead with more pure or WW lead, at some point you will thin the zinc enough to not be a factor. I wonder how much thinning that would take, however.
And besides........how could you tell?
Yes it is a possible way but i dont no how mutch zinc it Ã*s in the alloy. Some peopel
say 0,1% is to mutch. If it is no way to take it away i think its better to sell it to scrap yard and hope no caster bye it.

[Sven Dufva]

I know that they tell you that it is supposed to be impossible to do, but I have been able to use contaminated stuff in the past. You want a long lasting flux right at the temp of liquification. Saw dust should work. It may take two or three times of heating and cooling, but I have saved batches before.

I have tried sawdust but not so many times. I will trie again and report the result.
Thanks for tips

[Sven Dufva]

Thanks for your awnsers. I will trie all your methods. becuase it too mutch alloy to be scrap. I will trie in small batches so i can find out the best metod.

[Ricochet]

Skimming works. That's how it's done commercially. But it needs to be done with the lead just above melting.

[GP100man]

SD in my experience Itake my pot 20# to 875F & flux. then slowly bring pot down to600F clumps will form youll get a little good with the bad but in the past ive saved batches & thrown decent boolits.