What do you think I would have

[epox]

Smelted down about 16 pounds of old round ball muzzle loader balls that were given to me and cast into ingots. Also had some lead shielding that was given to me from a person that worked at the power company. I'm pretty sure it is dead soft as I could easily bend it. I got about 12 pounds of ingots from the shielding. Should I mix these 2 together or do you think they are both real soft? Also what would I need to mix with it to make it harder? I will be casting for a 45 ACP.
Thanks

[HARRYMPOPE]

add a bit of tin.

George

[canyon-ghost]

Were you to add tin and linotype, you'd get back to wheelweight hardness, with very little of either.

[epox]

Thanks. Tin would be all I need? I figured it might be too soft as is.

[runfiverun]

i'd call both pure.
1 lb of tim to 20 lbs of lead makes an alloy the same bhn as ww's.
for the 45 i'd go with about 25-1
heck just throw a lb of tin in what you have and go with it.
you'll have about 800 boolits to work a load up with.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

I would add just a bit or antimony to the mix. About one-percent, perhaps less will do wonders for your pour. That's why they add it to WW alloy.

Rich

[Flinchrock]

I would add just a bit or antimony to the mix. About one-percent, perhaps less will do wonders for your pour. That's why they add it to WW alloy.

Rich

I thought antimony was for hard and tin was for fillout, and that antimony was difficult to get to "mix in".

Someone set me straight please.

[epox]

Thanks everyone. Now to find a pound of tin to melt into the mix. I guess I could get some tin solder and use that?

[John Boy]

i'd call both pure.

Balls - Yes. The cable shielding is about Bhn 8

[bumpo628]

I would mix the 12 lbs and 16 lbs together and call it pure. Mix that 50/50 with some WW lead and use it for the 45acp. Or use enough solder to get between 0.5% to 1% tin - should be 1/4 to 1/2 lb.

1 lb of any type of solder will probably be more tin than you need for just 28 lbs of pure lead (1.4% to 3.3% tin depending on the solder %s).