Mystery alloy

[jakec]

I got some what is supposed to be hard lead from my buddy. It looked like galvanized to me but magnet wont stick and it scratched like lead. It was in long (30-40 ft) strips like this wadded up on a trailer. Its an inch and a half wide and 1/16 th in thick. It melted kinda wierd too. Its a lot harder than coww and a lot lighter. The boolits in the pic are from the same lee 230 rn mold. The shiny one is the alloy in question and the green one is hi tec coated coww. I hit them both with a 3 lb hammer with the as close to the same force as i can do. The lead one smashed good the other barely at all. I got it from a scrapyard and the guy ssid it was "hard" lead. Any ideas?

[Sweetpea]

Any idea what temperature it melted at?

Zinc boolits maybe?

[jakec]

It melted between 700 and 750. Not exactly sure. When i melted it down it had a blue/gold tint to it. It didnt have much of a slushy stage either. It seemed to go from solid to liquid fast.

[jsizemore]

You can eliminate them as zinc by putting a drop or 2 of hydrocloric or muratic acid on them. If it bubbles it's zinc.

I used to use long 3-6" wide zinc strips to trim cloth wallpaper. Trimming with a razorblade on just about anything else was a wavy seam.

[jakec]

ok ill try that if i can find my jug of acid. thanks

[jakec]

Its zinc. Any use for zinc?

[sqlbullet]

There is a guy around here somewhere that casts with zinc...But for most of us, nope.

[lwknight]

Any of the hard leads that I ever knew of would melt between 450-560.
By that , anything that needs more than 610 degrees to melt is not a lead alloy.

[454PB]

Zinc melts at 787 degrees.

The "zinc guy" is Shady Grady.

[sbeatty1983]

How much does that bullet weigh as compared to one from the same mold of a known alloy?

[jakec]

it weighs exactly 2/3 of the same boolit made of half coww and half pure.

[lt250r_86]

Lol, actually muratic acid is basically plant food. Can be found at your local Walmart.

[bangerjim]

Lol, actually muratic acid is basically plant food. Can be found at your local Walmart.

Muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) is DEFINITELY NOT plant food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is one of the most reactive acids YOU can buy as a private individual. Sulphuric (battery acid) H2SO4 is the other one.

VERY DANGEROUS. VERY CORROSIVE. Very high hydrogen ion activity. It fumes yellow gasses and will "knock you out" if you are not careful. Chlorine outgassing.

HCL is the chemical formula and is a VERY strong acid. Used extensively by pool owners to lower the pH of their pools. You get it at Home Depot or Lowe's in areas that DO have swimming pools. Every home in AZ has one! I have 3 gallons of the stuff.

You pour that on your plants and they are DEAD.......DEAD.....DEAD.

bangerjim

[lwknight]

Muratic acid is puny compared to full powered acid. Even the diluted puny stuff is pretty bad still.

[jsizemore]

Most of the muriatic acid I dealt with for pool maintenance was a solution of either 5-10% Hydrochloric Acid.

[lt250r_86]

Muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) is DEFINITELY NOT plant food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is one of the most reactive acids YOU can buy as a private individual. Sulphuric (battery acid) H2SO4 is the other one.

VERY DANGEROUS. VERY CORROSIVE. Very high hydrogen ion activity. It fumes yellow gasses and will "knock you out" if you are not careful. Chlorine outgassing.

HCL is the chemical formula and is a VERY strong acid. Used extensively by pool owners to lower the pH of their pools. You get it at Home Depot or Lowe's in areas that DO have swimming pools. Every home in AZ has one! I have 3 gallons of the stuff.

You pour that on your plants and they are DEAD.......DEAD.....DEAD.

bangerjim

I stand corrected, thanks. I was thinking Miracid aka miracle-gro. Thanks for correcting me.