Split shot question

[mroliver77]

I was at Wally World looking at clearence sporting goods(somebody already got all the clearance powder) and I seen some fishing weights that stated "Non Lead!! Environment Safe!!" They are nice and shiney and cheap so I bought a small bag and tried melting them. They melt very easy and mix with lead quite nicely. It is very hard stuff. I melted like 5 1/4" shot and 1 158gr lead boolit together in a ladle. It is very shiney and hard with no apparent grainyness. Anybody know what it is?
Also I hit my favorite WW place. No go Joe. He acted kinda weird. I called my pal works at the scrap yard and he said .50 for scrap lead. He also said a fellow buys there batteries for $8 each. 2 years ago the scrap yard did not want the 50 or so "junk" batteries I have! My pal said he would drop my # next time the fellow shows up. Prolly where the lead on E Gay is comming from. ;)

J

[floodgate]

mroliver77:

Bismuth or bismuth with 5 - 10% tin? Might be, if it melts at or a bit below 500F - but both are expensive - currently in the $11 - $12 per lb. range. They ARE rated non-toxic, though, and run about 85% the weight of lead. Could you chase down a e-address or website from the label and ask for their MSDS (material safety documents)? Or at least post the WallyWorld Stock Number so one of us can chase it down.

floodgate

[mroliver77]

It is the eagle claw brand N0n-Lead. I found their website and the product but they dont say what they are made of. I emailed and asked for MSDS on them. Thanks for sugestion.
Like I said I (foolishly) melted a 250gr boolit in with the 300gr package of shot I bought. I went and cast a couple of boolits with it. They weighed 142gr from an LBT 180 gr mold. This mold in lino weighs 168gr. I put a lino boolit and a ?? boolit side to side in the vise and the ?? mashed the lino boolit and dented a little. The boolits were very perfect,and very shiney. No thermometer or hardness tester available tonight. If all the packages weigh the same as the one I bought it will run around $11.50 LB. I am going to buy some more to play with.
J

[357maximum]

I was under the understanding that them shiny no-pb sinkers were made out of almost entirely tin.....and that is how they behave to my way of thinking...still too spendy for booliteering IMHO though.

[mroliver77]

The tin I have "crys" when you bend it. The shot I melted does not. The melted shot also seems much harder than my tin bars. Hmmm
J

[P Patcher]

I have used these as a source of tin in the past. my packages of shot and slip sinkers have tin written on them. Some states ( Maine for one) have banned the use of lead for fishing so the stores in these states sell sinkers made out of all kinds of different materials. I watch for end of season sales at Wally mart and buy the larger size slip sinkers and split shot. Lots of times they have packages of 3/4 and 1oz sinkers that sell for a fraction of what tin costs for the same weight. I find that the ones marked as tin are excellent for casting and mix it same as I would any other tin. I think that I have mentioned this here in the past and never got any discussion on it , but it is an excellent source of tin.
Addison