tin not melting?

[Oklahoma Rebel]

okay, so I tried to make a batch of alloy today, but the turkey fryer isn't working well, it is old. but the thing it, I got all the lead and linotype melted, but the tin slugs I have( about like a roll of nickels) never melted, even all the way through when I poured everything into ingots. I took out the un-melted tin to save, and I was going to hammer it into a thin layer if I can for when I re- alloy (I needed that tin in there). io thought tin melted at a lower temp then lead or linotype? what else could it be if it isn't tin? I think it is though because it was given to me by a senior member here who is as nice as santa clause. im so confused! please help-Travis

[dbosman]

My suspicion is that the donor grabbed the wrong container.
That said, I've had lead that wouldn't melt due to all the dirt on the outside. I had to cut it apart and melt it from the inside. I was left with dirt tubes floating on the melt.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

huh, interesting. these were clean and I know they aren't zinc.do some lead alloys melt at a lower temp than tin?

[USSR]

If the "tin" didn't melt when the lead and linotype did, then it ain't tin. Tin melts at much lower temperature than lead.

Don

[Beagle333]

Somebody is mistaken about the content. It's not tin. That stuff melts at 450°±

[psweigle]

As stated, tin melts at a lower temp than lead. What you got isn't tin.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

that's what I thought. that's disappointing, considering it is a 100lb batch, do-overs aren't easy.not to mention I don't have a dime to buy REAL tin! well thanks for the help, I appreciate it! ps. just a thought.... now that its cooled and I looked at the tin slugs I pulled out of the batch, I saw that 4-5oz. of some shot I mixed in was clumped together and stuck against the "tin", do you think that it is high antimony and maybe since shot is high in antimony, they kindof gravitated to each other? I doubt it, but just a thought. thanks again! -Travis

[USSR]

I'm betting you've got zinc.

Don

[psweigle]

It could be bizmouth. But it's so hard to say.

[OS OK]

Common Bullet Metal Melting Temperatures ...from> http://www.lasc.us/castbulletnotes.htm

*Metal Melting Temp. Notes:
*Lead (Pb) 621 degrees Weight, ductility, obturation.
*Tin (Sn) 429 degrees Reduces surface tension of lead alloy melt up to 750o, better mould fill-out. Reduces the melting temperature of lead. "Slight" hardening & strengthening effect.
* Antimony(Sb) 1,166 degrees Hardens lead alloys, extremely brittle.
*Linotype 464 degrees - solid 465 degrees - liquid
Casts very well with it's 4% Sn and 12% Sb, No expansion on game, poor choice for steel targets. Poor choice for light and mid-range loads.

*Foundry Type 619 degrees Extremely brittle. NO expansion on game, shatters on steel targets.
*WW (clip-on) 463 degrees slushy To.....505 degrees molten. Contains enough arsenic/antimony to enable hardening by heat
treating. Heat treating WW alloy with 2% tin added increases
hardness / strength without adding brittleness as in high Sb linotype metal.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I hit it with a small propane torch, and it melted very fast and easily, so it isn't too much higher of a melting point than my alloy, I know now that it isn't zinc, because I have tried to melt that before.maybe it is bismuth, if it is what does bismuth do in lead alloys? I know they use it for some shot.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

and I just now realized this is what I used in my other batch, so instead of 5%tin it is something like 3.5%! man that sucks, if I can get some tin I am going to cast tin boolits to add to each lee pot of that alloy. i'll have to do some figuring out how many tin boolits per pot I will need. luckily I have some 400 and 425gr molds. they will be perfect for this. still very frustrated though.

[TexasGrunt]

Ahh... Bismuth melts at 520°

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I was thinking, what if it was silver solder? wouldn't that raise its melting temp? I just talked to the guy that gave it to me, turns out it was given to him. so no info there

[Oklahoma Rebel]

im starting to think it is zinc, im going to have to get some muriatic acid, will it fizz even if its only 1-3%? also, it never floated like the zinc ww's I missed that I pulled out of the same batch?

[Grmps]

there are some tin/aluminum alloys out there that don't like melting. A friend gave me 50# of "tin" I was ecstatic until I couldn't get it to melt

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I bet that could be it, cuz if it were zinc I think 2lb in 100 of my last batch would be a problem, and it isn't, the burner was working better then, I noticed that it was slow to melt, but it finally did. this time it just wasn't happening. my burner has rust inside the head so it is working like a shower head that is mineral clogged. im going to have to get some money together and get a new one.

[triggerhappy243]

sounds to me like you need to send a test sample to bne, here on this forum. antimony melts at a much higher temp if it is close to pure.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I am already planning on going to bne... even before this, I have 3 samples needing sampled to make sure my good lead is ample and out of the bad stuff, I will make an example.
lol-Travis

[RogerDat]

Did you say you had shot pellets stuck to the tin? Shot pellets are noted for having a hard shell that has to be crushed to fully melt, I am wondering if your tin was covered with pellet "hulls" so it wasn't getting the heat.

If it melts easily with a propane torch it isn't zinc. The other thing that I had happen before when I was using a hot plate was the top of a pot of lead wouldn't stay liquid. Put anything into the pot and it would sit on top as it sort of tipped the heat balance to below the melt point. Just not enough heat getting provided to maintain temperature throughout the pot.