Lead and zinc

johnwilliamson062 · January 21, 2009, 10:31 AM

SO I want to get some bullet casting supplies. I already bought a melter, and some forms. Now I need lead and zinc. Wheel weights were suggested, but I have contacted several local places and no one sells them. I guess I need a little zinc also.
found a website:
http://www.rotometals.com/Lead-Ingot...FQazsgodmVLBmw

How are those prices?
Also does ayone know of a commercially produces home system for manufacturing shot? I have read up on how to make one and I am considering it, but it looks a little crazy. If anyone has made one I would love to hear about it.

snuffy · January 21, 2009, 11:51 AM

Why in the world would you WANT zinc? What you want is to AVOID zinc. Zinc is bad news for boolit casting alloy. It gums up an alloy so it won't cast good boolits at ALL! Some wheelweights are now made out of zinc, so you have to watch out so as to NOT melt them in with the good lead ones.

as for your link to roto metals, that's pure lead. It's just fine IF you're making muzzle loading boolits, but way too soft for handgun. On that website, here's what you would want to make good handgun boolits.

http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/...ulletmetal.htm

As for a shot maker. do a search for "littleton", I don't know if that's spelled correctly, but they make a shot maker.

rwilson452 · January 21, 2009, 11:54 AM

Lead is alloyed with tin and antimony for bullet making. Zinc is a no no.

johnwilliamson062 · January 21, 2009, 12:15 PM

shoot, I didn't even see those were Lyman Ingots. Sounds good. How are the prices though?
Fell foolish about the Zinc mistake. Just trying to stock up what I can while I can. Sort of buying blind here.

F. Guffey · January 21, 2009, 01:35 PM

John, I knew what you trying to say, zinc is a 1/10,000 bad mix, that would be 1 ounce of zinc could ruin 10,000 ounces of lead for casting, this does not mean the mix can not be used for bullets, it just means a person would have better luck if they were using a bullet swage, or a hydraulic press, or a trip hammer to form bullets. Zinc compromises surface tension of lead, with zinc, lead does not flow and fill a mold, neither does pure lead, tin is used to reduces surface tension (among other things like reducing the melt temperature).

F. Guffey

Jimlakeside · January 21, 2009, 02:01 PM

John,

Check with local recycle shops to see if they will sell you wheel weights. For most applications ww by them self (without tin) will be just fine. You can harden your bullets by dropping them out of your mould into cold water. You can find tin in solder, you don't need much maybe 1 or 2% is all.

You can buy wheel weights made into ingots on ebay for about a $1.00/lb plus shipping. They are ready to drop into your pot. Also lots of people on line sell lead. Here is a website that is dedicated exclusively to cast bullet making. There is a wealth of info there.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Good luck in your casting, it's a lot of fun.

Jim

snuffy · January 22, 2009, 01:01 AM

John, those prices at roto metal are horrible! You can do a lot better at midway. DOH! No you can't! I went and looked, they're around 3$ a pound!!!!

Like Jim said, check a scrap yard/recycler to see if they have any lead. Tire shops are the best place to find wheelweights. The chain stores won't give/sell any, they trade them in for new ones, or sell them to battery companies. Let people you trust know you're looking for lead. That's how I ended up with over a half ton of good soft lead from work.

Shoney · January 22, 2009, 03:20 AM

Hey! Nothing wrong with pure zink bullets!!!!

I worked my way thru college working a graveyard shift in a zink plant and going to school days.

On my breaks, I would go into the room where the molten zink was being poured into ingots, and cast zink bullets with regular Lyman molds. They were from a DC mold for 115 gr 32-20

I used them in my 06 rifles as light plinking loads. They shot very good groups at 100 yards with 17 grains of AL-8 (now called Blue Dot). Shot a lot of gophers with that load.

johnwilliamson062 · January 22, 2009, 09:54 AM

Well I called around a few scrap places and they were not interested. I ordered some from rotomolds to get started(this way I can learn to cast then learn to make alloys instead of trying to figure out which one i did wrong). I insure a few auto shops, maybe between all of them I can come up with a decent supply of lead.

Thanks for that site Jim. I think I will spend a few months reading it...

totalloser · January 24, 2009, 12:34 AM

Hmmm, there appears to be some confusion with the zinc thing... Zinc BAAAD! Tin, antimony, linotype etc GOOOOD! I think there may be some humor in a previous post, but not sure...

The reason zinc is sooo bad is that it DRAMATICALLY increases the surface tension of metal it is alloyed with. This makes it ball up and REFUSE to fill a mold. Kinda like water on wax paper. Like F. Guffey said, it takes VERY little to ruin your day. Once in, it won't come out.

Unless pure zinc CAN be cast...???

As to shot, I'd be tempted to just dribble it into oil or water to make light shot. FAR FAR away from your melting pot! A little water in the pot will go BOOM and sear your hide! But I've never cast shot. Just seems like it would be that simple.

January 21, 2009, 10:31 AM	#1
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	Lead and zinc SO I want to get some bullet casting supplies. I already bought a melter, and some forms. Now I need lead and zinc. Wheel weights were suggested, but I have contacted several local places and no one sells them. I guess I need a little zinc also. found a website: http://www.rotometals.com/Lead-Ingot...FQazsgodmVLBmw How are those prices? Also does ayone know of a commercially produces home system for manufacturing shot? I have read up on how to make one and I am considering it, but it looks a little crazy. If anyone has made one I would love to hear about it.

