Worst mix I ever had

[mag_01]

:coffee: ----Gentlemen yesterday was pretty much a disaster---I did get some usable boolits but only after I removed 2/3 of the mess in the pot. I started as usual WW----some old boolits that where hanging around my bench that where never going to be used----a little Linotype --a little babbitt---all was well to this point----A friend gave me some blocks about 3 inch. square and 1.5 inch thick marked pure Tin---was very hard---cut off a piece with a hacksaw about an 1inch long --inch thick---1/4 inch wide---placed it in the pot and it just seemed to sit there so I heated it with a torch and it softened up and stayed on top--mixed it in fluxed it in and it still was a lead color but a texture of peanut butter with a very dull finish---did not seem to mix easily and what it did mix with seemed to turn to junk--so i started to skim off the top (about 2/3 of the pot) then it seemed to cast pretty well usable boolits any way (100 gr.---.312) for a 7.62x25 Tokarev --round. As the session proceeded odd colors where present in the pot I would skim them off---What happened guys---any Ideas ?????? Spoiled my day for sure ----Mag-----:confused:

[Bass Ackward]

If it floats and don't melt right away, get it outta there.

And it isn't a good idea to play around with small batches unless you feel you need to, to learn what mix you really want. After that, it is always best to go to big batches of metal. I always make at the very least 5, 150# pots of lead. Then when I add metal to my molding pot, I wait until I can add 5 bars, and I select one from each batch or pile. Then my mix stays consistent from one pot to the next.

Nothing worse than getting used to one mix and then having to alter 50 things to make it work next week and 50 more things for the week after that. By the time you learn how to make the last batch work well, you have something else to contend with. You learn how to be flexible I guess, but that crap get's old fast.

[Jon K]

:coffee: Sounds to me you got some unwanted/undesireable junk in the blocks marked tin.
When it didn't melt when you dropped it in the pot, you should have scooped it out, and trashed it.

I smelt @650 it takes longer, but I get cleaner metal, and don't have to flux and skim as often. A friend once gave me some WW already melted into ingots, and he's telling me how fast he melted the WW, because he's now using multiple burners. Well, I had so much trouble with that dirty melt. My friend later asked me if I need more WW, and if I wanted he would smelt it for me. I said I'll take the WW unmelted! Sound like a familiar story?

Lately, I noticed more WWs are not melting @650, I don't know what is being put into it, but I just skim and dump it in the trash. Less headaches pouring, and I don't want it going down my barrels.

Jon :castmine:

[PerversPépère]

Pure TIN or pure ZINC?
PP.

[Cherokee]

Sounds like it was pure Zinc. Tin would melt fast.

[yodar]

I never take metal from anybody - I sort my wheelweights manually and buy labeled 67 33 Kester Electronic solder for my tin and add magnum shot for arsenic and antimony.

No question marks in mmy alloy components, pour into cornbread stick moulds which allow me a large surface for Sharpies and detection of contaminants and 4 of 'em stand on end to fill the post

Yodar