Pickeed up 180 Lbs of roofing lead yesterday.

[L1A1Rocker]

I'm planning on mixing this 50/50 with wheel weight lead for .45, 9mm, 380, and the 300 Whisper/Fireball/BLK. Does that sound about right?

Would this mix work for .357 velocities?

[lwknight]

I would think that you would do best with anadulterated WWs for full power magnum loads.

[L1A1Rocker]

I would think that you would do best with anadulterated WWs for full power magnum loads.

I kinda figured that but was hopeful to be able and make one mix. I'll keep my WW led and roofing lead in seperate ingots then. Any suggestions on how to mark ingots of different alloy?

[selmerfan]

Here's how I do it. http://www.harborfreight.com/36-piece-1-8-eighth-inch-steel-letter-number-stamping-set-800.html

[kywilber]

use a marker or buy a punch of some type.

[L1A1Rocker]

Thanks for the replys folks.

How clean do I have to get this stuff as it is used stuff pulled off a roof? Can I just toss it into a cold pot and bring it up to temp, skimming as I go?

[Ole]

Keep your alloys segregated until you add them to the casting pot.

I run .44/.357's to full velocity by mixing 10lbs of WW with 4lbs of soft lead and water quenching the bullets out of the mold.

You don't even notice a difference, IMO.

[bumpo628]

Any suggestions on how to mark ingots of different alloy?

I just write on them with a sharpie.

[garym1a2]

For the .357 in the Rossi 20 inch rifle I get good results with straight Wheel weights and a dab of solder. It has never leaded.

With the 45 acp I run in the 850fps range and shoot mostly short range, I thick you can get by with a much softer alloy.

[357shooter]

I get best results in a 357 with 98% lead and 2% solder. Even for full magnum loads, although the max loads usually aren't all that accurate.

The soft alloy has been working in a 20" Rossi 357 lever as well. But I haven't tried big loads and only have 200 or so rounds through it. No leading though with 1,000 FPS plus loads. Got a nice crack going supersonic with 168 Keith at BHN 6. No leading after 50 rounds of that.

Can't comment on the other calibers though.

[Swede44mag]

I have been saving the pure lead for Black Powder shooting and the WW for pistol shooting including my 45-70. I have read that WW can be all over the scale for hardness that they are not reliable for any one specific mixture. But that is only what I have read. I don't own a lead hardness tester "YET"

[*Paladin*]

I mark my ingots with an engraver. Quick and easy...

[frankenfab]

Thanks for the replys folks.

How clean do I have to get this stuff as it is used stuff pulled off a roof? Can I just toss it into a cold pot and bring it up to temp, skimming as I go?

Yup, you can just toss it in the pot and melt. The roof boots I got had some tar on them, so it was pretty smoky, and the tar took some time and alot of stirring to burn into dust. I defintely like smelting stuff like that on a breezy day, so as to easily be able to stay out of the fumes.

[L1A1Rocker]

Yup, you can just toss it in the pot and melt. The roof boots I got had some tar on them, so it was pretty smoky, and the tar took some time and alot of stirring to burn into dust. I defintely like smelting stuff like that on a breezy day, so as to easily be able to stay out of the fumes.

Thanks, that's what I figured. I'm a real noob to casting and still getting my supplies and equipment set up. I've read about the "tinsel ferry" and don't really want to meet her. I figured starting from a cold pot would be ok to do with dirty scrap.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I just did some real nasty roofing boots. Some had been hammered flat and there was tar trapped in it. There was no problem with the Tinsel Fairy but SMOKE! It was nasty. Once the lead melted and the tar and pieces of shingle came to the top, I took my slotted spoon and got that stuff out of there as soon as I could. It came out in fire dripping tar so make sure you are not on concrete. I could have just left it in there but did not want neighbors complaining. Oh ya. No need to add flux.