Hi guys I am just begining casting my own bullets and have a few questions. Can coper from bullet jackets be alloyed with lead? What flux should I use? Do I have to clean metal before melting or will impurities just float to the top where they are easily removed? Thanks in advance for any help I may get.

You may have some copper in your lead alloy, but not from the bullet jackets. I don't know the exact temp. for melting copper but I do know that it's a whole lot more then lead alloy.
Some lead alloys, babbit metal, has some copper in it.
Fluxing your lead melt helps clean the crud out and encourages the tin and the antimony back into the melt. This is my understanding, but may be overly simplistic.
There is a school of bullet casting that will tell you that fluxing is a tradition rather then a necessity.
Personally I like the fluxing, with the smoke and fire seems to make the whole event more mystical, like the wearing of feathers and shaking my rattle before the casting begins.
Jim

Thanks for the info.

AOWM, you do not want copper in your alloy in any quanity as it will cause it to be unusable. Even in small quantities from a source such as a copper babbit it will cause a pour not to fill out properly. That said, if you can get some copper babbit and get it diluted enough to get a good pour, it makes excellent boolits. I'm currently working on a batch made with copper babbit that is giving outstanding results in 30-06. As far as getting it to mix in from say a bullet jacket, I doubt you can get enough heat on it at home to do that. Besides, by the time you reach that temperature you'll have other problems like lead fumes. The tell tall sign that too much copper is in the mix is sheeting when pouring and pour fillout in the mould. sundog

Sun Dog
If I may contradict you here. I've got what I call 'red' babbit, that makes a wonderful but light compared to wheel weights, 375 bullet. I assume that the red cast to the bullet is caused by copper. I'm not a metalurgist so my asuumption could be completely off base.
I used the 'red' babbit straight, undiluted, in the Saeco and RCBS 375 molds with near perfect and uniform results.
Jim

quote:

Originally posted by arkypete:
Sun Dog
If I may contradict you here. I've got what I call 'red' babbit, that makes a wonderful but light compared to wheel weights, 375 bullet. I assume that the red cast to the bullet is caused by copper. I'm not a metalurgist so my asuumption could be completely off base.
I used the 'red' babbit straight, undiluted, in the Saeco and RCBS 375 molds with near perfect and uniform results.
Jim

Your right on the mark

copper jackets should not melt into mix in a home pot. Other unseen copper can be removed for the mix by heating to 500 degrees and skimming the surface. i use a store bought flux. Scrap metal should be melted in a scrap melting pot first and skimmed impurities off top. Then make ingots for use in your casting pot. Note that sand will not come to the surface.

Arky, you have what is called tin based babbit. The exquisite boolits made from it indicates the copper percentage left in the melt is just about correct for your purpose. The red is copper oxide which has come to the top, diluting the mix of this element. This is good for your situation. What is bad for your operation is that you are using 100 percent tin, for all practical purposes. It would be better on your pocket book to use this babbit as a normal WW modifier.

Sundog is using lead based babbit, and we are doing our best not to let the copper escape via oxidation. No, we don't cast boolits from it, but use it for mix modification only. Our babbit has much more copper in it than any tin based babbit would have.

Felix
Thanks for the heads up on that alloy of babbit.
That alloy is sort of neat, rings like a bell when I hit with a hammer. Another neat attribute is that alloy penetrates like crazy. Like blow a hole through 1/4 inch cold rolled steel at 100 yards!
I'll use that alloy as if it was pure tin and see what happens.
Agin thanks.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by 243winxb:
copper jackets should not melt into mix in a home pot. Other unseen copper can be removed for the mix by heating to 500 degrees and skimming the surface. i use a store bought flux. Scrap metal should be melted in a scrap melting pot first and skimmed impurities off top. Then make ingots for use in your casting pot. Note that sand will not come to the surface.

Does sand sink to the bottom? How do you get it out of the mix?

AOWM, no. Sand will rise to the surface, as will almost everything else. Stir and flux to get the junk out. Skim, and do it again. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom as sometimes stuff will stick and need a little help to let go. sundog

quote:

Originally posted by AOWM:

quote:

Originally posted by 243winxb:
copper jackets should not melt into mix in a home pot. Other unseen copper can be removed for the mix by heating to 500 degrees and skimming the surface. i use a store bought flux. Scrap metal should be melted in a scrap melting pot first and skimmed impurities off top. Then make ingots for use in your casting pot. Note that sand will not come to the surface.

Does sand sink to the bottom? How do you get it out of the mix?

The melt is in a scrap lead pot. Not my bottom pour spout casting pot. When making ingots i use a ladle to take the lead out of scrap lead pot to pour the ingots. When done sand is left on bottom.

quote:

Originally posted by sundog:
AOWM, no. Sand will rise to the surface, as will almost everything else. Stir and flux to get the junk out. Skim, and do it again. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom as sometimes stuff will stick and need a little help to let go. sundog

"almost" what will not come to the surface, maybe what i am seeing is not sand?

Correct! Lots of crap sinks, even in lead. Like Sundog says, alway scrape the bottom and sides of a pot. Some folks, who are purists for sure, will drain a pot everytime after use. While the pot is hot (not boiling hot), especially a bottomm pour one, will add in a solution of sodium: carbonate, or hydroxide, or phosphate. TSP in the grocery store is tri-sodium-phosphate, and is a very good cleaner. It is corrosive, so wash down the pot good with plain water when done cleaning. ... felix

quote:

Originally posted by MartinPotts:


Your right on the mark

Are you the moderator at www.worldshooter.com (aka www.carmelosworld.com)?