Vacuum packing basically pure lead balls

[Brokenbear]

Well my relatively new game is black powder Colt revolvers in .31, .36 and .44 and casting as near as possible pure lead balls ..
I could of course add a pinch of tin to deter the lead getting the white curse but I had an epiphany that if vacuum packing works for "stuff" that air quickly degrades ..how would vacuum packing work for lead balls ??
As a sidebar ..The ball ram on Colts are a very weak mechanical device that needs to swage the ball during insertion for a perfect fit in the chamber so very soft, very round lead ball very very slightly larger than the chamber mouths is a really good thing
Also is it possible that no air availability will keep the lead once cast from "relaxing" (slightly enlarging after casting?)
Has anyone done it??
Does anyone see any risk of using a basic food packager if nitrile gloves are used to load the bag not touching the outsides of the bag and then another clean pair of gloves to handle and seal the bags??

Probably a dumb idea but I had to ask!
Bear

[Stopsign32v]

I made pure lead balls probably a year or more ago and just have them in a ziploc bag. Look just as shiny as when I cast them.

[jim147]

Unless you are going to leave them in the yard or save them for a few centuries I think you might be wasting your time.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I tumble my balls in powdered graphite.

[bruce381]

just a plan baggie with the air squized out seems fine.

[Winger Ed.]

Avoiding contact with air/Oxygen or stopping air circulation is the object of the game.

Whatever bit of air-- if any, is in the container it will give up its Oxygen to make Lead Oxide.
Once all the Oxygen is 'used up', the oxidation, also called the tarnishing process stops.

Also, once any metal tarnishes, (or rusts) it sort of makes its own barrier.
The barrier isn't real effective, but as it gets thicker and thicker, as new Lead (or any other metal) Oxide
molecules form, and the 'new' tarnish builds up slower and slower.

The same thing can happen with metal and water.
Water will give up its Oxygen sort of like the air does.

[Bigslug]

If you're talking LONG term storage, can't hurt to prevent oxidation. You could prequel that step by tumble lubing them first as kind of a belt & suspenders approach.

You could also put them out in the sun on a hot, dry day in a GI ammo can with a good seal. Close the lid when it's nice and toasty and let them cool - you'll basically be vacuum-packed at that point.

[358429]

I suppose if you powder coated them, you could save them in the yard for a couple centuries and they could still be blue.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210829/4abcae4c321c12943c74d691415af038.jpg

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[William Yanda]

A coating of graphite or floor wax would prevent air contact, a less complex solution than vacuum packing to my mind.

[OldBearHair]

Maybe even Hi Tec Old Gold. Thin after three coats and no oxidation in the air or water. None on the fingers or whatever.

[Sasquatch-1]

I would just keep them they way they are. If they start oxidizing recast them.

Although the best bet is take a couple pounds of powder to the range and shoot 'em up as fast as possible. Nobody wants spoiled lead laying around.:veryconfu

[BJK]

I was thinking coating them would be the solution.

[fa38]

If you tumble them long enough the sprue will sort of disappear. Then put them in a plastic container and put some lee liquid alox on them

[waksupi]

If you don't want them to oxidize, mix up some dish soap and water, soak the balls and let them dry.

[45workhorse]

A less than 1 second shot of WD40 in the bag or what ever container you are storing them in. Mix it around and they are good!
My opinion and $2.00 will get you a cup of coffee someplace!

[mdi]

A coating of graphite or floor wax would prevent air contact, a less complex solution than vacuum packing to my mind.

My thoughts exactly. I have, not very often though, tumbled my cast bullets for a short time, not long enough to ding the bullets and a lot of media to a few bullets in corn cob media plus Turtle wax. Kept bullets tarnish free for a few years. The topic of nitrile gloves had been discussed many times here, but I rely on soap (dawn) and water after handling lead. Blood tests show low heavy metal content after 50 years of shooting, 40 years of reloading, and 30 years of casting bullets (plus casting sinkers since I was 14) low/safe...

If you want to vaccuum seal your cast balls, go ahead. Nobody is going to insult you for doing what you want to do with your components. It's your time, your components and your money, so enjoy it!

[rcslotcar]

Hornady "one shot"!

[Jack Stanley]

That LEE tumble lube stuff sounds about right , but dish soap sounds cheaper .... or is it WD-40??????

Anyway lots of good ideas .

Jack

[Mk42gunner]

...If you want to vaccuum seal your cast balls, go ahead. Nobody is going to insult you for doing what you want to do with your components. It's your time, your components and your money, so enjoy it!

