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Thread: Lead alloy calculators

  1. #81
    Boolit Buddy Nocturnal Stumblebutt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by boogerloo View Post
    Thanks for the calculator from me too! A few questions, I mixed pure lead 100 lbs and linotype 20 lbs. The chart shows 10.6 Brinell. I already have this smelted and in ingots.Is that hard enough for 357 or 44,45 colt? I find that if I mix 15 lbs of 38 % tin and 20 lbs super hard to the mix I get 15.2 Brinell or basically Lyman #2. Would you water quench it or will it get too hard?
    Is there a place here that shows the different brinell hardness for different bullets and fps wanted?
    10.6 is perfect for 45 colt, for the magnums I would either water quench OR gas check, it would be unnecessary to do both, and it would be equally unnecessary to add all that extra tin and/or antimony.

  2. #82
    Boolit Master
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    Thank You Bumpo this is a great tool I'm new to casting but so far I have made 2 different alloys and they both tested out very close to your BHN numbers that are calculated. I have checked the alloys with my pencil set ( another great tool).

    I do have a few questions:

    To start with where would "soft sheet lead" and "x-ray sheeting lead" fall into this calculator?
    Is soft sheet lead pure lead or a mix?
    I figured that isotope lead as you have listed would cover X-Ray lead..... Correct?

    Your two "custom" alloy rows work great for me to plug in my own custom made up alloys ( when I have some left overs from a casting session) All I have to do is weigh the left overs and plug that amount in my next alloy mix so there is no guessing what amounts of metal I have in the existing alloy.

    Also What I like to do is when I calculate an alloy I like, I copy that page into a new tab and re-name the tab based on the BHN mix then save the document.
    This way I can just tab back to any of the mixes I have made & duplicate them. Super tool!
    " Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation: for it is better to be alone than in bad company. " George Washington

  3. #83
    Boolit Buddy Nocturnal Stumblebutt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JWFilips View Post
    I figured that isotope lead as you have listed would cover X-Ray lead..... Correct?
    There is a thread on here, under the lead and lead alloys sections (I'd link it but I couldn't quickly find it), that discusses x-ray foil alloy, I know that my dental x-ray foil is Kodak brand so it is 1.5% tin, 1.5% antimony, and 97% lead, some other brands are closer to pure (e.g. 0.5-1% tin/99.5-99% lead, like stick on wheel weights).

  4. #84
    Boolit Master
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    First of all, thanks for all of the great feedback. I'm glad the calculator is helping you guys out.

    Quote Originally Posted by JWFilips View Post
    To start with where would "soft sheet lead" and "x-ray sheeting lead" fall into this calculator?
    Isotope lead is used for the medical isotope containers. There are two different alloys typically found out there and they are both on the calculator already. X-ray sheeting is usually used to cover the walls in an x-ray room for shielding. Soft sheet lead and x-ray sheeting lead *should* be pure lead. If you can fold it and dent it with your fingernail easily, then I would just treat it as pure. Dental lead foil that is used for teeth x-rays is a different alloy, but Noc covered that already.
    Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
    Download my alloy calculator here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

  5. #85
    Boolit Mold
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    Hello, and my first post

    Mostly I cast for BP-- muzzleloader and cartridge (.45-70). The gov't load for the Trapdoor specified a 20:1 Pb:Sn alloy. So, suppose I had 10lb of lead (from a torn-down roofing job) and a bunch of 50:50 wire solder. How much solder would I have to add to get that 20:1 ratio?

    Here's where some math comes in. The '10' refers to the 10lb of lead I started with... but this logic works for any starting weight. 'X' is how much solder I need to add; half of that would be lead and the other half, tin. Hence, X/2 in the formula:

    10+X/2
    ---------
    X/2
    = (sorry for the lame format, BB code doesn't support multiline expressions)
    20
    ------
    1


    10+X/2 = 20X/2


    10+X/2 = 10X


    10 = 10X - X/2


    10 = X(10 - 1/2)


    10 = 9.5X


    10/9.5 = X (eq. 1)


    X = 1.05 (close enough)


    So I'd have to add 1.05lb of solder to 10lb pure lead to get 11.05lb of 20:1 alloy. If you start with something other than 10lb of lead, simply substitute that number for the 10 in eq. 1 and do the division. Example: say you start with 9lb lead, then to that you'd need to add 9/9.5 = 0.95lb (about 14oz) solder. If you need a different alloy (say, 16:1) then substitute 16 for the starting 20 and re-do the algebra.

    HTH, and I realize this doesn't help with the antimony. More reason to shoot BP, ya ask me.
    Last edited by DxF; 02-18-2013 at 10:06 PM.

  6. #86
    Boolit Buddy Kull's Avatar
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    Thanks for the spreadsheet. This will come in handy.

  7. #87
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    Bumpo,
    Great spreadsheet. It is very useful and a great asset. I do have some questions about results I get.

    1. Why is 40/60 solder showing a higher BH than 50/50 even though the former has less tin content than the later?
    2. Why does an alloy of 40% pure tin and 60% pure lead show a BH of 20.2 when 40/60 solder shows a BH of 15?