January 21, 2009, 11:51 AM	#2
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	Why in the world would you WANT zinc? What you want is to AVOID zinc. Zinc is bad news for boolit casting alloy. It gums up an alloy so it won't cast good boolits at ALL! Some wheelweights are now made out of zinc, so you have to watch out so as to NOT melt them in with the good lead ones. as for your link to roto metals, that's pure lead. It's just fine IF you're making muzzle loading boolits, but way too soft for handgun. On that website, here's what you would want to make good handgun boolits. http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/...ulletmetal.htm As for a shot maker. do a search for "littleton", I don't know if that's spelled correctly, but they make a shot maker. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

January 21, 2009, 11:54 AM	#3
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	Lead is alloyed with tin and antimony for bullet making. Zinc is a no no. __________________ USNRET '61-'81

January 22, 2009, 01:01 AM	#7
snuffy Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2001 Location: Oshkosh wi. Posts: 3,055	John, those prices at roto metal are horrible! You can do a lot better at midway. DOH! No you can't! I went and looked, they're around 3$ a pound!!!! Like Jim said, check a scrap yard/recycler to see if they have any lead. Tire shops are the best place to find wheelweights. The chain stores won't give/sell any, they trade them in for new ones, or sell them to battery companies. Let people you trust know you're looking for lead. That's how I ended up with over a half ton of good soft lead from work. __________________ The more people I meet, the more I love my dog They're going to get their butts kicked over there this election. How come people can't spell and use words correctly?

January 22, 2009, 03:20 AM	#8
Shoney Senior Member Join Date: February 21, 2002 Location: Transplanted from Montana Posts: 2,311	Hey! Nothing wrong with pure zink bullets!!!! I worked my way thru college working a graveyard shift in a zink plant and going to school days. On my breaks, I would go into the room where the molten zink was being poured into ingots, and cast zink bullets with regular Lyman molds. They were from a DC mold for 115 gr 32-20 I used them in my 06 rifles as light plinking loads. They shot very good groups at 100 yards with 17 grains of AL-8 (now called Blue Dot). Shot a lot of gophers with that load. __________________ I pledge allegiance to the Flag - - -, and to the Republic for which it stands….Our Forefathers were brilliant for giving us a Republic, not a democracy! Do you know the difference??? and WHY?http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissue...les.asp?id=111

January 21, 2009, 12:15 PM	#4
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	shoot, I didn't even see those were Lyman Ingots. Sounds good. How are the prices though? Fell foolish about the Zinc mistake. Just trying to stock up what I can while I can. Sort of buying blind here.

January 21, 2009, 01:35 PM	#5
F. Guffey Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Posts: 7,249	John, I knew what you trying to say, zinc is a 1/10,000 bad mix, that would be 1 ounce of zinc could ruin 10,000 ounces of lead for casting, this does not mean the mix can not be used for bullets, it just means a person would have better luck if they were using a bullet swage, or a hydraulic press, or a trip hammer to form bullets. Zinc compromises surface tension of lead, with zinc, lead does not flow and fill a mold, neither does pure lead, tin is used to reduces surface tension (among other things like reducing the melt temperature). F. Guffey

January 21, 2009, 02:01 PM	#6
Jimlakeside Member Join Date: May 13, 2008 Location: Pottsboro, Texas Posts: 33	John, Check with local recycle shops to see if they will sell you wheel weights. For most applications ww by them self (without tin) will be just fine. You can harden your bullets by dropping them out of your mould into cold water. You can find tin in solder, you don't need much maybe 1 or 2% is all. You can buy wheel weights made into ingots on ebay for about a $1.00/lb plus shipping. They are ready to drop into your pot. Also lots of people on line sell lead. Here is a website that is dedicated exclusively to cast bullet making. There is a wealth of info there. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8 Good luck in your casting, it's a lot of fun. Jim

January 22, 2009, 09:54 AM	#9
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	Well I called around a few scrap places and they were not interested. I ordered some from rotomolds to get started(this way I can learn to cast then learn to make alloys instead of trying to figure out which one i did wrong). I insure a few auto shops, maybe between all of them I can come up with a decent supply of lead. Thanks for that site Jim. I think I will spend a few months reading it... Last edited by johnwilliamson062; January 22, 2009 at 10:04 AM.

January 24, 2009, 12:34 AM	#10
totalloser Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2007 Location: Fort Bragg, CA Posts: 679	Hmmm, there appears to be some confusion with the zinc thing... Zinc BAAAD! Tin, antimony, linotype etc GOOOOD! I think there may be some humor in a previous post, but not sure... The reason zinc is sooo bad is that it DRAMATICALLY increases the surface tension of metal it is alloyed with. This makes it ball up and REFUSE to fill a mold. Kinda like water on wax paper. Like F. Guffey said, it takes VERY little to ruin your day. Once in, it won't come out. Unless pure zinc CAN be cast...??? As to shot, I'd be tempted to just dribble it into oil or water to make light shot. FAR FAR away from your melting pot! A little water in the pot will go BOOM and sear your hide! But I've never cast shot. Just seems like it would be that simple. __________________ You only truly believe in freedom if you believe in the freedom of those you disagree.

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