tin in roof flashing

[targetshootr]

In a thread the other day someone said tin might be in the joints of roof flashing. Before long I'm going to smelt some flashing and wonder if tin is good or bad. Seems like they said it's bad.

[docone31]

Tin is good if you can keep it seperate.
I think, however, you might find it is aluminum. Not sure, however, Tin roofs are steel, flashing in most cases is aluminum.

[targetshootr]

I'm pretty sure this flashing is soft lead but it's unlikely I'll cut the joints out.

[Nate1778]

The roof flashing I think your talking about is a plumbing lead, right? If so the solder joint was done with a tin/lead solder, probably in the 50/50 range.

[targetshootr]

If it's 50/50, or any kind of solder, it seems like it would be a good thing to have in your mix.

[deltaenterprizes]

If it's 50/50, or any kind of solder, it seems like it would be a good thing to have in your mix.

Unless you want to cast cores for swaging of bullets for muzzle loading!

[opentop]

I just melted down 150 pounds of lead roof flashing, and didn't have any joints that were soldered together. Soft stuff, I was able to tear it into smaller peices to fit my melting pot.

[targetshootr]

Unless you want to cast cores for swaging of bullets for muzzle loading!

I don't have any frontloaders so I don't know if that means it would be too hard or too soft.

Basically I'm asking if tin affects hardness.

[Tom Herman]

I don't have any frontloaders so I don't know if that means it would be too hard or too soft.

Basically I'm asking if tin affects hardness.

It will make the lead a bit harder, but its major use is for better mold fillout. I use 2% Tin for this purpose only, and regularly use a 50/50 mixture of wheel weights to scrap lead for all my handgun casting.
The wheel weights do a great job of hardening.
My suggestion would be to melt the roof flashing, save it as pure lead, and later alloy with wheel weights and Tin for an excellent alloy.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[Greg5278]

SOme Roof flashing was sheet zinc, I mistaken bought some years ago. The tin bends easily, and won't crackle when bent nest to your ear. If it won't melt by itself in a pot, at under 500F then you probably have Zinc. Aluminum should be easy to identify based on it's light weght.
Greg

[swheeler]

I smelted down about 500 pounds a couple years ago, maybe 3-4, and posted picture here. It came in sheets and I cut it up with an ax to get in the smelting pot. I still have some of thiose ingots, they test softer than the Lee tester chart goes, .079 indent is an 8 bhn, these indent at .098-.100 so pure lead to me. I use it for casting muzzleloader maxi, minnie and ball, and mix 50/50 with WW for and 8+- bhn bullet.

[sheepdog]

Bought some roof flashing from the scrap yard few weeks back. So soft I could tear it into strips by hand.