What is it?

[JudgeBAC]

I picked up a bunch of lead yesterday. In the bucket I found an ingot that was labeled "Magnolia Anti Friction Metal". Does anyone have any idea what it is? It is not heavy like lead. I did not melt it as I wasn't sure what it is composed of.

[Finn45]

Maybe:

http://www.magnoliabronze.com/antifric.htm

[Uncle Grinch]

No really sure myself, however I did find this website for it.

http://www.magnoliabronze.com/antifric.htm

[Lloyd Smale]

I would guess bearing babit

[JudgeBAC]

The ingot on their website is exactly what it looks like. By the way, what is bearing babbit?

[454PB]

Babbitt is an alloy used to make bearings. In the old days, car crankshaft bearings were babbitt. Large bearings are generally made from babbitt these days. If the bearing is damaged, it can be "refitted" to the shaft it supports, or remelted and cast into a new one.

Babbitt alloys vary greatly and are lead based, but the ones desirable for boolits are rich in tin. You have to be careful, some babbitt alloys are high in copper content.

[versifier]

Does the copper in the mix cause problems like zinc does?

[felix]

There are lead based babbits and tin based babbits. Lead based babbits have some tin, but most, if not all, tin based babbits have zero lead. Babbits won't have zinc unless specially made up thataway for one particular customer, but some do have copper as standard. These are usually, but not always, lead based babbits. Copper and zinc are completely different animals, but both can make the allow hard to get into molds. Copper freezes quickly, long before the rest of the alloy does. Zinc does not freeze that quickly, but does make the corners of the final boolit rounded. ... felix

[sundog]

Yup, my ole buddy Felix got me started on copper babbit. What he says is true. It freezes -- right now. The first indication is that is sheets rather than pours a stream from a ladle. Very odd looking flow. I've had lots of practice with it now, and I can make some really nice boolits with it. BUT, it will try a your patience. We've got about a hundred pounds of alloy that we thought was good but that is too copper rich to fill a mould. Gonna have to cut it at least in half with WWs to get it to pour. It will not contaminate an alloy like zinc, but does require some rethinking of the situation. sundog

[georgeld]

Any foundries around your area?

This stuff should be worth a bunch more than lead IF
you can find a place that pours bearings.

Try a big machine shop, or some kind of factory with machinery like rolling mills and such.

I'll bet they'd be happy to get it. IF only one small ingot, not worth the effort. But, I wouldn't melt it down for bullet metal. Doubt it takes much to ruin a large batch if it's got much copper in it.