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Thread: Help with lead free solder

  1. #1
    Boolit Master

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    Help with lead free solder

    I'm getting ready to mix up another big batch of bullet metal and am about out of 50/50 bar solder. A bunch of youall seem to be using lead free solder for your bullet metal mix, but all the lead free solder i'm finding is alloyed with Selinium and copper or silver. Which one are you using or is it time to just call Rotometals for some Tin? I can't find any 50/50 locally from the usual sources.

    All help is appreciated!
    Houndog

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

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    I get 95/5 solder. It is tin. If there is any contaminants, It does not matter.
    Any hardware store can order it if they do not have it.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

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    If you add 2 percent 95/5 solder, the "other" is one part in 1000. Unless you are using lab certified pure lead, it has more contaminants than that in it already.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master

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    Watch for parital rolls of lead free and 50/50 solder at flea markets. I often find it dirt cheap.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master

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    Thanks guys!
    I make up alloy in batches approaching 200 pounds at a time and DON"T want to take any chances on screwing up that much lead!

  6. #6
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    I get 95/5 from the plumbing shop for about $7 a roll last I bought. Hard to go wrong with Tin/Antimony mix.
    Reloading Data Project - (in retirement)
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    I have acquired approx. 50 lbs. of solder at a local consignment auction. This is usually partial rolls of 50/50, 60/40, and 95/5. They are mixed in with other "junk" in box lots or old tool boxes. In most cases you get 2 or 3 boxes for $1.00 bid. Kind of fun to sort thru the boxes when you get home to see what else you got, like an 1877 Indian Head penny in very good condition.

    Would be willing to send you some 50/50 if you want it.

    Larry

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    Larry,
    I REALLY apreciate the offer! One of my friends in the plumbing supply business just came up with 40 pounds of 50/50 bar solder from one of his older associate stores and that will take care of me for quite some time. It's good to know folks on this board are willing to help others so freely! If I can ever be of help to anyone here, just give a shout!

    Aaron

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    I get 95/5 from the plumbing shop for about $7 a roll last I bought. Hard to go wrong with Tin/Antimony mix.
    Wiljen, When was that? I just looked online and $7 / lb is only pennies above spot tin price, buying a metric ton at a time. If you can still get it at that price you have a good friend at that shop

    My local hardware store wants $19.95 / lb

    Guess it's time to order from rotometals.
    NRA life member

    LB

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Various solders are a good source of tin but can be pricey and a bit of a hassle running around trying to get it. The last solder I looked at in the hardware store was near $20.00 a pound, guess they still have it; at least I didn't buy it.

    A reputable metals dealer like Rotometals has 99.9% pure tin in ingots at $10.00 per pound and bars at $11.00 a pound. (Today’s prices 10-10-09)

    I like the bars because it’s easier to handle, cuts easily with PVC cutters for weighing and adding to the pot of alloy. I stockpiled several pounds of tin from Midway back before they decided it was actually gold rather than tin, since then my last two tin orders were from Rotometals and I now have enough tin to add 2% to the 1500 pounds of WW I currently have, about 30 pounds. No more pricing solder and running around trying to get it.

    Rick
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  11. #11
    Boolit Mold
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    After adding 95/5 lead free solder for the first time casting (I've casted for about a year now) I have got to say it really improved the castings. They fill out better, the surfaces are nicer. Didn't have to add that much solder to about 15 pounds of range lead, linotype and then I added the solder. About 3 feet off of a standard roll of plumbing solder that you get at the supply house, it comes in 1 pound rolls. Made a difference. Try it next time you will be glad you did.

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
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    Going to give this a shot

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    1 kg rolls of lead free solder are £14 here .

  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by robg View Post
    1 kg rolls of lead free solder are £14 here .
    That is a little less than $10 per pound. Not exactly sure of the exchange rate of the pound/$.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    Cool, a resurrected thread from 9 years ago.

    Pewter from the Goodwill/Salvation Army is still a good bet. Picked up 15 + lbs. this past winter for about $1.50 a lb. Gone in one week and found nothing, go back two weeks later and pick up 5 lbs.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    You have better luck on pewter availability, price and quantity out your way than I do here out on the west coast. SA thinks anything in pewter is a fine antique and prices accordingly. GW simply doesn't get much, and, price wise I count myself lucky to be averaging a bit over $3 a pound, and that's with waiting for half price color of the week sales (if the pewter is still there by that time).

    Despite my griping, that's still a steep discount from foundry prices at the cost of the time and effort put into the scrounging.

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy
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    Its good to shop around. Got a friend that's a plumber. He gave me 5 rolls of 95/5. I tried a roll of 50/50. made my bullets brittle when I poped them out to quick, take your time cutting the spur

  18. #18
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    Two mugs Saturday, pound and a half of "British Pewter", $2.00. Walked away from a mug that was 1.5 LBS. they wanted $8.00. and it was ugly. Even if it was going into the smelting pot.

    Went into a Salvation Army a couple of weeks ago, they wanted $17.00 for a pitcher that was not old and was thoroughly beat up. I offered them $4. They got all offended, said another customer had told them he had seen the identical pitcher on fleabay for $150. I suspect that will still be on the shelf 5 years from now.

  19. #19
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    RogerDat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 15meter View Post
    Two mugs Saturday, pound and a half of "British Pewter", $2.00. Walked away from a mug that was 1.5 LBS. they wanted $8.00. and it was ugly. Even if it was going into the smelting pot.

    Went into a Salvation Army a couple of weeks ago, they wanted $17.00 for a pitcher that was not old and was thoroughly beat up. I offered them $4. They got all offended, said another customer had told them he had seen the identical pitcher on fleabay for $150. I suspect that will still be on the shelf 5 years from now.
    I bet they didn't see it in the SOLD section of flea bay. Lot of stuff is offered at high prices, it just doesn't get sold very often. I have been tempted a few times to put up nicer pewter objects at super high prices just to see if someone bites. Then I remind myself I'm married and am not supposed to be out screwing strangers.

    I would always check in the S&S (swapping & selling) forum here or post a WTB (wanted to buy) post in S&S before buying from stores, rotometals, or online auction sites. That option is between the work of scrounging and the high price of commercial purchase.

    Flea markets and garage sales can be a good source of solder. I will spend this summer collecting partial rolls which I will eventually melt into one batch, poured into small mini muffin pans as "coin" sized disks. Test a couple of disks and label it. Exception would be a decent sized roll of 95/5 or large bulk roll all of the same tin content. I mostly end up between 23% to 50% tin coins.

    Watch out for acid core solder. Used in sheet metal soldering. Hard on equipment, and not easy to get it burned or skimmed off.
    Scrap.... because all the really pithy and emphatic four letter words were taken and we had to describe this source of casting material somehow so we added an "S" to what non casters and wives call what we collect.

    Kind of hard to claim to love America while one is hating half the Americans that disagree with you. One nation indivisible requires work.

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  20. #20
    Boolit Buddy



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    So my kid brings me a box of Solder drippings from work and says do you want this stuff, I said sure I think I can use that. he proceeded to bring me 5 more boxes, I am assuming it is 95/5 and wasn't sure what I had til digging a little bit. This is good stuff right?? for adding tin to my other lead? I hope it is cuz I have a 5 gallon pail full of it now and he again has another 5-6 boxes at the shop he's bringing me. I did learn that melting 25-30 lbs down at one time for ingots leaves you with a lead soup with all the flux. I started it on fire and let it burn off of course I watched it from a distance.
    "Yes or no will almost always suffice as the answer"

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