Aging: in regards to hardness

[fatelvis]

Are the effects of aging easily predictable on boolit hardness? I know the composition of the alloy is one of the determining factors, as is water dropping, are there any others? If there is a chart available, please share it with me, as Ive tried many times to get the alloy calculator to work, but my computer doesnt want any part of it! Lol. Thanks guys!

[MT Chambers]

Re: Aging and hardness.........things get less hard as you age.

[Yodogsandman]

I wait 3 weeks for air cooled boolits to age harden before shooting. That's plenty of time for the hardness to stabilize.

I wait 5 days to shoot water dropped or oven heat treated and quenched boolits.

Alloy is a factor but, this works for me most of the time. The less antimony, the more time needed for age hardening.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Chart ?
I've never seen one...I think there are too many variables.

I asked questions about hardness, shortly after I started casting, I got answers the varied more than I wanted. So I bought a hardness tester. I've tested a lot of different alloys. some I know what's in there, some I 'think' I know what's in there, some I have no clue, but the hardness measured gave me a guide of how to use it.

If I were to post precisely what has happened to different alloys aged, that I've tested. I'd be typing all night.

Basically, a ternary alloy like AC COWW will age harden over 2 to 3 months (1, 2 maybe 3 points), if there is a trace of copper will harden some more (another point or so)til 6 to 8 months. Some say it will age soften after that...and some say they have witnessed that their boolits are still the same hardness 5 years or more later.

I don't WD, so I haven't tested any WD boolits.

I have heat treated boolits to around 24 (NOE 245-75-FN). They got to 24 in less than 3 weeks...in fact they got to near 24 in just a day. They are about 2 years old now, In fact I just loaded some of those in the last couple months for a test, and haven't shot those yet, but I did test them the day I loaded them, they were still 24.

[S.B.]

I've shot bullets cast years before I shoot them without any adverse side effects(IE: leading)? I always water drop them.
Steve

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I can't give you anymore of a precise answer than anyone else (so far) has been able to do. I water drop my bullets, and they are harder than air cooled. They do seem to soften some after about 2 years, but are still very useable. I acquired several 5 gal. buckets of wheel weights years ago and am still using them with nothing else mixed in.