95% Tin / 5% Copper Solder

[BudRow]

At the Flea Market last weekend I bought 22 pounds of Taramet "Sterling" lead free solder. It was brand new one pound spools in individual boxes. An internet search said it was 95% Tin / 5% Copper. I only paid $25 for all of it. Now I read where a good deal of the copper can be skimmed of the top at low temps when added to a WW alloy. You must simmer it for a while at alow temp before skimming. How detrimental is copper and at what percentages?
TIA, Bud

[gray wolf]

The copper should harden your alloy a little. I would say that if it goes into solution and fluxes into the melt,which I think it will..It will probably work.
But I would cast up a small amount of bullets first be for I made a big mix.
I had an old timer once tell me that he used to put a little fine copper powder in his lead mix??
But hold on for the big guns to give there thoughts
I always take what the experts say to hart. The people here know what is going on.

Edit to say
NICE SCORE ON THE TIN

[SharpsShooter]

Are you positive about the content? I just bought a pound of leadfree solder and it is 95% Tin (SN) and 5% Lead (Pb). I would be really surprised if it is copper because copper has a melting point of 1981*F. Tin melts at 450* and of course lead at 620*.

The lead free solder is a good source for tin when used to alloy or WW.


SS

[Silvyus]

The sterling does have copper in it I looked into it for a while and why they put the copper in it who knows but it is there

[imashooter2]

At the concentrations you'll get from adding 95-5 solder to your mix the copper is negligible.

[crazy mark]

Are you positive about the content? I just bought a pound of leadfree solder and it is 95% Tin (SN) and 5% Lead (Pb). I would be really surprised if it is copper because copper has a melting point of 1981*F. Tin melts at 450* and of course lead at 620*.

The lead free solder is a good source for tin when used to alloy or WW.


SS
Sharpshooter,
Are you sure about the 5% lead. It should be 5% of something else like antimony or copper or? Lead free means no lead these days and if you use the mixture you are posting for drinking water lines you won't be doing it long. I have 95-5 that is tin-antinomy. Mark

[Duckiller]

Some lead free solder from Home Repo is 95% tin 5% antimony. When they will tell you what it is. Otherwise it is 95% tin 5% mystery metal. If I could read Spanish they might tell what the 5% is. Have used it to increase tin with wheel weights with success. Duckiller

[Lloyd Smale]

agreed. Ive used enough babit with that level of copper in it and it never bothered a thing.
At the concentrations you'll get from adding 95-5 solder to your mix the copper is negligible.

[Jim]

I've been in the mechanical contracting industry for 32 years and have used about every type of solder there is. The Sterling Taramet DOES have copper in it as well as another brand, Silvabrite. I've been using both of them in my mix for years and it does fine for me. Sterling Taramet also has selenium in it. The Silabrite has silver in it. Concerning the copper and selenium, I run my mix a bit on the hot side to KEEP those metals dissolved in the mix. As for 95/5, that's 95% tin and 5% antimony.
If the solder you have has a legible lable on the spool, you can find the percentages of alloys on the manufacturer's website under the material safety data page.
PERSONAL DISCLAIMER: It's just after 6 AM and I'm still pretty sleepy. If you find that I've got the brands switched as to what brand has what metal, forgive me. My coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

[SharpsShooter]

Sharpshooter,
Are you sure about the 5% lead. It should be 5% of something else like antimony or copper or? Lead free means no lead these days and if you use the mixture you are posting for drinking water lines you won't be doing it long. I have 95-5 that is tin-antinomy. Mark

I bought this stuff off a dark dusty shelf at my local hardware. It was distinctly labeled 95/5 tin/lead, safe for plumbing etc. I don't have the spool anymore as it got pitched after I used the stuff to alloy 30# of pure. Looking on the shelf here,I have a spool of oatey brand that is 95 tin and 5 "safe flo silver" whatever that is these days.

My concern about the 5% copper was the ability to remove it from the alloy.


I have not used copper in my alloy. I tend to use pure lead and sparing tin for everything. Lloyd indicates it is not harmful and is obviously speaking from experience. Ya can't beat experience:-D


SS

[exblaster]

Copper need not melt to float in lead so you may be able to skim it with the dross. I use foundry type for casting and it has about 5% copper it is not a problem.
Exblaster

[Bass Ackward]

Had to think about this for a minute. This is hard to answer because how much is too much? Just like arsenic, you can get too much. And there are so many ..... stories of metallurgy which is strange considering it is an exact science. It's hard to believe we have so much trouble with this area of casting that should be FACT. And then I forget details. Then again, some things just aren't worth worrying about, and this was one for me.

