Zinc Warning

[JWFilips]

I have been picking ( not mining) my local range berms for years! Just looking for the cast boolits shot. This year I can't believe the amount (about a 30% increase ) in pure zinc slugs in the berms. Actually they are easy to pick out because they usually are not deformed much and show a large amount a strata marking & of course you can't "clip" them with snippers...but for those of us that mine the naked lead! ....beware! It is actually worse then searching for lead wheel weights!

[bangerjim]

Greenies to thank!

[tomme boy]

Can you get a pic of them? I have not seen any here yet. What state you in?

[jsizemore]

Greenies to thank!

There are folks on this site that cast with varying amounts of zinc. I haven't seen any zinc ammo for sale locally, YET.

[JWFilips]

Can you get a pic of them? I have not seen any here yet. What state you in?
Pennsylvania.
I will get a pic tonight when I get home from work. I'm pretty sure these are not commercial cast boolits but can't be certain.
At first I thought someone was just casting with zinc but now I see there are a number of types

[bangerjim]

Our people on here in Comifornia will be forced to Zn casting due to the ban on lead that is coming in the near future. Will happen in many other liberal-run states very shortly.

That is why I am now buying brass molds! Much easier than using Al molds with Zn.

Just in case the loony liberal insanity spreads!

banger

[jsizemore]

I trade my zinc to the cannon guys for lead or cash.

[JWFilips]

OK Here is a photo of some found ( sure to mess up your smelt if not careful)
As you can see they have deep strata cuts, low deformation ( and totally different color value from the lead alloy cast ) and the snip test is exactly like clippin a zinc WW!
Here is a view of 22 cal up to 357 cal ( Maybe it is the same guy?...I hope)

I started picking only cast boolits from the berms to know what I have: now I don't really know so I'm going to have to go thru it all by hand ( I'm not a fan of letting the zinc float up and scoup it off even with a good thermometer during a smelt)
144065

[tomme boy]

You can't cut them at all with a pair of dykes? They look like lino type to me.

[JWFilips]

Can't cut them They are pretty hard….. Cutter only leaves a light mark. Lino …you think? Would make me feel better.
Well I'm going to try a melt test this weekend…will report back

[FISH4BUGS]

Just keep your smelt below 650 degrees. No problems. Zinc melts at 750.

[BIGRED]

or do the acid test...

[sagamore-one]

I've cast and shot a lot of zink boolits and your photo does NOT look like zink boolits, but more like straight lino or foundry alloy. Zink is difficult to bend or deform . Fired zink boolits are undamaged to the point of being almost re usable, at least in my experience.

[Freightman]

The old timers at the range here got like 30 tons of lino when the paper went digital a lot of my range scrap is pure lino.

[JWFilips]

Ok You guys were correct.... Not Zinc: Melt test had them go liquid before WW alloy. Still they are harder then the linotype I have here but I totally forgot about foundry type. The good news is I don't have to pick it out of the cast boolit scrap I have.
Sorry for the false alarm

[mold maker]

At one time zinc washers were used on the heel of cast to reduce or remove leading. I've found quite a few in old berms.
Don't trust temperature to separate zinc from your melt. The pot surface is way above zinc melting point. If zinc is held against the pot, it certainly can melt before all the lead is liquid. The slower/cooler you melt the less likely it will happen. Remember the flame from propane is around 3500* and we're essentially using lead to reduce that temp.

[RogerDat]

Man with guys that are bending over to pick up a WW in a parking to get lead and here you are finding printers lead in the dirt! :kidding: