when using scrap lead or wheel weights, how do you get the unknown amount of tin and other metals out so you can start out with a 100% lead base? If you skim the melted lead how do you know when you are down to 100% or so lead?

Basically - you don't. It's extremely difficult to smelt out the alloy and wind up with only pure lead. Most impurities will simply float to the top and skimming those off, then stirring, then skimming, then stirring...........and you'll finally get something that is mostly lead but probably still contains antimony or other impurities. Antimony takes very high temperatures to seperate, temps that would be dangerous in any setting.

Better to start with good lead up front but roofing lead or plumber's lead are nearly pure. Can just be a nightmare to clean.

By the way, if anyone knows of a cheap source or hi purity lead in bulk, please let me know.

You might consider getting a lead hardness tester. Only pure soft lead is to be used for round balls and conicals.

Get a McMaster-Carr catalog. They sell pure lead in 1# and 25# ingots for casting engine bearings...

Just go to a scrap yard and ask for roofing lead. It is pure and should run you about $.12 per lb. derf

quote:

Originally posted by derf:
Just go to a scrap yard and ask for roofing lead. It is pure and should run you about $.12 per lb. derf

That and lead water pipe they put in buildings before they knew better. It's usually very clean and cheap too. I bought about 300lbs of the stuff a few years ago for $35. I used it to cast 45/70 BP rounds. I don't think I'll ever use it up.

Terry

Swede44mag. Wheelweight conicals work extremely well in a muzzleloader. They stabilize at a higher velocity and are considerably tougher than pure lead if you should happen to hit a big bone in an animal.

Wheelweights work fine as round ball when the proper sized ball and the proper thickness of patching material is used.The patch rides the bore not the ball.

Conicals and round balls were alloyed with tin,antimony,and arsenic then heat treated for use on African big game.

WC