rejuvanate your balls...

[Potassiumchlorate]

In the US the Govt has been trying to get lead banned, there have been several attempts to get home melting/casting banned for health reasons, but that's just the cover story.

 

The real reason (IMO) has to do with bullet casting.

 

New regulations forbid recyclers from selling to the public.

I only know 1 scrap dealer that will still sell to me.

 

I don't know what's the worst. In America you understand what's happening, but you have these laws nevertheless about all but gun-ownership itself (yet). Here most people call me a fool, when I say that gun laws are there so that people should be defenseless against the authorities.

[Algenco]

I don't know what's the worst. In America you understand what's happening, but you have these laws nevertheless about all but gun-ownership itself (yet). Here most people call me a fool, when I say that gun laws are there so that people should be defenseless against the authorities.

 

 

you are correct

 

going directly after gun ownership is a tough battle, chip away at the edges first

[bob]

I don't know what's the worst. In America you understand what's happening, but you have these laws nevertheless about all but gun-ownership itself (yet). Here most people call me a fool, when I say that gun laws are there so that people should be defenseless against the authorities.

you are 100% right

in Canada it's worse (unless your a thief then you get ever thing) it's really bad

bob

[goldwingnut54]

I have this tester, since I am a bullet caster.

 

I am casting up some new media this week for my pyro hobby (and I want to make some high grade BP for muzzleloading as well) and I wonder HOW hard is hard enough? I doubt lead could ever be TOO hard for a ball mill, but it SURE as HECK can be too hard for shooting properly. That is a fact.\

 

So, I've tested some the 58 cal balls I am making this week. They are cast from Water Quenched (or water dropped) Linotype. I measure them after "ripening" 48 hours as being slightly harder than Air Cooled Linotype. I've never tried to heat treat them as I read earlier in this thread. The Linotype balls are also harder than Water Dropped Wheel Weights, even without water dropping them first, but not much. The hardest ones I've measured are harder than 22 Brinell Hardness, perhaps 24 even, but in any case, I can't mark them with a thumbnail, no matter how hard I try.

 

So....hard, harder, hardest.... Is there a point of diminishing returns? Is too hard/brittle a thing to be concerned about?

 

At this point I've never milled my 75/15/10 all in one jar, but I sure as heck am "a fixin' to".

 

Stan.

[Bobosan]

Stan,

 

I've added about 25% lino to regular wheel weights and they do just fine with no appreciable wear on the balls when water quenched. I suppose one could take pure lead and add 75% lino without a problem and it would save on lead usage. Wheel weights getting harder to find....for free, anyways.

[yujh3]

So is there any way of getting lead in the US, aside from getting the stuff shipped? I don't know anyone in my area who sells, and my local junk yard no longer allows people to pick anything up. I used to be able to get some for tin soldiers, but they went out of business a while ago.

[Wolverine]

I might have to consider this soon as my 58 cal Buffalo bullets now more closely resemble .44 shot and are wearing fast

[Bobosan]

Recast and add linotype for milling media.

[Wolverine]

Aren't old print press letter blocks made of linotype? I think I read that somewhere once. I hope so I have a bucket of that kicking around somewhere.

[Wolverine]

Come to think of it, I bet thats where the name comes from hu?
Yup, I feel dumb lol.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Wolverine

[goldwingnut54]

Hehehe.... not dumb, just still figuring stuff out. Aren't we all? It is a definite plus to be unpretentious enough to be amused by ones goofs.

 

There is also monotype, which is individual letters. I've heard it is even harder than linotype, but also that it's the same thing. I can neither confirm nor deny, but adding linotype does make for some great alloy.

 

Typesetting is a neat craft, and a dying one.

[Algenco]

you can also add antimony and heat treat to increase hardess

 

http://www.rotometals.com/Antimony-s/1.htm

[Mumbles]

Al, I just want to point out that adding antimony directly isn't as easy as it might sound. You have to heat the mixture hotter than normal to get it to alloy. I'm not sure if you need to physically melt both the lead and antimony, but it does take a higher temperature than is required just for lead. In a lot of cases alloying lead and linotype will yield a pretty hard alloy. You lose a little bit of hardness compared to straight linotype, but you can stretch it a lot farther. Doing some of the heat treatings and annealing type operations will yield something that lasts for a quite long time.

