Aircraft ballast... What is it?
It's very much like lead; soft, shiny when you first cut or scrape it, heavy. Oxidizes to grey but seems to hold its shine longer than lead. Our QA guys tell me it's not lead (they don't know what it is) and it's non-toxic. Comes in inch-thick plates, various shapes. Could it be bismuth? I'm thinking of melting and casting some just to see what happens.
Well Pilgrim, it might be HOT
Aircraft ballast.....Hmmmm. Well, I am an Aircraft Mechanic [and millwright] operating around Houston Texas and when we have to balance the control surfaces on 737s, 727s, etc (flaps, alerons, elevators, etc) we use the Boeing approved material. [Same with MacDonald-Douglas craft] Spent Uranium. Slightly heaver then lead but with aprox same melting point. Usually each piece is coated with white epoxy paint when it is already weighted and for a particular location, but the custom large pieces for aircraft balance (like in the nose or tail cone) come in big slabs, unpainted. It too comes in various shapes like you describe
By the way, lots of spent U235 is also used in sailboat keels because it is heavier. My old boats keel had been cast of lead reactor shield bricks, not spent U but it still had a slightly higher count than regular lead.
But, living in Denver exposes you to a higher anual dose of radiation then the spent U235. A frequent flyer receives a LOT of rads at altitude so your risk is not too high. EXCEPT YOU SHOULD BE EXTRA CAREFULL NOT TO BREATH THE FUMES FROM MOLTEN U !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like Salsa, just watch what you got, ....nuf said
??? to Floodgate or others.
Newbie on this Brd, casted 30 yrs ago when shooting 45 ACP in AK & in the Military. We could only get Hardball ammo & it handicapped our team. So I got all the goodies a started making 185-200 gr SWC. Also made some 38 & 44 Boolits. Back to ??? , I have acquired some NEY alloy for Jewelery making 88% tin ,the rest being lead antimony & Cadmium . The latter being the least in qty. Is the Cad going to be a problem in using small amounts of this alloy as Tin input with lead to aid in mold fill out ??? Any input would be appreciated, TIA. Russ.