Truck/Bus WWs different??

[RGS]

I think I know the answer to this one, but I want to run it by you guys.

Some of the guys at work get all the WWs from shop and cast them for sinkers. I am trying to break into this inner sanctum and see if I can get some. One of the guys told me there was Zink in the WWs that made them unsuitable for Boolits. He said the ingots are very shinny and they "ring" when they are struck.

The pictures posted on this site show some mighty shiny boolits. I am so far undeterred.

These are a pretty good bunch of guys and probably do not cast boolits. I may start a trend though if I am not careful.

Is there anything to worry about from the use of truck WWs?

I will be casting for my .41mags both hand guns and carbines.

Thanks

Rick

[MakeMineA10mm]

Well, there are some really smart guys who have researched and experienced a lot here, so this may get rescinded later, but in my experience, truck/bus WWs are no different than car WWs, just bigger! I actually prefer them, because I find there is less clips, junk, and valve stems mixed in with the truck WWs. YMMV.

[Silicon Wolverine]

zinc can be found in car wheelweights as well. with the price of lead skyrocketing, many WW companies have turned to zinc as a low cost alternative. Ive run into some and they can really make a mess of your lead pot. I dont know if they "ring" but they are alightly brighter shade of grey than lead.

SW

[Lee]

Just smelted 300# this weekend. Found a few zinc weights. And yes, when dropped, they "ring" like a bell, compared to lead.
But, if you watch your temperature, don't try to melt everything at once, and use a thermometer if you have one, the chance of "zincing" up your WW is very small. The zincs will float on top of the lead, so unless you get it too hot, you don't have to worry. Some, not all, have "zn" or Zn" stamped on them. Also try the knife test. Zinc will not cut a shaving easily, it kinda "scrapes" across the blade. Lead, and it's friendly alloys, will shave off a sliver when put to the blade.
And from what I've read, when the worst happens and you have contaminated a batch, just heat a pot to 500 degrees, and let it set, and start skimming. I am told that at that temperature the zinc "floats" out of solution and can be skimmed off.
More knowedgable people can correct my errors, but I believe I am close......Lee

[RGS]

I was hoping to see that all was not lost and I could resmelt to remove the zn. Looks like that is an option.

Is zn necessarily bad to have in the alloy? From what I've read on this site, it is rejected from the pot whenever possible, so there must be a reason.

[Lloyd Smale]

I have yet to see a big truck weight that was zinc.

[BAGTIC]

Todays metals market price for lead was .9245.

Today's metals market price for zinc was 1.8245

Now how can anyone save money by substituting zinc for lead?

They can't.

Another urban legend bites the dust.

[randyrat]

+1 on the price check. I was told by a high volume tire guy; Zinc WWs are high priced. Truck WWs are the best, i gave an extra $5 for a bucket of them-less waste.

[dakotashooter2]

As I understand it boolits can be made from zinc contaminated lead however you have to cast at a higher temp, getting fillout is more difficult, the bullets will likely be more brittle and you may encounter more weight variation due to increased likelyhood of voids (see fillout).

[mto7464]

RGS, I think once Zn is in the alloy you can't get it out.

[nicholst55]

Many years ago I recall reading an article in a gun rag about casting zinc bullets. The gist of the article was that they were great for reduced power indoor-range use. The author was using the same molds he used for lead, and the bullets weighed about 1/2-2/3 as much. Anyone ever heard of this, or am I having caffeine withdrawal-induced psychosis again?