Pewter as a bullet alloying agent

[fecmech]

Gentlemen--A friend who cleaned out his basement has given me a half dozen pewter award mugs he was given over the years as a salesman. My web research indicates pewter is usually about 90% tin with some copper and occasionally antimony. I cut off one of the handles and melted it in my dipper, it stayed molten down to about 350 deg. I did that cause I thought they might have used zinc for the handle. So, has anyone used pewter in lieu of tin for bullets?? Anyone see any problems using pewter as tin?? Thanks Nick

[felix]

Nick, don't hesitate to use it as pure tin. ... felix

[David R]

Lucky Dog!

David

[357maximum]

I use a bunch of 1950's era bowling trophies for tin,,works like tin, acts like tin, must be tin...and I got an office paper boxfull of em give to me...they should outlast me and my tin needs...well maybe not...

[fecmech]

Thanks for the replies fellows. 357 maximum--Now you tell me! I threw out some old shooting trophys when we were getting the house ready to sell last year. Oh well.

[DLCTEX]

You mean those old trophys may have been tin?Ouch!

[shooter575]

We pass out shooting metals we have made at a trophy store.They are zinc.I know some have been remelted into 3" Parrott rounds.So BE CAREFULL! I can just see someone doing a mega aloy melt and throwing in a bunch of zinc.
Maybe someone has a cheep,surefire,and easy test we could put into a sticky
Felix

[floodgate]

shooter:

Dip it in hydrochloric acid (aka muriatic acid, aka concrete cleaner) and hold a match over it; if it is zinc, you will get big bubbles of hydrogen, and nice orange fireballs (allee-samee the "Hindenburg"). Aluminum and lye solution will do the same, as I learned, boiling up a strong de-greaser mix in an aluminum kettle; fortunately, the skylight over the stove was open and no damage done - but it got the attention of the firefighters at the station two doors down the block. Thus we learn....

floodgate

[swheeler]

Fecmech; I have about 30 pounds of pewter smelted into ingots, use it like pure tin. If you want a "test" melt some of it down and cast a couple bullets, they will come out completely filled out and sharp, clean edges on the bands, if it has zinc in it it won't cast worth a s**t!

[imashooter2]

shooter:

Dip it in hydrochloric acid (aka muriatic acid, aka concrete cleaner) and hold a match over it; if it is zinc, you will get big bubbles of hydrogen, and nice orange fireballs (allee-samee the "Hindenburg"). Aluminum and lye solution will do the same, as I learned, boiling up a strong de-greaser mix in an aluminum kettle; fortunately, the skylight over the stove was open and no damage done - but it got the attention of the firefighters at the station two doors down the block. Thus we learn....

floodgate

Tin reacts with hydrochloric acid too. This is a good test for zinc vs. lead, but not zinc vs. tin.

[357maximum]

Fecmech; I have about 30 pounds of pewter smelted into ingots, use it like pure tin. If you want a "test" melt some of it down and cast a couple bullets, they will come out completely filled out and sharp, clean edges on the bands, if it has zinc in it it won't cast worth a s**t!


swheeler is on top of it fellas...
EXAXCTLY THE TEST I USE...You will know if it is zinc....It will look like someone bubble gum welded the boolit if it is zinc. If it tin or mostly tin...you will want to put the boolit on a chain and wear it around your neck as a proud display....big difference...tin.VS.zinc..you WILL know for sure that way...I test each trophy/mug/ashtray seperately by melting in a large ladle over the plumbers furnace and making a cast in a warm "BUSY" mold...if she is pretty I dump it into the tin pot till it is full...if it do not "cast worth a s**T" ,, I dump it into the clip bucket..when the tin can is full I make ingots...just do not get dislexia and dump into the wrong can....
Michael

[floodgate]

imashooter:

"Tin reacts with hydrochloric acid too. This is a good test for zinc vs. lead, but not zinc vs. tin."

Thanks; I didn't know that. Does this give off hydrogen, too?

floodgate

[imashooter2]

imashooter:

"Tin reacts with hydrochloric acid too. This is a good test for zinc vs. lead, but not zinc vs. tin."

Thanks; I didn't know that. Does this give off hydrogen, too?

floodgate

Yes it does.

[Ricochet]

Lye will also react with zinc.

[imashooter2]

Lye will also react with zinc.

And with tin as well.

[shooter575]

One test I got from a scraper was that tin will make that snap/crakle/poping noise if bent. The pieces I have look like they were cast into a piece of angle iron Casting aout 3/8 wide across the flats x 8" long.
I think that would be easer than using a boolet mould.Maybe I should see if I can still hear that noise?May need to turn up my hearing aids