sources of tin

[original]

I have been reading posts that people say they add tin to the melt. Some said it helps fill out the molds. Does it help with the way a cast bullet will expand? What is a source of tin and is there a specific type to look for or avoid? Thanks for the replies so far, I had a member here suggest that I use the search function so I will do that instead of taking up peoples time. thanks

[kerreckt]

I get my tin and other alloy stuff from: http://www.rotometals.com/

[jakec]

solder is easiest to find for me. some people dont like rosin core but it dont bother me. dont think it helps expansion much. you dont add much.

[imashooter2]

Yard sale pewter is generally the lowest cost readily available source.

Tin makes the alloy more malleable, which is a good property in expanding boolits.

[jakec]

Tin makes the alloy more malleable, which is a good property in expanding boolits.

i didnt think it was enough to affect expansion just surface tension in the melt to help fillout.

[alamogunr]

I think the extent to which it makes the alloy more malleable would be more accurately described as less brittle. Depends on what you start with. I'm going mostly by what I've read. My shooting doesn't include analyzing expansion, etc. so take it for what it's worth(not much).

[dilly]

Tin is a hardening alloy, but it hardens to a much lesser degree than antimony. It will bring up the hardness of the boolits a bit, but very little when only added in the advised amounts.

[Yodogsandman]

I use 50/50 bar solder (lead/tin) available at any of your local plumbing supply dealers.

[hickfu]

Tin is good for expanding boolits because it helps keep the boolit together and not fragmenting. Like IMAShooter said, yard sale or thrift store pewter is a good source of tin.

[RogerDat]

Have seen roll and bar solder at yard sales and scrap yards. They will most often be a mix of lead and tin. Worth looking at the labels on rolls because some are mostly tin, others are only 20-30% tin. Still worth picking up if it's cheap. 1/2 pound roll of 30% will go nicely into 20 to 40 lbs. of COWW's.

[bangerjim]

Solder (know the % mix), pewter, pure......all are good sources of Sn. Solder from big box stores is a VERY expensive source of it!!!!!

Most on here are desperate for it. I just hauled 280# of it (yes TIN!) home the other day. But it is getting expensive many places.

You need it for good fill-out of your molds.....1-2% is all. Lowers the surface tension of molten Pb. Use Sb for hardness...Sn adds virtually none in the tiny amounts we use!

banger

[quilbilly]

If you want pure tin that is easy to meter into your lead, check the fishing tackle counter at your local Walmart. Most of the stores sell "lead-free" fishing weights that include pure tin splitshot. I find that mixing two size 7 splitshot into about 1-1/2 pounds of lead to be about right. Tin is a tad expensive this way but it certainly is convenient if you are not doing too many boolits in a sitting.

[GoodAlloy]

Hey I have a question.... Is real "tin foil" still used for anything?? Years past it was used for alot of different things.

[bangerjim]

TinFoil is a misnomer for the dark ages! The only place I have ever found real Sn was in foil form was on VERY (!!) expensive imported champagne. And I have not seen that recently.

Tin foil, tin roofing, tintype, tin plate.......all are NOT made of Sn.

banger

[cbrick]

Tin foil, tin roofing, tintype, tin plate.......all are NOT made of Sn. banger

Aw geez, don't tell me tin cans too . . .

Rick

[bangerjim]

Sorry, Rick! No ceeeegar. They used to be a looooooooong time ago.

I have some "tin" toys in my collection. From the bye gone days. Most are thin sheets of metal formed and then painted. I have never really checked, but I think they are "tin plated" steel plate. Pure Sn sheets would probably be too brittle to form.

Just like the "tin cans" of old were plated steel! When they 1st invented canned food, that was a god-send. No rust!!!!!!!

The metal scrap drives of WWII ridded the country of much of the old metal ware tin plate stuff. Those that still exist are now in the antique stores and museums of today.

banger

[Joe88XJ]

I found pure tin from old beer coolers at my local scrap yard...they called it "block tin"...5.00 per pound

[bangerjim]

They used to use Sn tubing in some food/beverage service devices (not sure why/where/when) but I found a "new" old 30# coil of it at a scrap yard for $1/# some time back. They thought it was lead covered cable!

Good luck scrounging!

banger

[Ken in Iowa]

Sorry, Rick! No ceeeegar. They used to be a looooooooong time ago.

I have some "tin" toys in my collection. From the bye gone days. Most are thin sheets of metal formed and then painted. I have never really checked, but I think they are "tin plated" steel plate. Pure Sn sheets would probably be too brittle to form.

Just like the "tin cans" of old were plated steel! When they 1st invented canned food, that was a god-send. No rust!!!!!!!

The metal scrap drives of WWII ridded the country of much of the old metal ware tin plate stuff. Those that still exist are now in the antique stores and museums of today.

banger

YEARS ago, I was a furnace installer. Most furnace ductwork was galvanized steel of course, but we would occasionally encounter aluminum and another odd material that we called 'tin.' It was soft, thin and usually painted. These installations were old, 1940s or earlier.

I now wonder what it actually was? We did not save it for scrap.

[Ken in Iowa]

When we refer to solder, the terms 50/50, 40/60 etc. are used.

Is that tin/lead content or lead/tin?


Also, I found some rolls of OLD solder laying around. One is marked rosin core another acid core.

I am certain the rosin core is fine to use, but what about acid core?


From what I recall from my younger days, solid core solder was typically used for plumbing and general soldering, rosin for electrical, and acid for sheet metal.