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Thread: Metal flake looking lead

  1. #1
    Boolit Man
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    Metal flake looking lead

    I was melting a few hundred Alox boolits because they were scraping down to bare lead in places going through the sizer. The lead ingots ended up looking like silver metal flake paint when they harden up. Any ideas of what this is?

  2. #2
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    it's crystals
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master Yodogsandman's Avatar
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    Antimonial dendrite crystals that form when the lead cools.
    A deplorable that votes!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by RedStar Raider View Post
    I was melting a few hundred Alox boolits because they were scraping down to bare lead in places going through the sizer. The lead ingots ended up looking like silver metal flake paint when they harden up. Any ideas of what this is?
    I am not sure if I am understanding you correctly with the bold above & this does not address your question about the ingots, but I am curious as to why you would melt down those boolits just because the ALOX was scraped off?

    I tumble lube as well as pan lube, but when I tumble lube I use 45/45/10 (JPW/ALOX/Min.Spirits) before I size & then I re-lube after sizing & before seating the boolits. When I have boolits that get lead exposed from sizing, ( which I expect), I know I am going to be re-lubing them before loading & so I do not understand why you would re-melt the boolits you sized down, when they could just be lubed again to cover the exposed lead..??

    Do you not re-lube them after sizing & before seating/loading?

    I guess I do not understand why you melted them down, instead of re-lubing them again with ALOX.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I've seen the metal flake look on ingots that were cast from hard lead, like type metal. Its just the alloy thats in it.

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Good Cheer's Avatar
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    Imagine a little Twilight Zone music in the background...

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    Ingot broken while hot.

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  7. #7
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    the flake pattern can look like a hot dipped galvanized pail or trash can with the flake size being in part related to the cooling rate which influences the way crystals form on the surface.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check