Some XRF tests

[ole_270]

I had some corrugated aluminum roofing piled up from an old shed I tore down, so I loaded it up and headed to the scrapyard. They wouldn't sell lead to the public, but the guy agreed to test some lead samples for me. I had several different mixes I'd been wondering about, none showed zinc, so I've got that out of mind. A couple were muffin pan ingots I'd mixed in years past.
Sample one, 97.48 Pb, 1.77 Sb, .80 Sn,
Sample two, 94.6 Pb, 1.02 SB,1.27 SN, 1.46 FE
The calculator shows these should be in the neighborhood of 10Bhn, but my Cabine Tree tester shows them to be about 14. Ok, I know bullets will test different than larger ingots, but I tested a bullet that had been poured 2 months ago and it showed 13.
These ingots were poured within the last several months, so not a lot of oxide


Had a bar of Babbitt, with the lettering SoBee that had tested 19 Bhn on a fresh cut. SRF showed 82.1 Pb, 12.09 Sb, 4.44 Sn. Calculator shows that one at 21, so not far off.


Traded into a hundred pounds or so of Lino and have more coming. This stuff is poured into a triangle shape, probably from a corn bread pan or something. SRF showed 85.9 Pb, 10.79 Sb, 3.56 Sn, so maybe a little depleted, but it was reading through some oxidized surface.


The one I really wanted to test, I've got several bars of Babbitt marked as National lead company, and stamped with a #4. I'd always wondered if it was ASTM #4 (80% Sn) or #4 hardware (85% Pb). We took one reading through the oxidized side, 91.32 Pb, 3.87 Sb,2.96 Sn.
Then we took another shot on the recently cut off end. 94.69 PB, 4.27 Sb, .98Sn. I'm kind of wondering what I do have now. This stuff really rings when you drop it on the concrete floor, and my Cabine Tree tester shows it at 21 bhn. The calculator shows both readings at about 13. Who knows


What it all comes down to is, I guess, I need to look for some tin and lots of pure lead to mix the harder stuff. I'm shooting for the 10-12 bhn area for loads in the 14-1600 fps area in my 38-55 and 25-20 rifles. Might be 45 colt show up some day, but it would likely work with the same alloy.

[triggerhappy243]

the area you subject for this test should be rubbed raw to expose shiny metal.

[Grmps]

or drill the sample and test the shavings from the core

[ole_270]

Didn't know how large a piece it took for a sample. I'll hit them with a file next time I take some in

[OS OK]

Doesn't someone here on forum do XRF test for the members? I have some Pb I'd like identified.

[triggerhappy243]

bne does it

[OS OK]

thanks...charlie

[rmark]

BNE did a sample for me recently, matched closely to what I expected from bumpos lead alloy calculator.

[244]

I hope this good place to add this and not a total hijack of the thread.

I bought some solder bars to supplement my range scrap lead in case it needs tin for good boolits. Some of these bars were marked "National Lead Company". A search lead me to an archive with a product catalog from 1947. There are a lot of interesting and potentially helpful charts and graphs in the catalog.

I was able to identify some of the solder and its tin/lead percentage, but a lot of it was marked "National Lead Company M-1513C" and I could not find it in the catalog. Some other solder of similar shape and size is marked "Price Metal Company Body Solder". Some research on it seems that it is likely 30% Tin/70% Lead. Would anyone have information about the M-1513C solder that would put its composition at a different percentage?

Thanks for any information!

Below is the link for the catalog:

https://archive.org/details/National...dustryAndTrade

[dondiego]

Interesting catalog with lots of old info on lead products that used to be used in the trades. I have melted a lot of those items in that catalog!