Normal? Ask the experts on Cast boolit!

[Mark Daiute]

As well as having my own stash of lead, the guys at the local transfer station save out lead and give it to me. When I smelt it down the ingots it produces are usually nice and shiny and the boolits cast from it are bright and shiny.

A couple of weeks ago I smelted down a 5 gallon pail of wheel weights. The ingots from the wheelweights are a dull gray and the boolits cast from the wheel-weight alloy have a satin sheen to them.

Par for the course? Is this what the rest of you experience or do I have a strange batch of wheelweights? AFAIK casting temps are the same, again, I stress, the ingots are different as well as the boolits.

Do you guys cast straight wheel weights for your rifles or do you mix it 50/50 with lead?

[lwknight]

One possible reason for the dull grey is because of a near zero tin content.
Probably the fact that there is some antimony content may contribute to the satin finish.
I always have a sorta satin cast with 92-2-6 when the molds are fully hot and the 20 to 1 alloys are more bright and shiny.

[sagacious]

Agree with LWKnight's comments/analysis on probable alloy composition. Yes, par for the course. No, not likely a strange batch.

I usually pour straight clip-on ww lead. Works very well. But 50:50 WW:Pb also works well for many applications. Speaking generally, it's hard to go too far wrong with either. Good luck.

[WILCO]

Send it all to me for testing. :kidding:

[Cactus Farmer]

Send me half and you will get the testing done twice as fast. Wilco needs some help in the testing realm and I have the time. :bigsmyl2:

Don't worry about the caliber of your bullets, if I don't have a gun to fit them I'll buy one ASAP. Any excuse to get a new toy!