New to me steps in my Cast Boolit process --------

[OS OK]

I don't want to start a comparison between your tester and mine, I don't think they are even in the same league...yours being most exact of course, but...believe me when I say this...I have endeavored to persevere in becoming accurate with that dang little pocket measuring scope, so much so that I even color the lead surface with a red marks a lot to reduce shine and held an auxiliary pen light just right to eliminate shadows...I've tried my level best to get the right measurements and though it's been difficult I've become quite handy with this method.

OK after that intro, I want to just say this...I've not experienced such measurements of the material you mention, this is completely new to me and since you have the better of the two instruments...I'm sorta left with my mouth agape and astonished a bit also.

We live and learn, heck that's why I came here....charlie

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Charlie,

I'm willing to send you some samples if you wish to test them.

I'm new to the testing game and sure don't have a degree in it!

CDOC

[OS OK]

Good idea...I send some to you too. I'll pre test the ones I send to you and write it in a separate folded paper, then you test and compare notes.
I'll do the same with yours, lets do the big ones .44 or .45 cal.

PM to follow

[MnSpring]

Many years ago, when I was a Kid, learned casting, (And a Whole Bunch of other stuff), from a, 'old fart', drove my bike about 1 mile out of town to his farm. (Now I am the, 'old fart'). He did a simple test, with 2 bottle caps, a steel bb, Pure lead, his, 'un-known' alloy, (Hardness), and a piece of paper, a pencil, and a caliper.

Below I will link to the page, (It's at the Bottom), that tells how to do this.
And the formula. A Whole lot faster than typing everything. Cost? Your Time.

www.texas-mac.com/Evaluations_and_Recommendations_for_Lead-Alloy_Hardness_Testers.html



Finally, if price is the overriding factor, you can make a simple low-cost
tester with a single ball bearing and a vice, as long as you have access
to a small amount of lead or lead alloy of known hardness. Knowing the
hardness of the reference material is the key to this technique. The
results will be at least as accurate as using one of the commercially
available testers noted above.

You’ll need two bottle caps, a vise, a ¼” to 3/8” diameter ball bearing
and a sample of lead or lead alloy of known hardness for the reference
material. Pure lead is an excellent reference material since it has a
known hardness. You’ll also need a vernier caliper for measurements.
1. Start with two steel bottle caps. Set the caps on a brick and
heat with a propane torch to burn out the plastic inner seals. Let the
caps cool and dump out any burnt residue.
2. Melt enough lead to completely fill one bottle cap with the
unknown sample, and the other with the known hardness reference lead.
The surfaces should be as smooth and flat as possible when the lead
hardens and cools. You may have to skim off some crud or oxides and
re-melt the samples a couple of times to obtain good surfaces. Allow
the samples to cool by themselves (do not quench with water to speed
the cooling).
3. When the samples are cold, put the ball bearing between the two
lead surfaces and squeeze the "sandwich" in the vise until the ball
bearing is driven partly into both surfaces (just enough to make fair size
indentations, but definitely not past the middle of the ball).
4. Remove the sandwich and, using the vernier caliper, measure
the indentation diameters as accurately as possible. Using the following
formula, calculate the hardness of the unknown sample.

Hu = Hr(Dr)(Dr)/(Du)(Du)

...where Hu is the Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) of the unknown
sample, Dr is the diameter of the indentation formed in the reference
sample, Du is the diameter of the indentation in the unknown
hardness sample and Hr is the BHN of the reference sample

Assuming you know the hardness of the reference sample, this method
is as accurate as your ability to measure the indentation diameters. A
relatively smooth surface is necessary to provide a "clean" diameter to
measure. A rough surface will throw off the answer because you may
not get a true diameter to measure. As noted in the beginning of this
article, the BHN value for “pure” lead can vary. If you're using pure lead
as the reference sample, you’ll have to decide on the BHN value to use.

The measurements should be taken shortly after the samples have
cooled as lead/tin alloys will age soften and lead alloys such as wheel
weights with antimony will age harden.