Noob question??

[Charles2506]

I have about 200 lbs of scrap lead mostly plumbers type and some from x-ray room And a little bit of not sure what it was. I will be loading pistol and should i add tin or use it straight i am sure it is pure. If soo how much tin needs to be added i use a lee 20 pro4 and it holds 20 lbs so how much should i i need to add if any any help is great thanks.

[bumpo628]

What caliber(s) are you planning to shoot and what other alloys do you have available?

[a.squibload]

I think Bumpo can do the math on that, maybe he will
see this or you could pm him.
Tin (Sn) helps but you'll want antimony (Sb) for hardness.
Don't need much, guessing 2 or 3% Sb & 1 or 2% Sn.
Wheelweights have some of each already alloyed in.
Can also check Rotometals at top of page, or the Swappin
& Sellin area here.
There are many ways to get there, just trying to help
you get started!

[Charles2506]

right now 45 long colt and maybe 40 S&W

[AndyC]

Add 1 or 2% tin by weight (it lowers the surface-tension of the lead and allows it to fill out the mould-cavities properly) - so for 20 lbs of lead, that's around 3.2 to 6.4 oz tin. If your source of tin is, for example, 50-50 bar solder, remember that it's only 50% tin - so you'll need to double up on the weight (and make sure your pot doesn't overflow) ;)

Drop the hot bullets immediately from the mould into a bucket of water to water-quench them (makes them harder).

[Ole]

Don't even think about putting 20lbs of lead in your Lee "20 pound" pot or you'll be cleaning up about 4lbs of molten lead off your table. :mrgreen:

A couple pounds of linotype should do 14lbs of soft lead wonders if you water drop your bullets.

[runfiverun]

the 20 lb pot don't hold 20 lbs of lead.
which is okay as the 10lb pot don't hold 10 lb's either.
for the 45 colt 30-1 will do for loads up to the 14k range.
i don't have a clue for the 40 but 20-1 is what i'd try if i wanted to buy that much tin.
the option i would use is to mix it 3 to 1 with some linotype.