Ww Bhn

[GP100man]

i smelt & pour ingots in 20 -30# at the time ,& was wondering how consistent my base WWalloy could be??
it be nice to blend it all but equipment limits me to 20-30#.
any thoughts welcome
anybody check different lots of WW with hardness tester???
& would that be a good way to check ???
in the past ive checked different ingots with the ball bering & set weight ,then measure dent,crude but effecent for what i was looking for .


GP100man :castmine:

[jhalcott]

I've had readings of 11.5 to about 14+ BHN with the WW's around here. I haven't found too many zinc or other metal ones in the ones I've got on hand, but I have a couple buckets from a specialty tire store waiting to be sorted and smelted.

[JeffinNZ]

I bought a Lee tester as you have to test each batch.

My WW here in NZ is running 9.5-10.0 for clip on.

[GP100man]

Jeffin NZ
dont you have to cast boolits to test them on the lee set up???

GP100man

[grumpy one]

I tested a two-week-old batch of WW ingots and they averaged 10.6 BHN with an SD of 0.9. I tested a year-old batch and they averaged 14.9 with an SD of 1.7. The WW all came from the same source and were handled in the same way, so I think the difference was from "aging up". Seems like we might need to pay attention to how old our WW are when we test their hardness for the record.

My Lee tester tests bullets or ingots with the same aplomb and efficiency. However the size of your reloading press dictates the maximum size of the ingots you can test. I use a little Partner press for hardness testing because I'm too lazy to lug the Rockchucker out from storage for such a small job. The Partner handles 1 pound Lee ingots pretty well, but because of the center recess on the bottom of the ingots, I have to test them to one side of center, so those ingots are about the biggest I could handle in that press.

[454PB]

Jeffin NZ
dont you have to cast boolits to test them on the lee set up???

GP100man

No, you can test ingots. Actually, you can test any size object that will fit onto the press ram and also clear the press frame. It can be a bit of a balancing act with bigger chunks, but it can be done.

After I got the Lee tester, I went nuts. I was testing every questionable piece of lead that I had. Bottom line is that while interesting, your shooting results tell the story. I actually learned more about heat treating by using the hardness tester than anything else.

I don't yet own a casting thermometer, and wonder if it will turn out the same way. I've managed to successfully shoot cast boolits for 36 years without one. It's similar in that you acquire a sense for proper temperature after a few years, and the shooting results and boolit appearance will tell you if your temperatures are correct.

[dubber123]

They definately do harden with age, we just poured some ingots last weekend at my brothers, and had to attempt some blending to equal out to the bulk of the lead, (ww's), so we pulled an ingot after, and I tested it on an LBT tester. Over the course of only 3 days, it hardened almost 2 points. I will retest the same ingot this coming weekend.

[threett1]

Most of my straight ww have been testing out at 12bhn. Figured they woul be softer, but they ain't.:mrgreen:

[buck1]

Fresh , about BHN 9. Two weeks runs 12ish, After 30 days every test I have made on every batch was BHN 13-14. FWIW.........Buck

[targetshootr]

I had no idea they hardened so much in such a short period. At some point I guess they settle to a certain hardness?

[buck1]

All tests used a Cabin tree tester.
I was amazed myself. After one year they are still 13-14.

I have found that most alloys with WW will harden up nicely with a 30-60 day storage( 2 weeks isnt quite long enugh).
I would tell you about 7 pt WW/ 1 part foundry type & 45 days, but no one would belive AC BHN 22.

[Sundogg1911]

they're close enough for the pistol boolits that I cast. If you do check 'em with a tester, make sure they are the same age to compare. Alloy will continue to harden for several weeks. check one right after pouring (well....you may wanna let it cool down some first ;-) ) then check that same ingot in a month. You'll be amazed. It also works in reverse if you water quench or heat treat. after time they will soften back up. they all eventually end up back at their native hardness.
A buddy of mine was water droppin' bullets to use for the next several years for deer hunting with a 30-30 and they were only harder the first season.

[WHITETAIL]

What I do is make up all of my ingots first. Then some go into my Lyman bottom pour furnace. And I make about 10 boolets to test for hardness. When ever I clead up my lead ( once ayear) They all get stamped with a steel stamper. This way the same batch gets the same number. So after about aweek I check the boolets in a Saeco tester.