    Please let me add that I am not a metalurgist and I'm not questioning the accuracy of the spreadsheet, I'm just trying to understand. I'm looking for knowledge. I do know that sometimes two components melted together can yield a higher BH than either of their individual factors would imply. I must confess that his solder thing has me confused.

    Thanks again.

  8. #88
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by high standard 40 View Post
    1. Why is 40/60 solder showing a higher BH than 50/50 even though the former has less tin content than the later?
    2. Why does an alloy of 40% pure tin and 60% pure lead show a BH of 20.2 when 40/60 solder shows a BH of 15?
    The Brinell numbers listed on the right were gathered from various websites and publications. Since they came from different sources, I can not guarantee the accuracy. For example, try searching for the hardness of linotype. You'll find several different numbers varying by +/- 3 bhn or so.
    If anyone can find a good source of data that lists several alloy hardness's, please let me know and I'll update the info.

    The formula used to calculate the Brinell hardness comes from Rotometals. I have noticed that it is not very accurate unless there are 1% or more of both tin and antimony. For example, check the numbers for Lyman #2 and Hardball. The calculations are much closer to the published hardness values.

    Thanks
    Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
    Download my alloy calculator here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

  9. #89
    Boolit Buddy
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    Bumpo:

    Either I'm doing something wrong or the estimated BHN formula is jacked up.

    I have a quantity of BHN 22 alloy which I entered as Linotype or something.

    I have about 1/3 of that, of a BHN 14 alloy, don't remember what version I entered it, but it was a typical lead/tin/little bit of antimony blend.

    The spreadsheet estimates the mix of the two as BHN 10.5 or so.

    Is this somehow beyond the capabilities of the estimating formula you derived from your sources???

  10. #90
    Boolit Buddy
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    Oh nevermind.

    I had added a row for my purchased lead cache to enter its percentages, but did not add that new row's cell references to the calculation formula. Never can figure out what Excel adjusts automatically when I move stuff around/add new stuff....

  11. #91
    Boolit Mold
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    Using this calculator trying to achieve a 15BHN using monotype and lead sheeting off a roof. I come up with 90% lead and 10% mono. Is this correct? Does anyone have a better formula using lead and mono to achieve a 15BHN? I haven't used any of this mono before and want to make sure I get this correct.

    ~Thanks

  12. #92
    Boolit Buddy Walstr's Avatar
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    bumpo;

    I'm new here, but familiar with Excel...when I click on your link: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952
    I get directed to a page of this web's blog, not any spreadsheet? h e l p?

  13. #93
    Boolit Master
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    The spreadsheet is attached to the first post as a zip file.
    Castboolits does not let you attach .xls format docs for some reason.
    You'll need winzip, winrar, or a similar program to upzip the file.
    Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
    Download my alloy calculator here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

  14. #94
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Schuetzum Phast View Post
    Using this calculator trying to achieve a 15BHN using monotype and lead sheeting off a roof. I come up with 90% lead and 10% mono. Is this correct? Does anyone have a better formula using lead and mono to achieve a 15BHN? I haven't used any of this mono before and want to make sure I get this correct.
    ~Thanks
    Try 20% mono & 80% lead. That will get you closer.
    According to the hardness estimate, you'll need to use 30% mono & 70% lead to actually get 15 bhn.

    I would try all three to see if it works the way you want. The least amount that works the better to stretch out your mono supply.
    Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
    Download my alloy calculator here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

  15. #95
    Boolit Mold
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    Thanks bumpo628. I appreciate your input.

    sP

  16. #96
    Boolit Master ColColt's Avatar
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    I never have figured this calculator out. English was my best subject. I need to make a batch of 1:20 boolits. What I have is a lot of lead, some Linotype, one pound of pure tin and about 100 pounds of WW's. What do I have to mix with what to get that BHN10 needed.
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  17. #97
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by ColColt View Post
    I never have figured this calculator out. English was my best subject. I need to make a batch of 1:20 boolits. What I have is a lot of lead, some Linotype, one pound of pure tin and about 100 pounds of WW's. What do I have to mix with what to get that BHN10 needed.
    If you put 20 lbs in the pure lead box and 1 lb in the pure tin box, you'll get an alloy that matches the specs shown in the 20:1 row.
    Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help".
    Download my alloy calculator here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105952

  18. #98
    Boolit Master ColColt's Avatar
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    I figured that. I was trying to come up with adding X amount of lead to WW's to equal that alloy. Tin itself is most expensive at about $15-20/pound.
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  19. #99
    Boolit Buddy michiganvet's Avatar
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    There is a marvelous article in Handloader #50, July-August 1974 that helped me turn a goodly amount of lino obtained by helping move printing machines in a local school, into lyman #2. The numbers came out exactly as predicted from the metals combined. Only works with lead, tin, and antimony, though

  20. #100
    Boolit Master ColColt's Avatar
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    50/50 lead to LT will give a BHN15...about Lyman#2. At least the stash of LT I have does.
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