Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
Latest activity
Classifieds
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Log in
Register
What's New?
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More Options
Advertise with us
Contact Us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
The Range
Ammo & Reloading
Where To Buy Lead In The Tulsa Area
Search titles only
By:
Reply to Thread
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Ahall" data-source="post: 4154965" data-attributes="member: 49426"><p>Check the local scrap yards, they usually have lead and you can buy the types of scrap you want for your application.</p><p></p><p>Plumbing lead, if you can get it, is nearly pure lead, and very soft. Its wonderful for muzzle loading, but cut out the soldered joints, and set them aside if you want it dead soft. </p><p></p><p>Wheel weights contain a fair amount of tin/ antimony and other alloying elements - great for cartridges, but too hard for muzzle loaders.</p><p></p><p>I usually melt scrap into ingots and keep the ingots handy. This gets reduces the volume of stuff I am storing, and removes a lot of the crud from the scrap.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Melting the scrap into ingots</p><p></p><p>1) Water is your enemy - warm it up slowly and boil the water off. Don't just toss random stuff into a pot of molten lead. A drop of water below a clip on a wheel weight will flash to steam below the surface of the molten lead and create a violent explosion, sending molten lead in all directions. </p><p></p><p>2) Fumes - a lot of scrap has other junk with it - tar on roof flashing, caulk on plumbing lead, etc. As the lead melts away that stuff burns and smokes creating a lot of stuff you don't want in your lungs. Work outside and up wind from the heat source.</p><p></p><p>3) Molds - select a mold that creates an ingot which works well in your lead pot. Garage sale minimuffin trays and similar are popular. I use different molds for different types of lead. That lets me keep the wheel weights sorted from plumbers lead. You can also mark it with steel stamps, or write on it with a scribe.</p><p></p><p>4) Melting to pour ingots - Weight is an issue. A large container of molten lead, like a frying pan is a bit unwieldy. Half a cup to a cup is about all the more you want to be dipping and pouring into ingots. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Testing</p><p></p><p>The hardness of a lead alloy is a factor when selecting an application. You can go as far as you want down that rabbit hole. The Bernell scale is usually what is discussed when measuring lead hardness. Hardness tests are a resistance to penetration test. A known indenter is pushed into the sample at known load and a variety of kits are available. Some of the cast bullet reloading guides discuss testing methods and you can spend as much or as little as you want on tools for doing it. </p><p></p><p>If you just want to compare relative hardness of two samples, put a ball bearing between the samples and hit it. The bigger dent is softer. You can make your own reference test block from some commercial round balls cast in the bottom of a small tin can, or just sort your lead and hope its typical.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ahall, post: 4154965, member: 49426"] Check the local scrap yards, they usually have lead and you can buy the types of scrap you want for your application. Plumbing lead, if you can get it, is nearly pure lead, and very soft. Its wonderful for muzzle loading, but cut out the soldered joints, and set them aside if you want it dead soft. Wheel weights contain a fair amount of tin/ antimony and other alloying elements - great for cartridges, but too hard for muzzle loaders. I usually melt scrap into ingots and keep the ingots handy. This gets reduces the volume of stuff I am storing, and removes a lot of the crud from the scrap. Melting the scrap into ingots 1) Water is your enemy - warm it up slowly and boil the water off. Don't just toss random stuff into a pot of molten lead. A drop of water below a clip on a wheel weight will flash to steam below the surface of the molten lead and create a violent explosion, sending molten lead in all directions. 2) Fumes - a lot of scrap has other junk with it - tar on roof flashing, caulk on plumbing lead, etc. As the lead melts away that stuff burns and smokes creating a lot of stuff you don't want in your lungs. Work outside and up wind from the heat source. 3) Molds - select a mold that creates an ingot which works well in your lead pot. Garage sale minimuffin trays and similar are popular. I use different molds for different types of lead. That lets me keep the wheel weights sorted from plumbers lead. You can also mark it with steel stamps, or write on it with a scribe. 4) Melting to pour ingots - Weight is an issue. A large container of molten lead, like a frying pan is a bit unwieldy. Half a cup to a cup is about all the more you want to be dipping and pouring into ingots. Testing The hardness of a lead alloy is a factor when selecting an application. You can go as far as you want down that rabbit hole. The Bernell scale is usually what is discussed when measuring lead hardness. Hardness tests are a resistance to penetration test. A known indenter is pushed into the sample at known load and a variety of kits are available. Some of the cast bullet reloading guides discuss testing methods and you can spend as much or as little as you want on tools for doing it. If you just want to compare relative hardness of two samples, put a ball bearing between the samples and hit it. The bigger dent is softer. You can make your own reference test block from some commercial round balls cast in the bottom of a small tin can, or just sort your lead and hope its typical. [/QUOTE]
Insert Quotes…
Verification
Post Reply
Forums
The Range
Ammo & Reloading
Where To Buy Lead In The Tulsa Area
Search titles only
By:
Top
Bottom
