Have you tried SNOW hardening?

[georgerkahn]

I got the idea of using Mother Nature's winter gift of lots of snow for the noble and glorious purposes of dropping fresh cast boolits on to; to my way of thinking the snow would provide cushioning to allow boolits to land without any deformation while at the same time hardening them. However, I had "technical" challenges ranging from my moulds not closing all the way (bad handles) to it just being too cold for me in my unheated shed with man-door open. Thanks to a great fellow here on CB site, I have an appropriate set of handles coming, and I hope there'll still be plenty of snow for my attempting replication.

However, I thought I'd raise the question to my fellow casters: Have you tried using snow as a medium to drop your boolits in?

I am curious re level of success (&/or, of course, failure)?

Thanks, and best!
geo

[BCB]

The hot boolit probably would just burn a hole down through the snow and good contact with the cooling agent (water) probably wouldn't happen well...

When dropped in water, the boolit is continually surrounded...

But who knows...

I still prefer my semi-heated garage and a 5-gallon bucket of water with a towel in the bottom...

Good-luck...BCB

[jaysouth]

I will try it next year when we have our blizzard here in middle TN. I would have tried it this year but our annual blizzard only dumped about .2 of an inch of snow. Maybe we will get more next year. Filling a five gallon bucket with ice cubes and then barely covering the ice with water gives a nice 33 degree slurry for several hours.

[bangerjim]

Remember 1" of water (rain) makes up to 8" of snow........a lot of AIR in there. Not good enough continuous contact time to accomplish any water hardening at all.

Stick to water.....and cool it down with that snow!

banger

[HNSB]

I just came in from my back shop where I was attempting to melt a turkey roaster full of snow with a propane torch (long story...).

I am certain that a bullet dropped in reasonably deep snow would be supported enough until it cools. The snow becomes more dense as it melts, but takes an incredibly long time to actually become liquid.
If the snow is not deep enough, I suppose it could be a problem.
The bigger problem is going to be digging the boolits out when you're done.
Also, there is a risk of dropping a soft boolit onto a hardened one.

[btroj]

Ice water works.

[willk]

What's Snow?

In Louisiana we just have to make do with water. With my very limited experience with the white stuff (our son's truck had just a bit of nearly melted snow when he arrived from Wichita this past week) I would think that snow shoveled and packed in a bucket would work better

[prsman23]

What's Snow?

He had a terrible song in the 90's. Called informer. A licky boom boom down.

[woody1]

Ice water works.

Here's what I did. Five gallon bucket about 1/3 full of water. Pack in snow until you've got about 2/3's bucket full of watery slush. Cast and drop to your heart's content. Worked for me. 'Course it was prob'ly 33 degrees in the shop too. Regards, Woody

[MT Gianni]

Cast when it is below 20 F and drop into slush. The results are similar to oven quenching.

[Garyshome]

Don't have any of that around where I live. And that's on purpose.

[nhrifle]

Never quenched boolits with it, but it sure cools my ingot moulds nicely!

[altheating]

Warm house & 5 gallon pail of water = good water quenched boolits.
Northern NY winter and snow to quench boolits = frostbite fingers

For you southerners who want to try the snow quenching thing. I'll send you a five gallon pail of snow for $5.00 plus shipping. Get your orders in early, a cold spell is coming so the snow will be extra cold. $2.00 more for the really cold stuff.

[waco]

Ice water works.

Gotta go with Brad on this one......