Roto Metals response to bad alloy.....

[rbertalotto]

I sent an email to Roto Metals last night about some bad alloy I recently received. This morning (Saturday) here is their response:

Hi Roy. Sorry about this those ingots came from our sister factory and looks like they messed up the alloy or stamped the wrong ingots. What is your order number and I'll send you a new order from the original bars. I'll also email you a return label Monday if you can send back just one ingot I can test it and see what is wrong with it


Thank
Ryan


Now THAT'S the kind of company I like to deal with! They will have my lead business forever!

Here is the email I sent them:

Recently I received a shipment of 20-1 alloy. I’m a longtime user of Roto Metals and have never had an issue. I only cast with Roto Metal alloys as I trust your product and don’t want to put an untrusted product down my expensive match barrels. There is a major problem with this shipment as it simply will not cast proper bullets. It will not fill out the mold.

I switched to the 20-1 alloy I previously purchased and the bullets formed beautifully.

I did a search on the internet and I found another fellow experiencing the exact same problem. I too had the crud continuously forming in the melt and the consistency of maple syrup. My ingots were also the new shape as in this thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...Metals-changed

The bars of lead are different in shape and appearance. The new bars are segmented where the old style was a single bar of alloy. The new bars have a cloudy, dull appearance where the old bars were shiny like a bar of silver.
When casting even after heavy fluxing the melt has a clumpy texture with lots of impurities in the dross .
It does not pour freely from my bottom pour pot no matter how large I set the orifice.
It will coat my ladle and stirring stick with the same clumpy clinging stuff.
The bullets do not fill out the mold and have the same cloudy grey color instead of shiny silver. I tried three molds, iron, brass and aluminum.
The alloys I use is 20-1. I tried casting from 675 to 725°. I don't own a hardness tester so I can't comment on that aspect, but the spew is brittle and easily breaks into pieces.
The ONLY thing different in my casting is the alloy I recently bought.

Here is a reprint of the thread on Castboolits web forum from another fellow with the identical issues

I sure hope you are aware of this as I want to order more alloy but I simply can not use this type of product.

Please advise

[osteodoc08]

Awesome. Let us know what their analysis shows.

[Beagle333]

'Gotta love a company that not only stands behind their product, but stands behind it quickly!

[nagantguy]

Any one can make a mistake owning a businesse I know I have once or twice owning up and making it right is as important as doing it right the first time. Good for them and you what a good company

[MBTcustom]

I wondered if anybody actually bought from Rotometal$.
Good to know they stand behind their product! Very strange results. Never had an alloy that casts like you describe. Really makes me wonder what's in there.
If you don't mind my asking, what are you shooting this alloy out of? BPCR?

[Boyscout]

I have purchased Tin and Superhard from Rotometals and have had no issues with service or quality.

[mikeym1a]

I have purchased Tin and Superhard from Rotometals and have had no issues with service or quality.

Same here. mikey

[lwknight]

Sounds like you got some superhard.

[dikman]

An impressive response indeed .

(Lee could learn something about Customer Relations from them).

[rbertalotto]

If you don't mind my asking, what are you shooting this alloy out of? BPCR?

I use 20-1 in everything now...I shoot Cowboy Action and BPCR. In my 45-70 with Black Powder for long range "Buffalo Shoots", I shoot pure lead. I want to be 100% "period correct.

The 20-1 is used in 38-55, 45LC, 44-40 and 38-40.......

I used to use wheel weights and other unknown lead alloys, but I found the quality quite poor recently. I just don't want to put **** down my expensive barrels. Rot Metals has always been first class, 100% alloys. It costs a few dollars more but it is cheap insurance for your bores.

[shredder]

As a business owner who lives or dies by the whim of his customers, I would be all over this too. Any company with a whiff of common sense wants to satisfy thier buying public. The complaint was well written, sticks to the facts, shows that the customer is aware of many factors that may affect use of the product, and above all the writer does not get personal or critical with the complaint only stating that something is wrong and looks for a solution.

This is a customer that I would personally bend over backwards for. Well done Roto metals.

[harley45]

It is refreshing to see a complany that still has good customer service, now days seems like most think they can do what they want because there is another guy in line behind you!

[WILCO]

Great report!

[rbertalotto]

Received a 70 pound box of the proper alloy today. I was told to keep the other alloy and to send one bar back to them so they could let me know what it was.

It might be useful to mix with something else to make it usable.

BTW, all of this took less than three business days.....from California to Massachusetts!

NOW THAT'S CUSTOMER SERVICE!​

[osteodoc08]

Awesome CS.

[crawfobj]

Very very impressive. 90% of companies could learn a thing or 2 from these guys.

[dikman]

Very very impressive. 90% of companies could learn a thing or 2 from these guys.

I'll second that!

[retread]

As a business owner who lives or dies by the whim of his customers, I would be all over this too. Any company with a whiff of common sense wants to satisfy thier buying public. The complaint was well written, sticks to the facts, shows that the customer is aware of many factors that may affect use of the product, and above all the writer does not get personal or critical with the complaint only stating that something is wrong and looks for a solution.

This is a customer that I would personally bend over backwards for. Well done Roto metals.

First class on both counts.

[rbertalotto]

This email just received from Roto Metals:

Hi Roy,


Just got back the ingot and the small melted piece
The ingot actually tested spot on at 5.06% tin 94.94 Lead

The piece you sent that was melted was 1% copper 5% tin 2.3 % antimony rest lead

Looks like the pot was contaminated from another ingot from somewhere else and somehow got in there


None of our bullet alloys contain copper which really makes the alloy act weird like your pictures

If you still don't want the rest of the original ingots, let me know and I can email you another Medium flat rate box to return those.


Thanks
Ryan

I replied:

Interesting….

I have three pots. An older Lyman and two new Lee 20s. The Lee pots have never seen anything but Roto Metals 20-1. Have no idea where the copper came from.

Yes, send me a box and I’ll send the rest of the ingots back as thet have no use for me.

Thanks again!

[Pablo 5959]

Just a thought, and please don't get me wrong because OP you seem to be a very careful and articulate person.
But have you been doing any other metal work near you're casting area where some shavings may have gotten into you pot?
Pablo