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Storing lead conical and round bullets

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user 33697

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Hi guys,
I thought that I would share a tip on how I store my lead conical and round bullets to keep them from developing lead oxide. I store my different sized bullets in cheap small plastic containers with a few oxygen absorber packets and a plastic sandwich bag to seal the container lid. Below is a photo of some of my bullets that have been stored over a couple years that are just as shiny as when I first cast them.

1586629424452.png
 
Hi guys,
I thought that I would share a tip on how I store my lead conical and round bullets to keep them from developing lead oxide. I store my different sized bullets in cheap small plastic containers with a few oxygen absorber packets and a plastic sandwich bag to seal the container lid. Below is a photo of some of my bullets that have been stored over a couple years that are just as shiny as when I first cast them.

View attachment 28373

If you had a problem with your balls turning white, oxygen is not the problem. Acid and carbon dioxide is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_lead
 
Roll them in a veg or olive oil or canola oil ect oil oily rag then in storage. Natural and non toxic.
 
Carbon 6 made a good point. It's not that my bullets are turning white due to lead oxide corrosion from acid or carbon dioxide. What I should have said is "to help keep your bullets shiny and not tarnish to a dull gray over time".
 
Carbon 6 made a good point. It's not that my bullets are turning white due to lead oxide corrosion from acid or carbon dioxide. What I should have said is "to help keep your bullets shiny and not tarnish to a dull gray over time".

Even if they turn dull or grey, I don't think oxygen is the root cause.
Touching them might have more to do with it.

Eventually I expect balls to lose their shininess time = exposure to whatever.
I just uncovered some balls laying on my workbench in the shed (outside) that were cast a year and a half ago. They looked fresh made and were only protected by a cloth towel.
 
Heck, 30 minutes after casting my stuff goes blue/purple, some change within minutes.

I would wonder what you are casting, (alloy composition) makes me wonder if there isn't a more reactive metal in the mix..
 
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Electric Lee Pro something 20 pound, only lead that has gone in the pot is what I posted above, cast .535 RB and 415 grain .540 Minie at 720 degs, I use a dipper and not the valve at the bottom of pot. After casting I put a little sawdust and beeswax on top of lead in the pot (don't know why, a guy I used to shoot with did it to his).

I've shot the minie's in a Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken .54 with 11 thou rifling and 1 in 65 twist and they will shoot touching hole groups at 100 yds. I have recovered ball and minie and put back in the pot (from this same batch of lead), I use a bullet proof vest on the berm behind the target to capture them with no dirt.
 
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Electric Lee Pro something 20 pound, only lead that has gone in the pot is what I posted above, cast .535 RB and 415 grain .540 Minie at 720 degs, I use a dipper and not the valve at the bottom of pot. After casting I put a little sawdust and beeswax on top of lead in the pot (don't know why, a guy I used to shoot with did it to his).

I don't use a dipper and I don't use saw dust. Maybe that has something to do with it. :dunno:
 

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