zinc in ingots

[RED BEAR]

when checking for zinc with muriatic acid do you have to look close for fizzing or would it be readly apparent? tried checking my ingots with acid and couldnt see anything but i lost my glasses and only have cheap reading glasses until new ones arrive .

[bangerjim]

I use a 20x microscope to see the teeny reaction of a really smaller % of Zn. If it is that small, forget about it and just use the alloy. 1-5% Zn will not change much of anything. You boolits will be ever so slightly lighter and you will probably have to add a bit more Sn to fight the surface tension increase, But do NOT be afraid of a little Zn. I have to laugh when some gun on here posts..."Oh NO! I got one zinker in a 100# pot of lead....now I need to throw it out!"

You need to go to a local dollar store and buy a bunch of readers. I have a pair in ever room! And 2 in each of my shops with side shields.

banger

[runfiverun]

I got cheaters all over the place and still lose them and find another pair somewhere else.

I don't get all wrapped up about 1-2% zinc in an alloy either.
I just throw a little tin in the pot and turn up the heat some more.
if it is giving me any grief I pour a spoonful of sulpher into the pot and stir and stir and scoop from bottom to top and stir some more then I turn the heat down to about 700 and skim the gunk off.

[WRideout]

Last time I smelted WW, I used the propane torch to top heat the pot. I think I got a couple of Zinc WW in there, because I dropped an ingot on the floor, and it rang like a bell. I've been mixing it 50/50 with range scrap, and it seems to work fine for pistol boolits.

Wayne

[bangerjim]

Last time I smelted WW, I used the propane torch to top heat the pot. I think I got a couple of Zinc WW in there, because I dropped an ingot on the floor, and it rang like a bell. I've been mixing it 50/50 with range scrap, and it seems to work fine for pistol boolits.

Wayne

a couple of zinkers will NOT make your ingots "ring like a bell". You've got harder lead. Range scrap can be all over the map and you may even have pure lino and hard lead in there - depending on what the people are shooting. Olde-tymers still love shooting pure lino! Com-cast boolits are many times 18 or so.

[lightman]

To answer your question, it bubbles pretty good. Its not hard to see. Lead will just turn darker grey in the area around the drop of acid. I use a glass eye dropper.

[WRideout]

a couple of zinkers will NOT make your ingots "ring like a bell". You've got harder lead. Range scrap can be all over the map and you may even have pure lino and hard lead in there - depending on what the people are shooting. Olde-tymers still love shooting pure lino! Com-cast boolits are many times 18 or so.

Thanks, Jim. In the past, COWW had always been pretty predictable for me. I know stick-ons were almost always very soft; looked like pure Pb. I'll just keep using my "mystery metal" and maybe dilute it even more, if it's that hard.

Wayne

[RED BEAR]

thanks for the eye dropper info i just poured a good amount on the ingots in question