the question has prolly been asked before but i missed it so i'm asking again... i cast several velveeta boxes full of 150 gr. .357 cal. bullets about 6 yrs ago now..... how long will they go before they turn all funky on me??


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About 2 weeks if you store them with Sly and the Family Stone albums.

Sean

I don't know how long they'll last, it probably depends on what's in them, it seems that lino outlasts pure lead before corrosion sets in. I had some pure lead in a cabinet with a bottle of Muriatic acid (HCl) and they corroded very quickly with the vapor.

If they are lubed with some lubes like FWFL or Emmerts and then stored they and their gas checks will corrode in about a year. I have a feeling that if you tumble them in Lee Liquid Alox they'll last forever - I remember someone saying that LLA is a lot like Cosmoline. If you're concerned you could try that and then lube them in anything you want to later. Stan

If you just want to keep them shiney, dip them in soapy water, and let them dry. The soap makes a coat that stops oxidation.

I never had that problem! I cast with two 4 cavity molds of the same pattern and I've never been able to get far enough a head in my casting that oxidation became an issue.
Jim

You need to shoot more Unless work and home life get's in the way of shooting, my cast bullets don't last more then a few months. I guess I either never have enough time to cast up huge batches, or I don't have the motivation to cast huget batches.

I'd think it would be decades before you'd get signifigant oxidation. I'd think whatever lube they use on 22rf would do the trick, as I'd shot some that were 40-50 years old, and they weren't oxidized.

quote:

Originally posted by 475/480:
About 2 weeks if you store them with Sly and the Family Stone albums.

Sean

thanks for the replies guys........ these were cast out of recovered indoor range lead about 6 yrs ago and they don't seem to be going bad yet... you are right i do need to go shooting more.... i haven't shot my model 27 in several yrs now......i shoot alot of rimfires from my .22 ruger custom...i shoot my rws air rifle several days a week in the basement..........

Like some of the other guys, I can't keep boolits long enough to corrode. However my round balls for muzzle loaders will corrode quickly. I now put them in a box and spray them with an anti corrosion spray like ZIP or Sheath. WD-40 might be OK too. The soapy water sounds good too.

quote:

Originally posted by StanDahl:
If they are lubed with some lubes like FWFL or Emmerts and then stored they and their gas checks will corrode in about a year. Stan

I've just begun using FWFL. Overall, how are its properties regarding corrosion? Will it cause a gun to corrode? Will it affect a lubrisizer if left sitting out in an unheated garage?

All published FWFL versions will not attack iron or steel, and if it does over a period of 50 years, it probably will be only cosmetic in the worst case. If any kind of lube gets eaten by microbs, that lube will turn into a mild acid. Keeping the microbs out of the lube is a key "natural" lube issue and can be done easily by including enough mineral oil, or some other simi-toxic oil, in the mix. However, keep in mind that a mildly acidic lube favors Holy Black applications. In this regard, using peanut oil in lieu of any kind of mineral oil (like paraffin, petro jelly, etc.) is in your favor. There are chemicals like PABA which will kill any microb on contact, and has been included in facial creams for the longest time. However, the EPA won't allow any more cosmetic use of this chemical. Probably traced to skin cancer, et. al., but who knows. ... felix

Felix,
I've just begun using my FWFL that came from the big melt down. I had to run several sticks of Lyman super moly through my lubrisizer first.
I nuked the lube and poured it into the lubrisizer. I was surprised how long it took to melt - probably 5 or 6 one-minute bursts to melt a cup or so. Will be using it in my 44 mag.

how does soapy water keep lead from going bad?? i'm really hating the idea of dipping thousands of bullets into soapy water.........


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I put all my cast bullets in a sealed container and haven't had any problems with oxidation. If left in an unsealed container they will oxidize in a short time. At least this has been my experience.

I make my own Felix lube and have kept boolits for long periods with no corrosion. The stuff seems to protect the lead. Some of the black powder lubes like the crap that comes on store bought bullets will make a mess out of lead. Lube also dries out so it is useless.
If you don't want to spray something on your boolits, vacuum pack them with your food sealer.

Tasco, the soap film creates a layer that air doesn't penetrate, so no oxidation occurs. As far as dipping them, my method is to put them in an old coffee can with the soapy water, pour off the water, and then spread them to dry on some newspaper.

Ya don't do them one at a time, son!...

quote:

Originally posted by tasco 74:
how does soapy water keep lead from going bad?? i'm really hating the idea of dipping thousands of bullets into soapy water.........


THE 2ND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL........

YA.. I KNOW... I HAD DECIDED THAT WOULD BE HOW TO DO IT BUT STILL SEEMS LIKE A HASSEL...........

Tasco, after spending Hous and Hours, how can you say that???

quote:

Originally posted by bfrshooter:
Tasco, after spending Hous and Hours, how can you say that???

Another vore for WD-40. After I lubed/sized my bullets, I put a bunch of them (50-100+) in a clean rag. Spray the bullets with WD-40. Then I pick up the bullet-containing rag (ie ~ 12"+ x 12" + diameter) and gently roll the bullets to coat them. No oxidation. The soap option works too. Try diluted Murphy's oil soap and water explained above, and let dry before loading.

My dad built me a nice set of shallow drawers of pine wood to house my cartridge collection. No problem. Then I decided to finish the drawers inside and out with polyurethane. Huge problem. All the exposed lead in my collector cartridges immediately started heavily corroding. I tried airing out the drawers and then applying a coat of paste was. Still got heavy corrosion. Any wood with a lot of tannic acid in it, such as oak or walnut, will also corrode lead.

So what happens when you shoot a cast boolit with heavy corrosion???

I've shot many with great results.
Also many nasty looking 22s.

Thanks

The oxides are usually only skin deep.