Dumb question about solder

[n10sivern]

Home Depot has some solder listed as 97/3 lead free.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100084935?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=100084935

I take this to mean 97% tin and 3% antimony correct? I have some pure lead I want to smelt into my first ingots this weekend, so I was thinking about picking some up. I'm wanting to keep the lead fairly soft and was planning to use a 1-2% tin ratio. Would this work?

[jim147]

The 3% is silver.

jim

[bangerjim]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That IS EXPENSIVE!!!!!! Buy your tin, solder and pewter on here for less than $10/#!

That price totally off base for what we use it for.

banger

[n10sivern]

It's $18-20 a pound at rotometals plus shipping. Just looking to be able to use some spare time this weekend to make ingots as it'll be another 2-3 weeks before I get another chance. Any other suggestions?

[Cord]

I prefer bar solder, it's cheaper and easy to calculate the alloy with.

I've found it on Craig's List, and in years past at local scrapyards,
but then I'm always on the lookout for it.

The last bars I bought were Kester 63/37 a good bit less than $10 for each 1.6 pound bar.
That was just a few days ago.

I'm too cheap to go buy good new solder at a store and melt it.
.

[rhead]

The 95/5 is Tin and Antimony usually about the same price for the tin as 50/50 bar solder. Once you get s sample weighed you can add it by the foot or the inch.

[bdecker9]

thanks for the tip bangerjim. 10 a lb. i feel rich!

[Zymurgy50]

Current "water safe" solders are usually 97%tin, 3%antimony, or 96.5%tin, 3%antimony and .5%silver. The addition of silver does little to add hardness, but does allow the liquid to flow into smaller areas. I looked at the local Menards a couple weeks ago when I had to pick up some copper fittings for a job, 1# of water safe solder there was $25.
For all practical purposes you can treat this as pure tin for alloying with lead.

[histed]

If I'm reading this right (and the calculators listed in the stickys) a mix of 9-10 lbs of pure lead and 1/2 a pound of 95/5 should be about a 20-1 alloy? 20-1 properly lubed should work well for .38 Special and 9mm target loads?

[Whiterabbit]

Home Depot has some solder listed as 97/3 lead free.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100084935?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=100084935

I take this to mean 97% tin and 3% antimony correct? I have some pure lead I want to smelt into my first ingots this weekend, so I was thinking about picking some up. I'm wanting to keep the lead fairly soft and was planning to use a 1-2% tin ratio. Would this work?


The 3% is silver.

jim

The 3% is antimony. I needed some silver solder and so I called Oaty to confirm, since HOME DEPOTS WEBSITE (and even oateys) implies silver though only circumstantial.

So I called them. It's antimony.

I said to them "That's what I was afraid of, the price is very attractive" (matches amazon pricing for silver solder). He said "Of course, it would cost a lot more if it were silver."

And that was that.

[jmort]

@ histed, yes that would approximate 20 to 1. I love tin and 20 to 1, but for target practice, seems a waste unless your target is a home intruder. 50/50 lead and COWW with a dash of tin, 1 to 2% tin would be a good target alloy for less $$$

[mdi]

Look at a close-up of the top of the spool in the link. "Silver", "Plata", "Argent".

[AlaskanGuy]

Dude, user Iamashooter has pewter ingots for sale right now that will handle all of your tin needs... He smelts them down to like 2oz range and individually marks each one as to weight and than stamps a big P into the ingot.... He is a great guy to deal with, a great product, and you buy once and it lasts you a longgggggggggg time.... Here is the link to the swap and sell thread.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?233335-5-Pounds-Modern-Food-Service-Pewter

Drop him a pm, much cheaper way to go...

AG

[Hardcast416taylor]

All those years as a plumber and all those odds and ends of solder rolls are finally being fruitfully used!Robert

[jimb16]

Wow! I've got over 100# of 50/50! I'm rich! I'm rich!

[propwashp47]

with 198 lbs of 60-40 in hand and trying to reel in 1000 lbs of 50/50 bar solder I may be the man that wood be tin err king! its funny that with all that 60/40was cast in a 14 in fry pan .1 in to 1.5 in thick @30 to 40 lbs each and wont fit in my propane tank smelting pot.i wood cut it in to 1/4s with a sawsall. it was quite a job. my next door neighbor watched me and went back home and came back with a old 14 in cast iron pan, set it down and walked back home without saying a word.

[n10sivern]

thanks, I'll keep a lookout for pewter on here for future use.

[Ajax]

I buy a lot of pewter and solder at thrift stores and yard sales for less than $3 a lb usually.


Andy

[n10sivern]

That sucks. The thrift stores here never get pewter, never get cast iron, and the recyclers don't sell to the public.