How to prevent white lead oxide formation

[Greenjoytj]

I have a hand made ball bag that will cause lead balls stored in it for a few months to develop a coating of white lead oxide.
What could be applied to the balls to prevent this oxidization.
I was thinking of BC stock wax, Ballistol, BC Baricade, Lee liquid alox......any recomendations?

 

[MSW]

by way of 'dumb question,' is the oxide necessarily bad? the ball is patched, so the oxide will not transfer to the bore.

am i missing something? (play nice: remember, i am a chemical illiterate - don't read the table of elements or any of that stuff)

 

[Many Klatch]

I was shooting in a match the other day and some of the ball were shiny and some were oxidized. Both seemed to shoot the same.

I guess that your ball bag has a lot of acid in it. I wonder how long the leather will last. I normally can keep lead ball for years before they turn white.

Many Klatch

 

[necchi]

Some tooling leathers do indeed have some tanning salts left in the leather. It seems no matter how much it's rinsed and washed it doesn't come out and readily picks up ambient moisture.

I had to learn that lesson with a stainless steel blade left in the garage over the winter season in a sheath I made, it came out rusted.

The only suggestion I have is don't leave ball in the bag for extended periods, :idunno:

 

[Rifleman1776]

While it is possible something in the leather is affecting the balls, mostly they oxidize with time.
Prevention is easy, just squirt with WD-40 when you first get, or cast, them.
The oxidation will not affect shooting. But, as a precaution for your health it is not a good idea to handle much of the oxidation. Do wash your hands after handling any lead product. Oxidized or not.

 

[ohio ramrod]

As earlier said the only problwm with oxidied balls is the lead oxide comes off easily and is not good to eat or drink. Any light oiling or waxing will reduce oxidising.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Not good for you; though I have read the Romans dissolved it in wine to be used as a sweetener!

You can prevent it by seperating the lead from air (waxing, oiling) or just ignore it. I rely on the latter.

 

[Claude Mathis]

I have a hand made ball bag that will cause lead balls stored in it for a few months to develop a coating of white lead oxide.

If you aren't shooting for "months", why not remove the balls from the bag? That would seem like the quickest and easiest solution, short of replacing the bag.

 

[jethro224]

What could be applied to the balls to prevent this oxidization.

Apply a ramrod on the top, and blackpowder on the bottom. Works every time. :grin:

Or you could oil or wax them as others have suggested.

 

[hanshi]

I've never understood the panic some feel over oxide on lead ball. It doesn't cause any problems as long as you don't suck on them like we did with Jaw Breakers when we were kids. Wash your hands after handling them same as you should after handling clean lead ball. Don't rub your eyes or pick your teeth until you wash. Even then the danger is over rated.

In my case I keep all lead ball in cans or bottles and only put them in leather bags when I hunt or go to the range. I find the odd frosty one here and there but it is of no consequence. It's really a non issue.

 

[Billnpatti]

If you have a rock tumbler and some paste floor wax, put your rifle balls in the tumbler, rub some fooor wax on a few pieces of cloth, toss them onto your tumbler and tumble them for about 30 minutes. The wax impregnated cloth will put a protective dry wax coating you your rifle balls.

 

[Grullaguy]

I have a hand made ball bag that will cause lead balls stored in it for a few months to develop a coating of white lead oxide.

If you aren't shooting for "months", why not remove the balls from the bag? That would seem like the quickest and easiest solution, short of replacing the bag.

Now that is known as thinking outside of the b,..bag.

 

[Zonie]

Some of you folks might not know it but white lead at one time not too long ago was the preferred lubricant for extremely heavy pressures.

A mix of white lead and oil into a thick paste was commonly used to lubricate the tailstock center of a lathe where it interfaces with the machined center in bar stock.

It was also used as a lube for extremely highly loaded gear teeth on large equipment.

It wasn't until the big "Lead Scare" that it (and white lead based paint) was declared to be an ogre that should be banned.

The "Lead Scare" was an outgrowth of some intelligence testing that was done to some kids in a blighted area.

Because the kids were scoring so low on the tests some reason (beyond family influences) needed to be found so it was reasoned that the kids had suffered brain damage as they were growing up by eating the paint chips off of the floors and walls. Now, what would motivate kids to eat paint is beyond me but there you have it.

The paint in those days of course was based on white lead so it was charged that the lead must be responsible.

While I don't disagree with the idea that eating large amounts of lead is not good for people I do not rate lead as being nearly as bad for people as the Scare Mongers do.

As for the white lead that forms on lead balls I agree that we shouldn't be eating it but I tend to think that all of us older people probably already have about as much brain damage from white lead as we are going to get so be careful with lead but don't get paranoid about it.

 

[Linc]

:hatsoff: I agree that the lead scare is highly over rated. As typical with the Government everything is blown out of proportion.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Just pop 'em in your mouth for a few seconds before loading and the oxide goes away. I carry a few aspirin when I do this as I always seem to get headache when I do this. :shocked2:



Or you could as suggested, wipe them down with an oil like WD-40 or simply olive oil.



LD

 

[59sharps]

WD-40 RIGHT AFTER THEY COOL OFF FROM CASTING.WILL KEEP THEM SHINY.

 

[Sperit de bois]

I prevent it by shooting more...Dig em out and do it all over again.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Ballistol is a better choice than WD40 as it protects leather too, so you can even treat the ID of the bag itself!

 

[rafterob]

I tend to think that all of us older people probably already have about as much brain damage from white lead as we are going to get

Us baby boomers tried things other than white lead :wink: Brain damage can easily be overcome with sticky notes, as long as you can remember where you put them. As far as the original topic here, if you have your balls laying around long enough to oxidize, you just aren't shooting enough.