What is this stuff (with pics)

[pearcetopher]

Hi guys,

Ive been casting with a new 9mm mold and the bullets are coming out very shiny. Because of this shinyness I have noticed that about 50% of my boolits have some sort of grey collection of material that looks porous (looks like little pores with dark stuff in the center, acne perhaps?). I am not sure what this stuff is but I am using a bottom pour pot with lots of WW lead in it so I dont think its rocks or sand. Do I need to worry about this stuff scratching my bore or am I being paranoid?
90026

[Hickory]

You need to flux more.

[Recluse]

You need to flux more.

Agree. You've got debris in your alloy and it looks like it is either sticking to the cavities randomly, or you maybe some debris in the cavities themselves. I flux numerous times during the smelting process so that I rarely, if ever, have to flux during the casting process.

Also, I would not worry about nor strive overly hard for "shiny" boolits. "Shininess" is basically a result of temperature (alloy or mold) levels and/or tin content. Strive for clean alloy that is at a consistent temperature when you cast (thermometer will help with that) and that more than anything will help you get consistent boolits.

:coffee:

[Shiloh]

You have good fillout. Take the advice of the above posts. Shiny boolits usually mean for me, that the mold isn't up to temp.

Shiloh

[44man]

I always find stuff in the bottom of the pot when I change alloy. Never figured out why it doesn't float.
Even stirring with a stick or using sawdust will not bring it all up. Looks like black dust.

[Larry Gibson]

Hi guys,

Ive been casting with a new 9mm mold and the bullets are coming out very shiny. Because of this shinyness I have noticed that about 50% of my boolits have some sort of grey collection of material that looks porous (looks like little pores with dark stuff in the center, acne perhaps?). I am not sure what this stuff is but I am using a bottom pour pot with lots of WW lead in it so I dont think its rocks or sand. Do I need to worry about this stuff scratching my bore or am I being paranoid?
90026

What you have is "lots of WW lead in " with lots of antimony in it with no tin. The antimony is not in solution with the lead (needs tin for that) and hardens separately from the lead. Add 2% tin to the WWs and the problem will go away and the alloy will be better.

Larry Gibson

[Wayne Smith]

Listen to Larry, he knows what he is talking about. Add in a little tin.

[landers]

I had the same problem with a large for me order of foundry 20-1 alloy. I finally had to send it back and find a new source as I could never get rid of those soft inclusions. I now order samples from new sources before I order any large quantities. I still have some left just sitting around so it will be interesting to see what works.

Landers

[243winxb]

The bullet in the photo looks like the alloy/mould needs more heat?
Looks like black dust. The 40 lb pot i melt scrap in has a gray materal in the bottom that no flux will bring to the top. I always though it may be sand from the indoor range sand pit?? When making ingots, i use a ladle so the dust does not get transfered to my casting pot. Dust stays on the bottom of the scrap pot.

[HeavyMetal]

Add Tin call it a day, dust is Antimony falling out of the alloy. it needs Tin as a "binder".

Buy a roll of solder and adjust as needed, AKA 2% should work just fine and thats 2% of what you have in the pot per pound of alloy.

I add Tin when I am smelting WW metal down into ingots, easier to flux "large" amounts of alloy, alloy is much more consistant when done in a large batch and you don't contaminate the casting pot with junk.

[Ford SD]

Hi guys,

Ive been casting with a new 9mm mold and the bullets are coming out very shiny. Because of this shinyness I have noticed that about 50% of my boolits have some sort of grey collection of material that looks porous (looks like little pores with dark stuff in the center, acne perhaps?). I am not sure what this stuff is but I am using a bottom pour pot with lots of WW lead in it so I dont think its rocks or sand. Do I need to worry about this stuff scratching my bore or am I being paranoid?
90026

I also have had that problem --so I fluxed more and skimed off the top (that goes in to my remelt bucket for the next ww melt)

I will have to try the add more tin the next time

[pearcetopher]

Is this batch safe to shoot

[44man]

Is this batch safe to shoot
Yes.
That dust is strange stuff, even if I clean the pot and use 20 to 1 pure and tin, it will still be there when I again dump the pot.
Antimony will float and I get it without antimony.

[Larry Gibson]

Is this batch safe to shoot

Yes, you may get some antimonal wash though. It cleans out with a normal cleaning.

Larry Gibson

[pearcetopher]

ok I bought a pound of this stuff but it was 26$!
it's 95/5 tin/antimony
when you say 2% you mean 2% tin per pound of melt?

so If I'm pouring 10 lbs of bullets I will need 3 ounces of this sauder?

[Foto Joe]

Basically it's 3.2 ounces of the 95/5 to ten pounds (160 ounces) of alloy. I just started adding tin a couple of days ago, not because of any problems but because I wanted to try it because I'm lube sizing 158gr tumble lube boolits for my wifes 38 and I wanted the best fill out that I could get.

By the way, if you paid $26 for a pound of 95/5 you did better than I did a couple days ago. I got whacked $19.99 for an 8 ounce roll at Ace, I'll be looking for another source here in town today.

[pearcetopher]

if im getting great fill out with sharp edges and just a bit of dark stuff in my bullets need I really waste the money on tin?

[bhn22]

Any inclusion causes balance issues with your bullets. I know Mike Venturino seems to shoot his cast bullets in handguns regardless of appearance or quality. He's much more meticulous about his BPCR bullets though.

BTW, whatever did happen to Mike? He hasn't visited up for a couple of years.

[detox]

BTW, whatever did happen to Mike? He hasn't visited up for a couple of years.

He has matured

[detox]

Hi guys,

Ive been casting with a new 9mm mold and the bullets are coming out very shiny. Because of this shinyness I have noticed that about 50% of my boolits have some sort of grey collection of material that looks porous (looks like little pores with dark stuff in the center, acne perhaps?). I am not sure what this stuff is but I am using a bottom pour pot with lots of WW lead in it so I dont think its rocks or sand. Do I need to worry about this stuff scratching my bore or am I being paranoid?


Try using a ladle. Some alloys and moulds just cast better using a ladle. Make sure NO sprue plate lube enters cavity.

[prs]

Strange, I do not get that grey stuff on the bottom of my pots. Could it be because I do flux with carbon based "stuff" as well as wax/oil and that I do have a balance of tin and antimony in my alloy, and that I do not scrape the pot bottom while hot with a wooden scraper -- always use a steel putty blade.

Tin is expensive and I am probably on the light side of 2% total; I try to use only that amount needed to cast well for target/plinking boolits.

prs

[leftiye]

It's called inclusions. It is crud. It is in your lead. It can be about poor fluxing during smelting. A bottom pour can get this stuff in the pot, and you won't be able to get it out. I had problems with it for twenty years until I got a GOOD flux. I got some stuff called Buck Beaver's Flux off of eVil bAy. Generally, carbon (I like charcoal) fluxes are very good, but this kinda stuff carbon won't touch. **** in your lead added to your pot will build up if you don't flux during smelting with a decent flux. Also, some lead sources can be contaminated.

I also cover my melt in my bottom pour with crushed charcoal, and put a tin plate over that to keep oxygen off of my lead. I throw sprues, and refill bars in another small cast iron pot also covered, and refill my main pot from that after fluxing it. The lead flows right through the charcoal.