water dropping

[skimmerhead]

i casted a few hundred boolts with ww + 2% tin and water dropped them. now i want to recast them and was wondering if i recast them and air cool, will they retain there bhn from water dropping, or return to there original bhn? iv'e never thought about till now and thought i'd ask. i know it might sound like a stupid question, and maybe it is, but i know there alot of guys on this forum that know alot more about pb chemistry than i do. the only thing i know for sure is when its liquid, it burns!!

skimmerhead:groner:

[RobS]

Re-casting them will take them back to the aircooled BHN properties (12 ish BHN). Be careful not to dump them into a melted pot of alloy because there can be water trapped in the boolit's base where the sprue is cut and once under the molten alloy the water could explode and give you a heck of mess. Don't ask me how I know!!! Before I start the pot I pour them in and as the pot warms up the heat will evaporate any water trapped eliminating the possibility of the tinsel fairy.

[dragonrider]

Rob S said
"because there can be water trapped in the boolit's base where the sprue is cut and once under the molten alloy the water could explode and give you a heck of mess."

Pay attention to that and preheat the boolits or start from a cold pot. BTDT

[Defcon-One]

Water dropping modifies the grain structure, making the lead alloy harder. Melting undoes that change!

Any time that you melt heat treated antimonial lead alloy, it will be like starting over with new lead. Cast it back into bullets and it will act the same as before. Water drop for hardness. Air cool if that level of hardness is not required for your purpose.

The faster it cools, the harder that it will likely be, within the limits of the alloy.

[skimmerhead]

Re-casting them will take them back to the aircooled BHN properties (12 ish BHN). Be careful not to dump them into a melted pot of alloy because there can be water trapped in the boolit's base where the sprue is cut and once under the molten alloy the water could explode and give you a heck of mess. Don't ask me how I know!!! Before I start the pot I pour them in and as the pot warms up the heat will evaporate any water trapped eliminating the possibility of the tinsel fairy.

last year i was casting when a small drop of sweat fell and hit the edge of the pot and some of it flew in the pot! scared the **** out of me! i was lucky enough to backstroke in time to miss most of it. when its liquid, it burns!!! leason learned! thanks for the info on the bhn. i was gonna melt them and cast a few and wait a week to test the bhn again, now you saved me all that time and trouble. thank you.

skimmerhead:arrow::p

[skimmerhead]

thanks for all the reply's, you guys are the best!

skimmerhead:smile:

[Bob Krack]

Danny,
I believe the real experts here will tell you that the quenching hardness is because of the change from molten (or nearby) to 300 F. If ya melt them again, new ballgame.

Water dripping into the molten metal is not fun but the real excitement begins when water becomes trapped beneath the surface of the water. If ya ever really wanna dance -

I lost my phone and do not have your number anymore, shoot it to me in a PM?

Bob