 

 

http://pnjresources.com/Hardness%20of%20Lead%20Alloys.htm

[Algenco]

Mumbles,

there is a bullet casting supply that solved that problem, they offer lead ingots w/20% antimony, a little easier to work with.

Can't remember the website though, I'll try to find it again

[Mumbles]

You might be thinking of Midway USA. They're at least one of the places that offers this type of product at least. Glad you remembered this, because I sure didn't.

 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/113052/certified-hardening-bullet-casting-alloy-ingot-30-pct-antimony-70-pct-lead-approximately-6-lb-average-weight

[Dodad]

I bought 35 lbs of hard lead media from Steve Young. They are so hard they "clack" when you hit them togrther.

$200.00 shipped. Good to do business with him... Shipped fast too.

Steve Young

"LeadBalls"

leadball@brightdsl.net

[mickyp]

I should point out that wheel weights in the UK are not lead sadly, neither are fishing weights. It's getting harder to get scrap lead here. :0(

I picked up a few quids worth from a local scrap merchant, then drilled a load of 20mm holes in some 20 mm ply, they work fine, they were a bitch to get out tho, i have since read someone using firework tubes which has got to be easier to separate when cool

[mickyp]

what are uk fishing weights made from? All the ones i melted were lead, hard to get the weight/size with other materials.

 

Dan.

Dunno the law changed so you must be using old ones, the fish now report you if you use lead

[dan999ification]

All leads over 1 ounce are still lead, the fishing I do requires 1-4 ounces, most shot however is not lead.

Sea fishing weights will all be lead.

 

There are very few materials the have the density and thus small size needed for stealthy casting without making big splashes, scaring carp.

 

Some carp weights have added antimony to prevent damage to the surface caused by gravel and mussel Beds.

 

Copper pipe makes good moulds for casting media as does ball weight moulds for fishing/catapult ammo

 

Dan.

[Dodad]

50 caliber round bullet mold like that used for black powder rifles works perfect.

 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/751157/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-500-diameter-round-ball

[goldwingnut54]

50 caliber round bullet mold like that used for black powder rifles works perfect.

 

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/751157/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-500-diameter-round-ball

That is what I use, 50's and 58's. I wish I had a 6 hole mold. My 58 is a one holer, and it takes FOREVER to cast enough media for my mills. 50 cal is a 2 cavity.. Not so bad...

 

If you are considering casting your own media, the more cavities in your mold, the more you'll like it.

[marks265]

I like my 75 cal Brown Bess. It looks really good on the wall because I sure hate cleaning the thing. Can't hit nuthin' too far with the 41" smooth bore barrel. Don't really wanna take 'er up to full charge with a brass butt plate either. Casted lots of media with a single gang mold though. Would antimony trisulphide work to harden the lead? Or is that a different animal?

[Bobosan]

That is what I use, 50's and 58's. I wish I had a 6 hole mold. My 58 is a one holer, and it takes FOREVER to cast enough media for my mills. 50 cal is a 2 cavity.. Not so bad...

 

If you are considering casting your own media, the more cavities in your mold, the more you'll like it.

 

Once you get a rythym going, casting goes quickly. I have a single cavity .600 ball mold and can crank out a couple hundred a morning. Most time consuming is cooling down the mold as it gets too hot even with fan cooldown as part of the casting cycle. I need another .600 mold in the process cycle.

[Wolverine]

I just picked up a Lee .495 and a .575, cast 15lbs worth of wheel weights with some of my old soft lead media mixed in and water quenched them. After a few hour long test run in a mill jar I'm quite pleased with the results... it seems to be a much harder and wear resistant media. Thanks guys.

[taiwanluthiers]

I found someone selling both lead and antimony. I asked him how to alloy the antimony and he said just add the antimony to the molten lead, and keep it molten until the antimony dissolves. I don't know if it's as simple as that.