First try with zinc

[Slvrbllt40]

Hello everyone. Your message board has been a fantastic help on getting me started in bullet casting. Casted my first batch of lead for 303 last night and had mixed results. After reading through different threads on here, I realized I wasn't doing the whole flux thing properly and re-casted and they came out great. I got bored today and tried my hand at zinc. They sure came out looking neat. The bullets deffinately shrink more than the lead during cool-down.

I thought I would give a quick run through for anyone that's lurking and thinking of doing the same:

For my zinc, well, it's not something that's hard to find, that's for sure. I bought a 10,000 BTU portable burner from Wal-Mart and a bottle of MAP gas from Home Depot. My melt pan is a little cast iron 4x4 skillet. The burner take about 15 minutes to warm up enough to belt the zinc, but once up to temp, can be turned down to about 75% heat. Zinc melted and oatmealed ALOT until (for flux) I threw an unlit match on top of it (match will ignite on it own) and stirred. Evened it right out. I am using a Lee 303 2 bullet cast. The zinc poors super fast once it starts going and fills the mold up almost instantly. It dries almost as fast, so I really didn't have time to fill the second mold. I had to put the pan back on the fire quick and give the sprue a fast knock on the edge of the table to knock the slag clear of the cast. If it has a chance to set, the only way I could move the sprue was to get my torch out melt the zinc off the top. Every other round I would cool the mould a little using a damp cloth. I am paranoid about over heating it. The finished product is an awesome looking, very even round. They come out small though. It's still a press fit into the casing, but not nearly as tight as the lead. On a hard bullet like this though, better to be on the small side than the big side, for sure. For anybody that is going to cast zinc rounds, I deffinately recommend a seperate mould for the zinc, as it will heat up rather drastically with use and hammering on that sprue can't be good for it.

Thanks again to everyone on the message board. I was really confused about the fluxing process before, but I figured it out with this awesome resource. If anyone is interested, I can take some pics and post them later.

[tomme boy]

Have any pics of the zinc ones that you made?

[bangerjim]

Fluxing confusing??????

1 heat lead
2 throw on saw dust
3 stir & skim
4 repeat 2 more times
5 pour into ingots

Not rocket science. Works for all of us.

You will find your zink-ish boolits will be some what off on weights when you go to look up any load data. Zinc weights less than lead. Good luck on that one.

And the filling problems you had are because zinc melts at a much higher temp than our best friend lead. Be careful or you will break your sprue plate! It should open VERY easily with lead and an up-to-temp mold. You should not have to pound on it.

Welcome to the site and have fun casting..............lead.

bangerjim

[bhn22]

PM sent

[2ridgebacks]

At least your in Cali. Your zinc boolits wont get mixed with the lead at my range.

[snuffy]

Let me get this straight, you just started casting, already venturing into exotic metals?

1. You will destroy your mold.
2. Zinc melts @ 787 degrees, aluminum melts @ 1200. See a problem? Overheat the zinc, melt your mold!
3. You'll give up this foolishness as soon as you attempt to shoot those zoolits.
4. Easily bored people take chances to become un bored. Taking chances will either get you hurt or damage your rifle.

Stick with lead. Stop this BEFORE you damage your mold. Yeah, I know they don't cost much, but I respect equipment, want to make it last.

Oh, welcome to the CB forum!

[captaint]

Slvrblt - How can I say this politely ?? I don't think you're going to find a lot of interest from members here regarding casting zinc boolits. I think the vast majority of us are preferring to melt lead. There is one member that actually buys zinc WW's or rather he trades them for lead. I'm guessing he makes cannon balls out of it. I could be wrong, though. Good luck in your endeavors. Mike

[Finarfin]

He did it for educational purposes.

[snuffy]

He did it for educational purposes.

Soooooo Slvrbllt40, did you get any smarter?

[nightal]

Slvrblt - How can I say this politely ?? I don't think you're going to find a lot of interest from members here regarding casting zinc boolits. I think the vast majority of us are preferring to melt lead. There is one member that actually buys zinc WW's or rather he trades them for lead. I'm guessing he makes cannon balls out of it. I could be wrong, though. Good luck in your endeavors. Mike

The member you speak of is Shady Grady, he no longer trades Lead for Zinc, he does offer to trade for other Items, I found out to late, I had two 42lb. boxes of Zinc, to ship to him, last month....

[L Ross]

Slvrbllt40, welcome to the forum. There may come a day when the experiments you are conducting are helpful to us all. I will be waiting to hear the results of your work.

Duke

[jonp]

Idk. I find it interesting and im looking forward to hearing his results if he decides to load them up.
Everyone should relax a little. Knowledge expands horizons

[Finarfin]

Soooooo Slvrbllt40, did you get any smarter?

Just thought I would preempt all the wiseacres who like to point out that defacing currency is a crime, except for certain reasons, such as educational purposes.

[madsenshooter]

Lee molds are cheap enough to be considered disposable, that's a plus.

[roysha]

Wow zinc boolits you learned alot from this forum glad to have you aboard as are the other members who relize how silly this is _READ THE STICKIES_ my unclear friend

Quote Originally Posted by bangerjim View Post

Fluxing confusing??????

1 heat lead
2 throw on saw dust
3 stir & skim
4 repeat 2 more times
5 pour into ingots

Not rocket science. Works for all of us.

bangerjim
Some people will never ever get it



People like you and your smart**ed comments are what drive members away. If you don't like what the OP said, let your fingers do the walking and go to the next post or forum.

[Garyshome]

What does zinc do to the bore? That can't be good!

[clodhopper]

What does zinc do to the bore? That can't be good!

Zinc washers to swage on the bottom of lead bullets have been avalible for decades.
Propenents say the zinc washer scrapes leading brom the bore.

[clodhopper]

I find the experimentation to be of great intrest, and think of fast twist barrels, loooong zoolits impacting steel beyond 1000 yards.
Finding out how to do this at home, with modest investment in tools will be great!

[Tonto]

Terrific experiment and thank you, keep it coming, one day there will be a zinc casting thread category and the nay-sayers can choose their next rant. Who would have thought we would be powder painting cast. Some dangerous dude will (gasp) attempt to powder paint a zinc casting....reminds me of the longbow, recurve , compound, cross bow debates.....iron sights vs scopes, black powder vs smokeless. You get the drift..

[sagamore-one]

I think some people are too quick to judge others. I am also "guilty" of dabbling into the unforgiving world of zink casting. The melt needed to be over 850 degrees and you had to cast at an accelerated rate. But at least I know how to make good boolits... even from zink.
Yes, it does stress the equipment , but my H&G iron monsters shrugged off the abuse that probably would have destroyed an aluminum mould.
Inquiring minds just gotta' know.