What do I have?

[Trader Vic]

I got some lead scrap this weekend & cast ingots this afternoon. The majority of it was almost pure lead, roof sheating & plumbing drains & traps. But I did have a 6lb bar that was a little bit lighter than lead & it took a higher temp & a longer time to melt. I kept this seperate & marked accordingly. When I droped it on the floor it had kind of a ping to it, not the dull thud & seemed harder than reg lead. Once melted it looked just like regular lead, not a mushy look like zink. The ingots have a click clack sound, real silver looking & kind of slippery & real smooth. I have a thermometer but I didn't use it today. No hardness tester either. I'm real new to this so any info would be a real help. If these are good to use I'll probably mix them with WWs a little at a time, or should I junk them? So Fellows, any thoughts? NRA PATRON LIFE MEMBER

[Pepe Ray]

If it came in a bar, why did you remelt it?
Did you carefully examin the original bar for markings that may have explained what you had?
Based on you description, I would NOT attempt to use it as ANY lead alloy.
Wait for more feedback.
Pepe Ray

[Trader Vic]

The original ingot said Corbon on it, maybe the name of the ingot mold, a company, I have no idea. Why did I remelt it, because I'm not sure of what I have & it was a little too big to fit in my 20lb pot. I'm not attempting to use it until I find out what it is, that's the reason for the question. Trader Vic

[leftiye]

Go back and melt some of it. Use that thermometer, and see if it melts at 450 degrees or 800 degrees. If it melts below 700 degrees it ain't zinc. If you've got any linotype ingots, beat one ingot of the mystery metal against an ingot of linotype to see which seems harder.

[mooman76]

Try moulding some bullets out of it. Keep it seperate. If it casts good it isn't zinc.

[targetshootr]

The roofer who drops off lead pipe and flashings at my house also had some window weights in his truck the last time he was here which he gives to someone else. Even though they felt as heavy as lead, I think he said they were made of something else. They have a hole in one end where the rope attached to.

[hipirn]

All the window weights I've seen (several) were cast iron! Hipirn

[randyrat]

I got some lead scrap this weekend & cast ingots this afternoon. The majority of it was almost pure lead, roof sheating & plumbing drains & traps. But I did have a 6lb bar that was a little bit lighter than lead & it took a higher temp & a longer time to melt. I kept this seperate & marked accordingly. When I droped it on the floor it had kind of a ping to it, not the dull thud & seemed harder than reg lead. Once melted it looked just like regular lead, not a mushy look like zink. The ingots have a click clack sound, real silver looking & kind of slippery & real smooth. I have a thermometer but I didn't use it today. No hardness tester either. I'm real new to this so any info would be a real help. If these are good to use I'll probably mix them with WWs a little at a time, or should I junk them? So Fellows, any thoughts? NRA PATRON LIFE MEMBER
Be cautious with 6 lb ingots...Can you score it easy with a knife,if not its a good chance it's ZINK or some sort of die cast Alloy... If almost pure lead has a thud,WWs have a ding, Zink has a TING and is very hard.. Even Antimony and a tin mix can be scored with a knife but not Zink,at least not very easy.

[randyrat]

I thought of something else a clue you gave;melting temp. If it was Tin or Animony/tin/lead mix it would melt at a lower temp than pure lead and Zink would melt at higher than pure lead something in the range of 700+ degs....
WWs melt between 423slush to 500 liquid (mix of Lead/tin/arsinic/antimony) I forgot what pure lead melts at,but i know its less than Zink by a far shot. I thinks its about 600 something.

[carpetman]

Yes, when window weights were used,they were cast iron. Make good weights for trautlines.

[Typecaster]

All the sash weights I've seen (and rehung) were cast iron. It was cheaper than lead back when double-hung windows were the norm.

Richard

[NVcurmudgeon]

All the sash weights I've seen (and rehung) were cast iron. It was cheaper than lead back when double-hung windows were the norm.

Richard

In the late 1940s my father and I went salmon fishing in the ocean off San Francisco. Salmon trolling was at a fairly fast speed, requiring a 3 lb. lead sinker which was released to drop to the bottom when a fish struck. Lead balls were unobtainable, so most party boat operators supplied half sash weights until the civilian lead market got caught up. I wonder if they are using an iron or other substitute now with the high cost of lead?

[Trader Vic]

Thanks for all the input Guys, I will continue to research this, but until I get a hardness tester some day, it can sit on the shelf. It's only 6lbs so it's not worth creating a monster out of it. From what I've read here, it didn't get mushy the way zink does. It must be some other alloy, needed the higher temp & took too long to melt compared to my lead. Thanks again. Trader Vic

[Wayne Smith]

Trader, cast a boolit from that and one from a known alloy or pure from the same mold and post the weights. The difference in weight can be illuminating.

[runfiverun]

it coulda been silver solder.

[warf73]

Thanks for all the input Guys, I will continue to research this, but until I get a hardness tester some day, it can sit on the shelf. It's only 6lbs so it's not worth creating a monster out of it. From what I've read here, it didn't get mushy the way zink does. It must be some other alloy, needed the higher temp & took too long to melt compared to my lead. Thanks again. Trader Vic


Trader Vic, if you want I'll test an ingot if you want to send it to me. Hell I can test one of each for you if you like. Up to you the offer is out there, drop me a PM if you want it/them tested I'll give ya my addy.

Warf