Where are people finding lead now? - Page 4

mjyeagle · #61 12-20-2012, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete D.

Basically c. One is that the alloy becomes heat treatable. (Lead/tin alloys are not.) The other effect is to act as hardening agent,
Pete

For a more complete treatment of this topic, see Cast bullet alloys, characteristics of CB alloys, maintenance of CB alloys

Pete I thought arsenic was the heat treating catalyst. Please correct me if I am wrong. I have done I little experimenting with this ( nothing too deep) and the concept seems to hold water. I read this somewhere but can't remember the source.

Skip Sackett · #62 12-21-2012, 01:26 AM

This is from the article link posted: (good read too)

Quote:

[6] Decreasing the antimony percentage much below 4% has a dramatic effect on the time curve of heat treated bullets. In my heat treating experiments alloy with less than the typical 3-4% antimony in wheel weight alloy didn’t result in softer heat treated bullets but rather, bullets that took considerably longer to age harden and reach their final hardness, up to two weeks longer. I found this test fascinating, reduced antimony didn’t reduce the final heat treated BHN but rather increased the age hardening time about 8 fold.

Quote:

Arsenic (As) Melting point, 1,503o F. Arsenic is a catalyst to heat treating Pb/Sb alloys and only a trace is required (¼ to ½ of 1%), adding more than this will do nothing to further harden the alloy. Arsenic in itself does little to harden the alloy; its value is as a catalyst in heat treating (or quenching from the mould) lead/antimony alloys. Arsenic is of coarse very toxic but at the percentage in and temperature of bullet alloys the risk is nearly non-existent. However, the bullet caster should never attempt to alloy elemental arsenic into his alloy (if he could even get it).

One thing I learned again from reading this another time was that tin alloys are hardest at the time of casting and then get softer, while the ones with antimony get harder with time.
Most of my casting is done with pure wheel weights or range scrap from an indoor range or a mixture of them with Linotype (mostly for it's tin content). I have a ton of Mihec MP moulds that have extremely sharp corners and I find that help reduce heat while casting. In an article that I have from Elmer Keith, he said that he considered a hard alloy to be 10:1 lead to tin ratio.

I have found that fit plays the biggest part in getting lead bullets not to lead followed by lube and then to hardness.

Personally, I love to cast. I like to have what I want, when I want, in the profile I want, in the quantity I want. Let the shortages come, I think I will be good to go!

unclepaddy · #63 01-12-2013, 06:10 PM

Found this guy on the Sacramento area Craigslist: RELOADING EQUIPMENT / LEAD BARs

Bowfin · #64 01-14-2013, 06:13 PM

I am reverse engineering an old alchemy formula so I can turn gold into lead...

The best place to look is the backstops where people shoot.

I think wheelweights are drying up, since most are now zinc or steel. Then again, there are enough old timers who have buckets saved for fish sinkers that never were cast.

Most of my lead came from lead sheathed cable at the power company for which I work.

Some finds are once in a lifetime. I traded a cast iron teapot for a door stop that was a 27 pound brick of linotype at the local coffee shop. I told them the coffee pot would serve the same purpose and fit in with the decor.

If you live by a marine or harbor, nose around their for ballast or keels. One find of a sailboat being scrapped out can set you up for life.

The best way is to put out the word far and wide to all friends, relatives, coworkers, and anyone you know. You will be surprised which people might come through for you. I got some rather inexpensive lead from my nephew's girlfriend's grandfather, just because the word was passed along the grapevine.