Mixing alloys

  • 4.2K Views
  • Last Post 28 February 2009
Lone Wolf posted this 05 February 2009

I,m new to the bullet casting, But the lyman book says to make number 2

alloy, you take 9 pounds of wheel wheights and one pound of 50/50

solder. Thats 50 tin 50 lead. Can I use 95/5? Thats 95 tin 5 antimony.

Will it make a harder bullet and the wheel wheights already have lead

in them.  

Attached Files

Order By: Standard | Newest | Votes
JetMech posted this 05 February 2009

It will work but is a waste of the expensive tin. For #2 alloy, you need 5% tin, so that would be 1/2 lb tin to 9.5lb WW, about 1/2 of what you propose. For most of my shooting, which is rifle at 1300 - 1800fps and handgun up to 1200fps, I only add 2-3% tin. That's plenty hard for most applications. If you need harder bullets, drop them in water right from the mold and hardness will almost double.

What bullets are you casting and how fast do you want to push them?

Oh, by the way, welcome to the group, Lone Wolf. Casting is an art and the best way to learn is to jump right in. Keep it simple, take good notes and it won't be long before you're hooked. You've already got a great start by reading the Lyman Cast Bullet handbook. Too many guys don't bother to buy or read it.

Attached Files

Lone Wolf posted this 06 February 2009

Thank you dollar bill

I will mix 1/2 pound 95/5 with 9-1/2 pounds wheel wheights

 and drop them in water. I,m going to try to cast for 357mag 160 gr.

44mag 245 gr. 45 acp 225 gr. The usual 50 cal and 54 cal round ball

for the muzzel loader that will be plain lead. Butt the one I would like

to get is the 30 cal. I would like to get my 30-06 shooting 200 gr. lead

for deer hunting. And I also would like to get my 308 to shoot the 200gr.

bullet.  I shoot competition with the 308 out to 600 yards. I,m currently

using the seirra 175 matchkings and pushing them around 2600fps,

with varget powder. I,m not sure what I will be pushing the 200gr lead

at. Any ideas on how fast I can push this? I,l be using a gas check.

I don,t want leading in the barrel if I can help it.

Attached Files

CB posted this 06 February 2009

In both the 30-06 and 308 you should be able to get by with 30grs of Varget or 28.5grs of 4895 with a 200gr cb.  I've shot both loads without any leading. They're about 1,900fps.  Non-leading load not only accounts from the alloy, but also how good a fit you have with the cb in the throat, how good a lube you have, and the condition of the barrel. At 1,900fps things are still fairly forgiving. It is different though when 2,000+ starts, you just have to try it and see..............Dan

Attached Files

Campchair posted this 26 February 2009

Hi, I'm new to the forum but I look forward to many good times with fellow lead shooters. My experience with cast bullets is very long but woefully thin. I bought many molds when I was younger, but working life prevented me from fully enjoying them or learning much about the finer points of casting and accuracy. Hope that will change in a short time as I am nearing retirement so I can (maybe) finally start enjoying my “toys". Anyway, I have several questions: A few years ago I was given about 300 Lbs of assorted wheel weights. I have no idea about their composition (Zinc? Lead/tin? Who knows??) Anyway, I only had time to melt them down in bulk, throw several pea-sized pieces of beeswax on top to flu the mix, and skim the steel clamps off. I then poured them up into a cast-iron “corn-stick” pan, and when cool, threw them into several 5 Gal plastic buckets. They have been in storage for about 5 years now, and I;m getting ready to use them. The first question is: I don't know if I got all the assorted road dirt out of the mix. Should I remelt and skim some more? How do you seperate sand out of the alloy? Or, does it naturally rise to the top? #2: How do I need to test the combined alloy to see what else I need to add. I have access to a lab-type Brinell tester. What if I have zinc in the mix?. Can it be seperated out? Does it need to be extracted? I shoot: .45 Long Colt (Ruger SA- deer hunting) a .30-06, 7.5X55 Swiss, .38/.357, a .375H&HMag., and soon will have a .45-70. I'd like to develop good, accurate Cast loads for them. I have about 15 various molds I picked up over the years that wil accomodate these calibers, so I can experiment a lot. But first, I need to make sure there is no abrasive particles in my alloy, and get it all consistent.  Any suggestions?

Campchair

Attached Files

CB posted this 26 February 2009

One of the best things about wheel weights is that you can heat treat to increase the hardness.

If you have just plain ww, then it may be a good idea to remelt the batch and maybe add about 2 to 5% tin to aid in pourability.

You skim the sand and other assorted junk out of your mix. You may need to let it set and stir and flux a couple of time to get it to where it is nice and clean.

Then you can make it back into ingots and get to the business of making some bullets to try.

Jeff

Attached Files

canalupo posted this 26 February 2009

Lone Wolf and Camp Chair

Lead is one of the heaviest and lowest melting point metals out there. Almost everything “floats” on melted lead. The grit and sand as well as zinc and steel will come to the top if you stir it. If a WW floats it is probably no good for the alloy. 

Zinc melts if you leave it in high heat long. It also will show white/blue smoke and a white powder if it starts to burn. The smoke will make you sick as a dog if you breathe it. So keep some milk around if you start to get sick in the stomach (old welders trick).

Good Luck

Bob D

Attached Files

454PB posted this 26 February 2009

When you melted the wheelweights and cast your ingots, you got 98% of any dirt, sand, and grit out in the form of dross. Rather than remelt to add tin, why not do it as needed? Flux well after adding the tin (if you need it) and start casting.

If there was any zinc in the wheelweights, it's too late to repair it. You will know if you have a zinc contaminated melt.

Realistically, alloying zinc wheelweights into lead alloy wheelweights takes some effort. Zinc melts at 787 degrees, which is more than 200 degrees higher than the temperature at which the typical 96/3.5/1/2 (Pb/Sb/Sn) percent wheelweight alloy melts.

Attached Files

Campchair posted this 27 February 2009

Thanks fellows, I'll “do all the above". Look forward to reading the Forum as time goes on. Join the NRA, Campchair

Attached Files

Campchair posted this 27 February 2009

Thanks for the advice, but how will I know if the zinc has contaminated the melt? Can it be seperated back out?  

Campchair

Attached Files

RicinYakima posted this 27 February 2009

Zinc contaminated alloy will not fill out the edges of the mould, regardless of what tricks you try. No, it is disolved and you can not separate it out again. HTH, Ric

Attached Files

barney posted this 28 February 2009

I did manage to salvage a 20 lb. pot full of mix one time that got polluted with zinc. When I realized what happened, I shut the pot down and let it cool to just below melting point. I turned the heat control up 1/2 a point and waited for the mix to melt. It took two more tries of bringing the heat up slow to get it right, but the mix finally melted. The zinc surfaced and I skimmed it clean. I cranked the heat up, cast a dozen or so experimentals and checked the hardness the next day. I had only gained a value of 1 on the BHN scale.

Attached Files

Campchair posted this 28 February 2009

Thanks all,

 

I'll melt some down and see what happens. Q: Does anyone here shoot .58 Minies? I have a Parker-Hale Enfield I need to get back in action soon. Also, has anyone ever experimented with the British-type cartridges? They are loaded with the paper wrapper still around the bullet, unlike the US .58 projectiles, which were loaded bare. them, according to the old British Ordnance Manuals I have been able to copy. Confederate Minies (some, at least) were made the same way. The bullets have no rings around them.

Attached Files

Close