Reversing the aging process

MC....a search may find you the articles written by Charlie Dell. In his book he talks a lot about heat treating and /or tempering bullets afterwards. He did some pretty extensive research and testing for his match guns. You may also know someone handy with his book to lend you.'93,

Thanks for the tip but I've run out of searching patience.

My alloy in question is actually a combination of COWW and softer Pb alloys (stick-on WW metal and/or ballast, spent muzzle loader boolits, etc.) which still contains enough Sb to age harden from about BHN 12 just after casting to 16+ in several months. I don't know exactly what they added to clip-on wheel weight metal during the few years before removing them from the CA market (which is pretty much the time frame in which I collected most of my current alloy); however, my straight wheel weight metal heat treats to BHN 30! I remember back in the good old days, one could melt a boolit cast of WW metal in your moma's oven, but I've actually been able to heat treat my COWW at over 500F in my wife's new-fangled convection oven.

I'm just going to bake 'em at 450F tomorrow, test 'em Wednesday evening and report back. My guess is that they'll be right around BHN 13, two days after removing all the age hardening. At least that's what I'm hoping.

MJ

P.S. Come to actually think about it, I bet "they" stopped using any tin whatsoever in order to reduce cost... I'll bet that would increase the COWW melt temp.

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Home made pan lube in process??

You made flux. In reality, an aid to flux. As it burns it reduces oxides back into the melt. Won't remove stuff that needs removing but it will help with oxides.

Boolit Man Join DateMar 2013LocationMichiganPosts89

Well, at least I made something right. Doh

Hey, it happens to all of Us at some point.

I'm not so sure the original poster's lube or subsequent modifications wouldn't work as pan lube. Granted it is a hard lube, but if he does the cookie cutting before the lube is fully cooled, while it is still a bit soft, he might get lubed boolits out of it and he could test if the lube works in loaded rounds. I have a lube of beeswax, crisco and lanolin; if I cookie cut while the cake is still warmish I get a clean, easy cut and I don't get lube sticking to the outside of the cutter nor to the boolit bases. If I wait till cooling is complete lube builds up on the outside of the cutter and sticks to the boolit bases.

Boolit Man Join DateMar 2013LocationMichiganPosts89

I'm not so sure the original poster's lube or subsequent modifications wouldn't work as pan lube. Granted it is a hard lube, but if he does the cookie cutting before the lube is fully cooled, while it is still a bit soft, he might get lubed boolits out of it and he could test if the lube works in loaded rounds. I have a lube of beeswax, crisco and lanolin; if I cookie cut while the cake is still warmish I get a clean, easy cut and I don't get lube sticking to the outside of the cutter nor to the boolit bases. If I wait till cooling is complete lube builds up on the outside of the cutter and sticks to the boolit bases.
Thanks for your post. Where do I get one of these bullet cutters? What are they called?
I'm going shopping tomorrow for some of the ingredients that I need for Ben's Red, and maybe others too.

you can make a cutter yourself from a fired or resized case.
a golf club shaft, or chunk of hollow whatever.
a fired rifle type case with the primer hole drilled out and a nail inserted and a cork or piece of wood on the end of the nail works pretty well.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Do you have any idea of what I can add to it to make it more flexible in order to use as a pan lube? I just don't want to throw it away, ingredients are expensive.i think i would keep adding grease till you get the softess you need. a wire wisk can realy help mix it in. get it hot then turn off the heat and whip it for a bit.

if you have left over red-n-tacky after making Ben's you could try a little of that.

what I hand-load; 45 acp; 223 rem(5.56mm); 22-250 rem; 243 win; 30-30 win; 308 win; 45-70 gov.
on the list to start Loading; 9 mm; 270 win; 30-06 springfield; 222 rem

"You might be a gun nut if you load 45-70 on a progressive press" -HICKOK45<- was he talking about me!?!

---
Si vis pacem, para bellum

Boolit Man Join DateMar 2013LocationMichiganPosts89

I'll try that, but the Red N Tacky is one item I didn't get today. Maybe at NAPA?

I finally found castor oil. Can you believe it comes only in a 4OZ bottle? GrandMa would have fits!!! By the way, its 80 cent cheaper at Walmart.

jim,

do you have a carquest around they should have red-n-tacky. if you really can't find it ask for Red extreme pressure grease. they are the same thing just not as sticky as lucas.

what I hand-load; 45 acp; 223 rem(5.56mm); 22-250 rem; 243 win; 30-30 win; 308 win; 45-70 gov.
on the list to start Loading; 9 mm; 270 win; 30-06 springfield; 222 rem

"You might be a gun nut if you load 45-70 on a progressive press" -HICKOK45<- was he talking about me!?!

---
Si vis pacem, para bellum

Boolit Man Join DateMar 2013LocationMichiganPosts89

jim,

do you have a carquest around they should have red-n-tacky. if you really can't find it ask for Red extreme pressure grease. they are the same thing just not as sticky as lucas.

No carquest around here that I know of, but on an internet search yesterday I found that Advance auto parts carries it, so I'll call them this morning and verify.

Thank you sir. You guys are all amazingly helpful.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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Is LEE starting a new mold making process?

I have heard that LEE is incorporating a "NEW" process for making there molds. Is there any truth to this?

for their 2 cavity's.
they have already done did it.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

for their 2 cavity's.
they have already done did it.I just got one the new 2 cavity molds.
I wish they would have added a set screw to the sprue plate screw, comes loose first use
Heading out to the garage now to D&T it for one.

Anybody have pictures of the new 2cavs? I might buy some if they've been improved.

Where there is a will, there is a won't

You may not post new threadsYou may not post repliesYou may not post attachmentsYou may not edit your postsForum Rules

Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

View the original article here