What tha..... ???? Hardness ???

[Old Ironsights]

I normally only smelt in small quantities, then use it up. But I've accumulated unough back-stock of WWs that I have needed to actually ingotize.

So, lastweek I poured bout 160# of 2# ingots. Yesterday I poured another 250#....

BUT, the indots I poured last week are SIGNIFICANTLY harder than the ones I poured yesterday.

In both cases it was a "cold" smelt, with all grundge skimmed at about 600deg.

Both smelts were of WWs that averaged 1.5oz or larger (I pre-sort by size... out of 260# of WWs I had only 4 floaters...)

Does one week of extra hardening make that much difference? Last week's ingots would dent yesterday's ingots - edge to edge - without taking any noticable dents themselves...

Very odd...

[mooman76]

It would make some difference but WWs come in a variaty of metal mixtures. There is no single standard.

[Bret4207]

Yes, a weeks waiting does make that much difference. My fresh ingots go around 7-8 Bhn, in 2 weeks they go over 13. Quite a difference.

[Old Ironsights]

Wow. OK, so I guess my BHN testing cycle is going to take longer than I anticipated...

About when does it level off?

I was planning on casting some plugs of ww, pb, 1/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1, 5/1 & 6/1 and testing the plugs on my LBT tester to see how they average out before casting up my hunting bullets for next fall...

[dubber123]

I don't know how long it would take an air cooled boolit, (or ingot) to stabilize, but water quenched boolits gain VERY rapidly for about 3 days, and then seem to level off. Tested with an LBT tester. I would think the vast majority of hardening would be done in a weeks time.

[Dale53]

I have an LBT hardness tester. I wouldn't be without a good hardness tester (LBT or Cabine Tree are the best two, in my view).

Most common bullet alloys will pretty much stabilize at about two weeks. There are some slight changes afterwards but minor. Then, they gradually will get softer over a period of years.

However, I had several thousand bullets cast and sitting in my garage for several years while I got busy with the Schuetzen sport. When I started shooting revolvers and pistols again, I did not check the hardness but I shot them with the same results I had when they were reasonably fresh cast.

I have often shot bullets just days after casting. While they measured softer than they would have a couple of weeks later, they worked just as well...

I prefer to let them sit around for a couple of weeks before using but it really doesn't seem to make much difference. Most of my bullets are used these days for target use. It might well make a difference with my .44 magnums and .454's.

Dale53

[Old Ironsights]

I'm wanting to work up a load that is as soft as possible but will still hit 1800 in my .357 Rossi without leading. My ACWW bullets work well but simply do not deform as much as I'd like in a soft-game/deer bullet.

[Dale53]

The answer that you are looking for is to get a gas checked bullet that will feed in your rifle. Then load it with 50/50 ww/pure lead with 2% tin added for good castability.

That way, you will have it soft enough to expand and the gas check should keep it from leading.

It would be helpful if we knew which bullet you were casting. You may already have an appropriate bullet but just need to soften the alloy.

Good luck!

Dale53

[runfiverun]

give them a month

[montana_charlie]

Dan Theodore is currently running a long-term test on changing hardness.
It starts in Post #9 of this http://www.shilohsharps.com/forums/v...b92a922d09f3a3

CM

[Brick85]

If you cast your ingots to a certain hardness and similar alloy (I'm thinking to try and standardize the alloy by hardness and source, like WW or range scrap or reclaimed birdshot), and wait whatever amount of time (days, weeks, years), the change in hardness is irrelevant, right? If I cast bullets from the same batch of ingots years apart, the hardness of the bullets at a set time after casting will be the same?

[runfiverun]

if they are the same alloy yes.
at least close enough you nor your gun will notice the difference.