Fear of copper is kind of an old wives tale if you go by my results. A lot of forms of babbitt have it in there and babbitt is made for casting. My guess is that there are a lot of people using it that don't even realize they are. May be why you hear so many questions of casting problems or bullet fill out or why they have to mold so hot especially when they are sure they didn't melt any zinc. I don't know. It raises my melt temp to about 550 degrees over the 500 degrees of the WW without it, but so what. I still mold at 750 degrees.

I know copper is supposed to make a tougher bullet, but I can't prove that on paper. Same 14 BHN with or without. I do believe that it helps resist galling from friction over straight WW as I never lead in rifles when using this mix. No flecks, flakes, or smears. Ever. It's my secret RPM busting ingredient.

I know my stuff expands as expected for the hardness and conditions under which I use it. And my bullets maintain weight levels above the same mix without. I can do good things at higher velocities that others just say BS until they see. This aids penetration even with the expansion. This allows me to use lighter bullets per caliber at higher velocities and STILL penetrate with a meplat several calibers larger. Must be because of the size of exit wounds I get. More BS to some, I know, I hear it all the time. but it's there.

Bottom line is, who knows for sure and I am sure this is percentage related so all of this is of little help. Who knows how this prejudice's my results in everything I report rifle wise. I mostly forget it's in there as I have been using this mix for decades now. Can't win fair in life cheat. :grin:

I want to say this babbitt was 2%, but I don't remember. The machinists bought it because it was supposed to be superior for pouring bearings to what they were used to using. I got it because they didn't understand that it took more heat. (their loss :grin:) This babbitt was free for hauling away, a great source of tin, and I get better accuracy mostly from less fliers when I use it, so for HV rifle mixes .... in she goes. :grin:

[mazo kid]

Well, copper MELTS at 1358* so I doubt very seriously you will melt it in your lead pots. It must be a finely ground powdery substance that is mixed in the lead. It's possible you may be able to skim some off with the other dross, but if it were mine, I would just use it and not worry about it. Emery

[Pepe Ray]

The copper has already been alloyed into the mix. Once the solder/babbit manufacturer has alloyed the product, the molecules have bonded, This changes the characteristics of the metal, altering its melting point. The copper is in to stay.
You can reduce its % by dilution but it's better to learn to use it as is. Get all of it that you can. Good stuff. Not like Zink at all.
Pepe Ray

[lathesmith]

When you toss a 1/2 or at most 1 pound of 95/5 solder into a 20 lb pot of lead, the copper is so diluted you will not even know it is there. I have used this stuff plenty of times, it works great for boolit casting. Use it and enjoy it, and congratulate yourself on your found bargain!

[OBXPilgrim]

Just got a 1 lb roll of "Dutch Boy Silver - Lead-free Solder" from my brother, a plumber.

Off the side of the box:
"This premium quality solder is an alloy of 95.6% Tin, 4% Copper, and .4% Silver, making it stronger and more workable than common solders. A melting temperature of 440°F provides this easy flowing solder..."

[felix]

Combine what PepeRay and BA said for a truism. Antimony is what makes our boolits harder, and arsenic also if any. Antimony only is what makes the boolits grow in size. Copper is what makes the allow tougher (less shear). Copper reaches saturation quickly in our boolit metals, and any excess leaches out during the dropping into the mold because there is no way to freeze the metal fast enough. You can easily see this rapid freezing of the copper by pouring a very hot alloy back and forth between two containers. The alloy looks like it is "sheeting", or going across with a "coat" on. In other words, not wet anymore. This sheeting will clog up a bottom pour fairly quickly. When any kind of sheeting appears, dilute the whole shootin' match by 100 percent. In other words, reduce the content of copper by 50 percent and retry. Yes, what BA says, a boolit with only some copper will be considered comparatively tough. ... felix

[RoyRogers]

That solder sells for over $7 per #. You might wish to just sell it to a plumber. No solder can be advertised as "lead free" if it contains lead - or used in a potable water system. Maybe years ago but not in the last 15 at least.

Could be Chinese 'lead free' solder??