Originally Posted by
KYCaster
I'm sorry to hear you're giving up on your project. Hope you reconsider soon.
About the inconsistent hardness of Super Hard, the reason is, it's not a true homogeneous alloy. The maximum amount of Sb that can be alloyed with Pb (IIRC) is about 4%. So you have an alloy of 96% Pb / 4% Sb and a bunch of chunks of crystalline Sb floating around in it.
I don't know how Rotometals gets a consistent mix but I'm sure they have it figured out so when you cut off a chunk you can be confident that it will be the same composition as the next chunk.
So now you have the amount of Sb you want in your finished alloy but it's not in the form you want. It's still crystalline Sb floating around in your lead....
Just like when I crush the Sb ingot and dump it in my lead.
The difference is, Rotometals has done the hard part. Their Sb is already submerged in the Pb and protected from oxidation. All you have to do now is add some Sn and that will allow the extra Sb to dissolve into a true alloy. It doesn't work without the Sn.
Normal flux and stir will complete the process.
Starting with linotype is a bit simpler. It's already an alloy and will easily mix with your other metals. 50/50 with pure lead is "Teracorp Hardball" alloy and will work well for most of your handgun and rifle needs.
Hope this helps.... or at least doesn't add to the confusion.
Jerry