33 lbs. of LEAD somthing ???

[Hootmix]

Just picked up a "flat chunk" of lead that "rings" when hit,,, not "thud" like pure lead or wheel weight lead.It is 1" thick x 8" w.x 8",,,this pcs. is half of origl. The feller who (whom) I got it from said ,,he got it from a feller who cast bullets,,, I'v never delt w/ lino type stuff,,but this stuff is hard!!! NO!! you can't bend it,,sure don't want to mix w/ any of my other lead until I get some ideal what's in it . Any thoughts ??



coffees ready,,,,Hootmix.

[lightman]

Anything that we say would only be a guess. I would drop a few drops of acid on it to test for zinc and then probably blend it in with my next batch of wheel weights.

[baogongmeo]

It may be babbit. Where I worked we had large ball mills ( the size of mobile homes ) and for many years the bearings used bricks of babbit. I never saw new bricks but when a mill was rebuilt the bricks were about 1" x 6" x8" or so.

[Dusty Bannister]

If BNE is still doing the XRF scans for a pound of lead is it sort of silly to do a lot of guessing. Melt off a small splatter and put it in a little plastic baggie and mail it and the lead ingot to pay the fee to be scanned. Send him a PM to be sure he is still doing it. He will tell you exactly what he needs to get your sample tested.

[Budzilla 19]

Hootmix, look around for a scrap yard to see if they will scan it for you! Or look around for a NDT testing company ( think industrial x ray guys) in your home town! Those guys have calibrated PMI ( Positive Material Identification) guns that read anything that capable of being scanned! Might get it for free if you explain you don’t need a report! Be sure to snap a photo of that screen on the gun! Just my .02

[marek313]

There are many alloys this could be: Lino, Babbitt etc. If you never seen either you'll be surprised how hard those are. At first I thought a brick of babbitt was zinc or steel because its so hard so i put it back but then I looked again and I realized that it has "BABBITT" stamped right on it under some dirst so I took it. Very hard stuff I'm yet to use it since I normally mix with lino and tin. Need to get it tested to see what it really is.

[Hootmix]

Well guys...couldn't stand it ...I melted the whole 33lb. chunk into 2 1/2lb. (cup cake pan) ingots. It melted pretty quick,,fluxed w/ sawdust & wax (cinnamon smell) true smooth silvery look ( I used a cast iron skillet & propane cooker )..let cool 3 hrs. ( more or less ) tested w/ my pencil set......b6 NO!...b2 lite scratch..B & HB groved =13-17 BHN ( ? ) will test again in a few days.. these cup cakes didn't thud like my coww,,, has a higher thud ( pitch) . I think lino type is about 84 % lead .I think I will test a 1to 2 mix ( I new cupcake to 2 coww ) coww's are 60 + days old.

coffee's ready,,,,Hootmix.

[BNE]

BNE still does XrF testing..... just saying.

Thanks Dusty.

[zymguy]

BNE still does XrF testing..... just saying.

Thanks Dusty.

how does it work??? i mean the trade not an XrF gun

[RogerDat]

You send him sample of lead or alloy about the size of a pea and 1# of lead per sample as payment. Lead can be any type, doesn't have to be same as sample being tested. He sends you a PM with the alloy content. If you have multiple samples he would like them on a card like a 3x5 index card or something with how you would identify this sample. E.g puck A, sample B, Print shop lead. etc. so he can identify each in his PM to you.

Quick check of the chart on this page shows Babbitt alloy has a lot of different formulations. One thing of note, many Babbitt alloys you might notice have copper (Cu) and copper alloys to the tin and make a bullet tougher. Less likely to break apart on bone or at higher velocities. Can make good hunting bullets with Babbitt.

Forgot the link to the Babbitt alloy page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babbitt_(alloy)

[silly goose]

I had lino ingots that rang.