Mystery metal

[Thumbcocker]

I salvaged some weights off a couple of old race cars. The lead was cast n valve covers and bolted to the frames. Most of the lead behaved just like wheel weight and is now in small ingots. One weight was much harder than the others. It took much longer to set up in my ingot molds and is very shiny. It produced great detail of the corn grains on my corn cob molds. I think I might have 75 pounds or so of babbit metal. Sure is pretty but can not ever begin to scratch t with a thumbnail.

Any thoughts?

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

find the melt temp of your mystery babbit
then measure the hardness.

[RogerDat]

Melt temp for sure. Zinc is hard too but melts at a higher temperature. I hauled 45 pounds of ingots around for three moves before finding out they were zinc. Was almost funny, I thought they were hard printers lead or Babbitt. Pool acid or drain cleaner acid will react with zinc, won't react with lead.

[bangerjim]

A local yard with an x-ray gun sure would solve all your questions! That is what I do.

There at least 35 classes of Babbitt metal alloy. You could have anything in there. And they probably melted anything they thought was "lead" for the mix. Typical of fishing and auto stuff people make. Could even be linotype they found somewhere.

Your guess is as good as ours. Melt temp is a start. Then hardness with a tester.

banger

[Mitch]

in the small town scrap yards they don't have an xrf or anything to check your alloys.this is the reason a usualy do not buy race car weights or any other suspect home made weights.that seem to be very hard alloy.will I miss some lino or mono sure I might but at the same time I am not getting Zinc or something else I don't want.I have seen the guys make race car weights they melt anything they have most of the time ww zinc and all.

[Thumbcocker]

These cars were made pre-zink ww.

[bangerjim]

These cars were made pre-zink ww.

But probably not pre-zinc anodes! Or pot metal. Zn has been around for a loooooong time, has been used in a lot of venues, melts real easy with a torch, and adds cheap weight to cars, boats, and such.

Everything does not revolve around "wheel weights" when it comes to "ballast" castings for cars and boats.

The date of the cars has nothing to do with what those weights could have in them. Only way to know is an x-ray test. You would be wise to send some samples to the people that do the testing on here. Do a search.

[RogerDat]

You can simply and easily eliminate zinc as being present with acid test. Couple of drops and it fizz or no fizz. After that you will know if you have lead (worth getting someone in S&S section to test) or zinc only suitable for swapping with scrap yard for lead, or giving to your really annoying brother-in-law to get him "started" casting. <insert your evil laugh here>

People here will test with XRF equipment in exchange for 1# of lead per sample tested. Can be any lead for that 1# does not have to be a pound of the stuff being tested. If you have 3 or 4 of those big chunks just knock a buckshot sized piece off of each one with a chisel, tape to card and label. send Cards in SFRB along with a pound of WW or other lead per sample. Then you will know exactly what you have in terms of lead alloy. Do make sure you label the source as well as the card so you can match the results up.

[Thumbcocker]

I will secure testing.

[Thumbcocker]

Thanks to the generosity of a list member I now have an analysis:


Pb = 45.8%
Sn = 53.4%
Cu = 0.8%

[farmerjim]

Great deal. 40 lbs of tin will go a loooong way.