Guess ? 4# PB to 34# BHN 15.

[Hootmix]

Just poured some Lyman ingots , @ 4# PB to 34# of BHN 15 , ( range lead ) using a bathroom scale ( very accurate-DUH !! ),, any guess's at what i'll get in BHN,, pencil testing, ( waiting to cool ).

coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.

[Neverhome]

That's some hard range lead!

This should help...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...oy-calculators

[Dusty Bannister]

Bill Ferguson (the antimony man) used to say that anything to the right of the decimal is unreliable. Add to this the question if your PB is pure lead at 5 BHN or soft scrap that could be as high as 8 BHN. Even then, you should test multiple samples and average them.

Both will be about 14 BHN +/- air cooled.

[USSR]

Hootmix,

It's highly unlikely your range lead has a BHN of 15.

Don

[GhostHawk]

Call me 1 point below dusty at 13 at best.
Your not thinning it much.

And that is some nice high range scrap.

[Hootmix]

I thank everyone for comments and in put,, after my ingots cooled and I did a pencil test , yup ! too soft ( shooting for B2 or between 10& 12 BHN. The range lead is some I traded for ,, and some penciled @ 12 BHN some @ 15+ BHN,, and I did add too much soft lead to the mix,,, the first time. Put all back in the pot and added 12# of " OLD ,OLD lead @ 15+ BHN,, let cool,, even made some 214 - 214+ gr. bullets( used a tin can w/ my Coleman heater and pair of plyers ) with my "new " BACO mould ,, fillout GOOD ,, surprised me ,,but the pencil test came out "B2", I will test again in a few days. I only cast 15-20 bullets for testing ,, even water cooled 5,, still 12 BHN . Will try another batch in the next few days.

coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.

[Dusty Bannister]

Even quenching from the mold it will take some time to harden. And with weak antimony ratios it will air cool and harden over a longer time. Might let samples set for about three weeks to get the most likely hardness.

[Hootmix]

Thanks Dusty, 3-4 weeks is my usual wait period. I just have this pile of lead from the last few years and am try'n to get it in to some kind of alloy mix ingots that I can add to or subtract from ,, ingots are easier to put in my Master Caster ,, some of this stuff is in 20# chunks ( unhandy ). My cast iron stew pot holds about 60#.

coffee's ready ,, Hootmix.