Just wondering

[ian45662]

I was just wondering what would happen if zinc got into the alloy what would it do to your bullet and all that good stuff.

[lwknight]

A little bit of zinc will alloy in and will cause the bullets to harden unbelieveably within 2 or 3 weeks. More vinc will just crud up on top of the melt like oatmeal and will not flux back in.

[home in oz]

A little bit of zinc will alloy in and will cause the bullets to harden unbelieveably within 2 or 3 weeks. More vinc will just crud up on top of the melt like oatmeal and will not flux back in.

Wouldnt this be a good thing?

[geargnasher]

Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 3rd edition. Get one. Or if you aren't in a hurry, wait for the fourth edition, the same info on alloys will probably be in there, too.

Gear

[lwknight]

Wouldnt this be a good thing?


I think that zinc is entirely too hard and brittle. Some guys deliberately mix a little zinc in the alloy. One time I mixed some zinc in and remelted it 4 or 5 times till it quit oatmealing up and poured a puddle on the floor.
The thin puddle was soft like pure lead at first then a few days later it would not bend at all. When forced , it just broke like linotype.
I never did try to cast with it though.

[44man]

I got zinc in a batch once and could not get the boolits to fill out. They came out looking like they were galvanized. Seems as if the zinc migrated to the surface.
I took the pot to 600* and skimmed the oatmeal off, casts good after that.
A little does not seem to hurt too much but I would not add the stuff on purpose.

[old turtle]

I accidentally got some zinc in my pot many years ago. The bullets would not fill out and as a result I lost about 10 pounds of alloy. Since then I am very careful.

[home in oz]

My zink wws float to the top of the pot and are promptly plucked out...