a question

[Jim]

Does 10:1 mean 10 parts and 1 part or 9 parts and 1 part?

[Shuz]

Good question!
For me, when I refer to 3:1 alloy, I mean 3 parts by weight of wheel weights and 1 part by weight of Lino.

[woody1]

Good question!
For me, when I refer to 3:1 alloy, I mean 3 parts by weight of wheel weights and 1 part by weight of Lino.

YUP! Add 'em up. 3:1 has 4 parts; 10:1 has 11 parts. Regards, Woody

[joeb33050]

Does 10:1 mean 10 parts and 1 part or 9 parts and 1 part?

10:1 should mean 10 parts (by weight?) of lead to 1 part tin. However, over the years Lyman #2 has been described as both 20:1 and 95:5-= 19:1. As long as we're in the bullet alloy area, I think that the TRUE composition of the metals will equal or overcome the difference. What's in the lead, really, how pure is the tin?
joe brennan

[Shiloh]

I think that the TRUE composition of the metals will equal or overcome the difference. What's in the lead, really, how pure is the tin?
joe brennan

THe composition of alloy will vary from lot to lot and from pot to pot. Probably not enough to effect over-all performance, unlessof course, if a contaminant gets introduced to the mix. Zinc being particularly bad.:sad:

Shiloh

[Dale53]

Lyman #2 metal is actually, 95-5-5 lead/antimony/tin. It has a brinnel hardness of 15.

20/1 lead/tin has a hardness of 10 (BHN).

Reference: Lyman Reloading Handbook #46 page 162.

Dale53

[Ricochet]

I'm not sure the several recipes Lyman has published for #2 are precisely the same. Close enough for boolits.

[joeb33050]

Lyman #2 metal is actually, 95-5-5 lead/antimony/tin. It has a brinnel hardness of 15.

20/1 lead/tin has a hardness of 10 (BHN).

Reference: Lyman Reloading Handbook #46 page 162.

Dale53
Dale;

I was trying to point out the inconsistency in even Lyman #2, should have checked the books. My error. I don't have Lyman #46, am sure you're correct that it says 95% lead, 5% antimony, 5% tin.
Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 3rd edition, 1980, pg. 57 has Lyman #2 at 95/5/5.
Lyman cast bullet handbook #2, 1973, pg. 236 has Lyman #2 as 10 parts lead, 1 part tin, 1 part antimony. Thus 83.33 % lead, 8.33% antimony, 8.33% tin.
Lyman handbook of cast bullets, 1957, pg. 198 also shows #2 as 10/1/1.
Thus, somewhere between 1973 and 1980 Lyman changed the #2 formula, or????
My point is that in the bullet alloy area, small percentages of lead and tin, since we don't know what is in that stuff we call lead or tin or linotype or foundry type, the component metal variation probably exceeds the difference even in Lyman #2 over time.
joe brennan

[Dale53]

Joe;
Understood...

I have had the numbers 95-5-5 ingrained in my little bitty brain for a long time. I only have one Lyman book near my computer (have at least 4-5 more somewhere else in the house), and that's what I quoted. Since I knew I was talking to you, I quoted the source:mrgreen:.

I have long used Linotype (mostly USED linotype) in various bullet mixes and, YEP!, there is no doubt that they are not "exactly" linotype since used Lino has "burned" out some of the components (mostly tin, I suspect). However, we used to have a sayng in the machine shop, "Good enough for government work." I DO try to be accurate when I am discussing various things including alloy. If we are not then too many varibles can really change things. I have a pretty good supply of certified pure lead and tin that I use for my Schuetzen and BPCR's so I actually know what I have (most of the time[smilie=1:).

Dale53

[3sixbits]

95-5-5 = 100? 95-5-5 = 105! At least in the little country school I went to.

[floodgate]

joeb:

I went back a bit further; looking into the older Ideal Handbooks (most are now available in inexpensive reprints from <www.cornellpubs.com>) and in Handbook No. 16 (1904), p. 41, I found an alloy recommended for smokeless powder loads by Dr. Hudson, consisting of 7% tin, 7% antimony and 86% lead. Handbook No. 23 (1912), p. 39, again lists this mix, as well as 10% tin, 10% antimony and 80% lead, but introduces "Ideal No. 1 Alloy", consisting of 10% tin, 7% antimony, 3% copper and 80% lead: the last two mixes are recommended for velocities over 1300 fps. In Handbook No. 26 (late 1915; the last issue before the Marlin/Ideal operation was shut down for WW I production) , p. 43, we finally find "Ideal No. 2 Bullet Metal, composed of 5% tin, 5% antimony, 90% pure lead. This mixture we recommend for all gas check bullets and for bullets for quick-twist rifles such as have 1 turn in 10 inches."

floodgate