I personally think it would be a waste of time and money; but it is your time and money, not mine.

I cast several hundred .380 balls of pure-ish lead last fall. They have sat in my unheated and uncooled wash house since. They still look shiny and new. All I did was pour them into a peanut jar and screw the lid on. Lots of air in there with the balls.

Robert

[Four-Sixty]

I've found the best coating for my balls is KY Jelly

It helps them slide into the bore with ease.

[Sasquatch-1]

I've found the best coating for my balls is KY Jelly

It helps them slide into the bore with ease.

Should this be in Purple???:shock:

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Back before my casting days, I'd buy Speer round balls, they had some sort of wax coating.
Floor wax would probably be easiest, JPW should do the trick... BUT, if you are cheap, like me, Maybe just heat the balls and heat an old candle and melt a few drips onto the heated balls, in some sort of container and tumble them.

The nice thing with some sort of wax coating is, there is less likely any lead residue will get on your fingers while handling them.

[megasupermagnum]

I tumble my balls in powdered graphite.

This is the time proven method. It works as good today as it ever did.

[GregLaROCHE]

A thin coat of boolit lube will keep them from oxidizing too.

[greenjoytj]

This thread spurred me on to check on the balls I cast about 5 years ago.
A small lot of 48 balls I keep in plastic 35mm film canisters, 12 balls to in each canister.
I had heavily smeared “ Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish” on all 48 balls, let it dry.
I had not buffed or polished the wax prior to packing them into the film canisters.
The balls are still the grey colour they were when I waxed them no sign of white powder corrosion.
Good luck finding film canisters these days.

The bulk of that batch I placed in a heavy freezer type Zip-Loc bag. These balls look the same grey colour and no white powder corrosion.

I have a small MTM Case-Gard bully storage box for some bullets that I cast in the summer of 2017 and lubed in January 2018 with my homemade Emmerts Improved. Lube the bullet noses look dull grey and a bit sparkly, the sized shanks all still mirror shinny but the lube has dried and feels tacky. They were cast from mystery metal so the sparkly almost purple colour my be an issue with the mystery alloy used.


Currently I am storing my cast bullets in plastic 1.1 litre size “Starfrit Lock&Lock Krystal” food storage containers all 4 sides have tabs that lock down and are air tight and are strong enough to stack up several high.

[Brokenbear]

All great thoughts and ideas gentlemen ..I'm leaning to some type of air deprivation because I will cast in the fall (outside) several thousand balls in 3 calibers ..then as winter sets in I will use the balls to roll my supply of paper cartridges ..so I need my nitrated paper/adhesive to stick to the lead ..once rolled.. I dip them in warmed 75/25 bees wax and olive oil ..
That dip incidentally is of course ball first and I dip deep enough down the paper to the imaginary line the bottom of the bullet would scribe ..so that gives me a "grease ring" below the ball that won't be sheared off at the time the ram seats the complete cartridge in the cylinder chamber
I have witnessed no migration of the lube outside of the dip line ..I cannot tell you about long term storage life of the completed dipped cartridges because they only stay alive about 6 or 7 months before they are down range and gone
I use 777 3F and home made primers (double wall pop cans n cap gun "Dots" [3ea] ) and clean up is eazy peazy
I already have a vacuum pak machine so I think I will do half and half on each caliber with 50% ziplock bags and 50% vac pak ..we'll just see which one (if either) shows proud.

Thanks
BEAR

[Walks]

I keep My balls and Maxi's in pipe tobacco tins, never tarnished yet. Got a little Macco bin in a back corner from casting 2+ years ago. It's half full of .323cal balls, no tarnish yet.
Don't plain on powder coating any. But I may PC Maxi-Balls to differentiate between .50cal & .54cal .

[oley55]

some Johnson & Johnson One Step no buff floor wax (blue cap) aught to seal them up nicely. But only if you bought some before they stopped making the stuff, as it is currently only available on evilbay for $55-89 a can.

[Sasquatch-1]

A small lot of 48 balls I keep in plastic 35mm film canisters, 12 balls to in each canister.

Good luck finding film canisters these days.



Ask around on this site. I am sure there is NO shortage of prescription bottles available. Should work similar to film canisters.

[William Yanda]

"Good luck finding film canisters these days."

I think the current replacement is diabetic test supply containers.

[Brokenbear]

Man the KY jelly lubing ball post... I must have been brain dead when I first read this ..re-read it this morning and about spilled my coffee!

Bear