To much TIN ??????

[beng]

I have now about 500 blocks of lead, 3" X 2"with a hole in the middle. They go back some years (maybe 50 or so) Was told it was a bracket that held down bushings. The blocks had 5 to 6 layers of paint. I got most of the paint off, it just fell off with a point of a knife. Tryed to melt it down in a small pot. It melted very easy, the paint just stayed on top and was also easy to skim it off. The lead was so pure looking, it looked like chrome. I even tryed to flux it It went into a white liquid, "no impurties. I did make a few boolits (45-70). My mold is a .459 X 465 boolit. With a Lyman #2 type mix, they come out at 466. Now this lead droped them at .459 / .460 and only 453. (13 gr lighter) and they do look like chrome. The lead also likes being cast at 650 deg. 750 and up the were to hot. Also was told it was about 20% or more of tin and lead. If so, will this be to hard on my barrel? (I'm at 1250fps with a 45-70) The lead is soft, it cuts like pure lead. I do not have a hardness tester other than being chrome looking, it's like pure lead, only it melts at a lower temp. It has NO Zinc; it's not pewter. So, will 20% to 30% tin ratio be to much, "If it's tin." Thanks beng

[blaser.306]

Sounds like high pressure bearing babbitt ! If so it would be a terrible waste of tin .

[pdawg_shooter]

Too much tin hurts nothing, but with tin selling for what it does it would be a HUGE waste. 2% tin in any alloy is about right.

[montana_charlie]

Get hold of a thremometer and try to find out at what (exact) temperature it melts.
Use two thermometers, if possible.

Some extrapolation should be possible from there by Googling the melting temps of various tin/lead solders.

CM

[Larry Gibson]

Agree on the "waste of tin". I would dilute it down with pure lead to 16-1 or 20-1 for use with your 45-70 bullets.

Larry Gibson

[ph4570]

Sounds like some good stuff. As others have suggested, use it to sweeten pots of pure lead or WW as required. OR just send it to me.

[white eagle]

thats tin abuse
no seriously put in just enough to give good fill out in he mold

[canyon-ghost]

Lead= $1.15 lb

Tin= $16 lb

Consider what you have based on price!

Ron

[jsizemore]

beng,
8-10% tin will give you a BHN of about 11. 20-30% tin and you might bump that to 12. So your hardness is about the same as clip-on ww alloy. Should be fine in your 45-70.

You can cut that to 8-10% tin alloy with pb and not notice any change in your boolit performance. Should cast the same and still be shiny.