help with unknown lead!

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  • Last Post 10 February 2012
1kshooter posted this 05 August 2011

I have about 50-60 lbs or ??? lead that I got from a scrap yard for .60/lb and I was wondering if anyone knew what the heck it is? it is real hard and does not melt well at all ...I hit it with a propane torch and ...nothing! any help would be great!

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1kshooter posted this 05 August 2011

ok I looked up Antimony and ...yup thats what it is 100% now the question is how do I use it? should I me trying to melt small chunks into my lead batches for higher BHN? and what would the best way to do this be? Thanks for all the help friens!

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gunarea posted this 06 August 2011

Hey Jonathan

   You have casting gold. Since a good hard alloy will contain around four to five percent, what you have will harden up over a half ton of soft lead. Search around here to bone up on antimony usage and formulas for particular application. The product in the form described, takes a high heat to get into solution.  For a more efficient use in a smelting operation, it will need to be reduced to nearly granular form.  What I have found to work is a hoof rasp. The coarse side of the rasp will cut the metal and clog less. A stiff wire brush will dislodge most if not all filings. If you have the space and can get away with it, a sheet does a good job at containing then collecting the fines. Clean hardwood sawdust will flux well and seems to do better than the commercial fluxes I have tried.

   At sixty cents a pound, you really have stumbled onto a great deal. While I may be a bit jealous, I am also happy for a fellow caster to have hit a rainbow end.           Woo hoo for you!

                                                                                                                     Roy    

Shoot often, Shoot well

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Duane Mellenbruch posted this 06 August 2011

You will also need to pay attention to the safety issues if you are going to be working with granulated antimony.  At least be aware of them in handling this material.

http://www.usantimony.com/msds_metal.htm>http://www.usantimony.com/msdsmetal.htm

Duane

 

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Dale53 posted this 06 August 2011

Bill Ferguson has the information you require. He has always been happy to help me when I had a question. He also sells proper flux for antimony:

http://www.theantimonyman.com/

Give him a call.

Dale53

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parkerhale1200 posted this 05 February 2012

Interesting, but how can you tell it is antimony and not zinc? If the photo shows antimony then i was a fool a few years ago, trust me a big fool. :doooah:

How can i find out what the diverinses are between those two metals.

I had a 500 pounds of some sort of misprinted medals.

when i bend them 1 or 2 times they would break, when struck with a hammer it dended.

When dropped to concrete it give a high “ting"

Its melting good in the woodstove. Parkerhale.

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runfiverun posted this 06 February 2012

zinc melts at 787* farenheit. it will also fizz and bubble if you put muratic acid on it. muratic acid is found in many liquid bathroom cleaners.. antimony melts at airc @ 1200*f. what you might have is pewter but it is usually marked with some type of stamp. if it's high in tin and you bend it it will creak and crackle.

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parkerhale1200 posted this 06 February 2012

Thanks for the replies,

i did some testing this morning, with sulfuric acid.(37%)

One sample is positief zinc (read ink on the foto), the other one is the unkown.

The zinc bubbeld a little

 

 

The other foto was a sample that was bend one time, and snapt at a angel of 45 dergrees.

 

For a test i take a “testing"pan with some disformd bullets and a sample on the gascooker

first i did the sample in the pan and waited for 5 minuts, than i added some bullets, sorry there where no boolits so i meld them.

the bullets melded very quickley, then the sample melted likewise, it appeard that the two metals, would become a alloy but they didnt, even not fluxing with parrafin wax 2 times.There was a type of dross on top of it

 

Then i put the testing pan in the woodstove, for more heat, with the same results

When i throw a sample in the woodstove,whitout sitting in a pan or can.

it does melt.

And sorry i dont have a lead themometer, so its all geussing about the temps.

I hope that those experiments where a kind of a help, and i hope my foto's are coming on the site, if not i did something wrong

C Ya and many thanks

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runfiverun posted this 06 February 2012

squeeze that black stuff against the side of the pot you'll see silver coming out of it. then throw it away or save it and melt it again if it feels heavy.

you need muratic acid to test for zinc.

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codarnall posted this 07 February 2012

May be Kirksite, I was bitten hard. Aluminum and Zinc. Burned that is. Charlie

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parkerhale1200 posted this 09 February 2012

I think also Kirksite it melting ?behevour? is the same as those die cast cars.

I wonder what is muratic acid? i could not find it, maybe i over lookt.

The silver is that suppost to be zinc?

But it is fun playing with those metals, could they make good bullets, if i start to melt that mistery metal and add some lead in it until it doesnt want any more?

If i put a pan of lead on the furnus, can i blend that stuff in, or is the metal to “strange” for a lead alloy

Thanks all, best regards parkerhale

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runfiverun posted this 09 February 2012

look at bathroom cleaners. some of them use muratic acid especially the toilet/porcelain ones. the rounded wavy one you have doesn't look like zink. it could be kirksite or calcite. i wouldn't put either in a lead alloy unless it was “just to see". you'll end up cutting the alloy down to where they are under 1/2% to get useable stuff.

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parkerhale1200 posted this 10 February 2012

Thanks river According to mohs scale its not calcite I can not scrats it with a copper coin or cut it with a knive, i can only scrats it with a knife. If i may ask again(-: (cos i like it, much),do you have another thought, or someone else?

With a smile on my face best regards parkerhale

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