Best Alloy for details and fill out?

[Tonto]

What does the list say about the best alloy for filling out a mould? On a fishing lure site, just about everyone says pure soft lead is best for filling out the molds. Even the mould (they say mold) manufacturers say the same thing. What gives? I've always had better luck with WW and lino vs pure lead in any mold. Am I missing something? I know pure lead will fill out if everything is perfect, temp especially but the alloys work much better at lower heat. Why is the reverse the norm at least in print for the fish squeezers? I'll bet more than a few folks here cast jigs and other lead tackle. I weighed in with my experience and was essentially told I was crazy.....I'm starting to believe it. Thanks

[454PB]

What is required for detailed lead alloy castings is tin. All the type metals have high amounts of tin, and make beautiful (though hard) castings.

If your goal is detail, add from 2% to 5% tin to pure lead. If you have type metal, you don't need to add anything.

[johnly]

Linotype. It casts beautiful bullets that can be pushed fast.

John

[cajun shooter]

I will tell you that you don't want Linotype bullets as stated above. It all depends on what you are shooting. If it's mild handgun loads then any alloy with a BHN of 8 or above will be fine. If you are casting for rifles then a # 2 and above alloy. Read the Lyman Cast Bullet Book and the stickies on this forum. Pure Linotype bullets give poor performance, especially if intended for hunting. Later David

[Willbird]

A great many shooters shot noting BUT linotype bullets for many years. That was all my dad used in pistols and rifles, it was cheap and readily avail, and it was purpose designed to fill out perfectly.

I do not think you will find another alloy that fills out any better.

Today it is not commonly avail in huge qty, and it is over rich in alloying metals for most purposes. The reason for it's popularity was that it was readily avail.

Bill

[Bret4207]

IMO it also depends on the mould. All the sinker moulds I've seen have been rather rough aluminum moulds that I doubt heat up enough to give a good casting until they're 15 minutes into the run. Those things are huge. That might have something to do with it.

[Echo]

A little tin in the alloy (up to 3%) reduces the surface tension of the molten alloy, allowing it to fill the sharp corners. But it doesn't take much - any more than 3% is wasted, and you may not need that much.

[Tonto]

So gang, are these fishing lure folks bonkers with the assertion that only pure lead will work in jig molds? I agree, match the alloy to the purpose but all things equal in any mold, some tin will give a btter filled out cavity, no matter what. Take a look at the Do-it mold site and places like Janns Netcraft who sell the molds, all say use only soft lead, things like wheelweights are too hard and don't fill out the mold. I weighed in on a lure making site and was about run off suggestion the pure lead line was not what I had experienced ever.!

[35remington]

"....all say use only soft lead, things like wheelweights are too hard and don't fill out the mold."

They've got it bassackwards; believe me, fishing mould guys don't know that much about proper casting alloys in demanding situations - their moulds don't have fine details, nor light weight. A guy that casts tiny little .22 caliber bullets (or was an old timer casting type for a typesetter) can tell you far, far more about mould alloy fillout than they can. A short session with a .22 mould and pure lead will give you more knowledge of its UNsuitability to fill out small mould details than these guys will ever know about it.

They're sorta casting with a 10 lb. sledgehammer, so to speak. The don't know much about what truly good mould fillout is - their product is much, much too imprecise for them to be truly knowledgeable about mould fillout. It's not surprising that they don't know much about alloy choices.

Pure lead is usually one of the worst for fillout; your fishing site is incorrect. The absence of tin means the mould fillout is poor, and often wrinkly for the small bullet. For a big honkin' fishing sinker that just has to be close in shape, close is good enough. Not for a bullet.

When it comes to shooting qualities related to accuracy, linotype bullets usually give excellent performance.

Especially in the small calibers like .22's, linotype gives well filled out bullets, as was mentioned, and with pure linotype accuracy is excellent. Rifles especially take to it in the cast bullet. The relatively high hardness means it can take fairly high velocities (or pressures, however you want to look at it).

With some calibers straight lino is a bit wasteful, as its good fillout of small mould details is not always needed in bigger bullets.

[Tom Herman]

A little tin in the alloy (up to 3%) reduces the surface tension of the molten alloy, allowing it to fill the sharp corners. But it doesn't take much - any more than 3% is wasted, and you may not need that much.

I think that a lot of us agree that Tin is very beneficial for good mold fillout.
What you'll have to figure out is how much works for you. Some people say a half percent works great, others five percent.
I don't want to start a shouting match.
Start low, and work your way up. Tin is precious, use just enough to get the results you want...

Happy Shootin'! -Tom