Metal flake looking lead

[RedStar Raider]

I was melting a few hundred Alox boolits because they were scraping down to bare lead in places going through the sizer. The lead ingots ended up looking like silver metal flake paint when they harden up. Any ideas of what this is?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

it's crystals

[Yodogsandman]

Antimonial dendrite crystals that form when the lead cools.

[JBinMN]

I was melting a few hundred Alox boolits because they were scraping down to bare lead in places going through the sizer. The lead ingots ended up looking like silver metal flake paint when they harden up. Any ideas of what this is?

I am not sure if I am understanding you correctly with the bold above & this does not address your question about the ingots, but I am curious as to why you would melt down those boolits just because the ALOX was scraped off?

I tumble lube as well as pan lube, but when I tumble lube I use 45/45/10 (JPW/ALOX/Min.Spirits) before I size & then I re-lube after sizing & before seating the boolits. When I have boolits that get lead exposed from sizing, ( which I expect), I know I am going to be re-lubing them before loading & so I do not understand why you would re-melt the boolits you sized down, when they could just be lubed again to cover the exposed lead..??

Do you not re-lube them after sizing & before seating/loading?

I guess I do not understand why you melted them down, instead of re-lubing them again with ALOX.

[lightman]

I've seen the metal flake look on ingots that were cast from hard lead, like type metal. Its just the alloy thats in it.

[Good Cheer]

Imagine a little Twilight Zone music in the background...

218315
Ingot broken while hot.

218317

[RogerDat]

the flake pattern can look like a hot dipped galvanized pail or trash can with the flake size being in part related to the cooling rate which influences the way crystals form on the surface.