Anyone know of a good source for Tin?

[shotstring]

I have been rather at a loss to find a good source for tin these days. I haven't cast bullets for over 20 years, but back then linotype was not so difficult to find and that is what everyone used with their lead or WW base.

There was a fellow on Ebay who has tons of the stuff available for sale at around $8.00 lb, but is charging over $20.00 shipping and handling for a single 7 lb ingot....claims its for packaging, gas for the vehicles, heat for the buildings....really ticked me off! He is added to the things I most dislike about ebay. The price of solder is like $15 a pound for the stuff...makes a casting a bit on the expensive side.

Anyone know of a good source?

[Single Shot]

I have been rather at a loss to find a good source for tin these days. I haven't cast bullets for over 20 years, but back then linotype was not so difficult to find and that is what everyone used with their lead or WW base.

There was a fellow on Ebay who has tons of the stuff available for sale at around $8.00 lb, but is charging over $20.00 shipping and handling for a single 7 lb ingot....claims its for packaging, gas for the vehicles, heat for the buildings....really ticked me off! He is added to the things I most dislike about ebay. The price of solder is like $15 a pound for the stuff...makes a casting a bit on the expensive side.

Anyone know of a good source?

Send him a message and ask if he can use the U.S. Postal flat rate box. I used to ship cast bullets up to 70 pounds to anywhere in the US including Alaska and Hawaii for under $10. The boxes are free at the post office.

What did you search for on E-Bay? I could not find any tin bars.

[Woodtroll]

Mr. William Ream, member "vp146b4" here, was recently selling good quality tin quite reasonably. I bought two batches. He is great to deal with. I can look up contact info later if you can't find it by searching his "handle".

Hope this helps, Regan

[Jim]

Plumbing supply houses have 95/5 solder on the shelf. 95% tin, 5% antimony. It's clean as a pin and the content is absolute. It oughta' run about $12 or so a pound roll.

[Lloyd Smale]

go to your local radiator repair shot and ask them for there scrap solder that they boil out of radiators. they may give you some. Problem lately is with prices soring mine has started recyling it himself.

[lathesmith]

There was a guy on this forum that was selling tin for $5/lb + shipping, which was a real bargain. I dislike quoting prices for someone else's stuff, because it may have risen in price lately(like everything else). I think Woodtroll has the right guy, you might send him a PM and see if he still has any.
I agree, tin is the "secret ingredient" of casting, it makes life much easier for me when I go to cast.
Lathesmith

[montana_charlie]

My favorite source (when available) is sales of 63/37 solder on eBay.
I'm talking about the 'slabs' that weigh between 20 and 40 pounds.

When you figure the cost of the tin only, added to the shipping charge, you typically pay a bit over four dollars per pound (delivered)...and the lead (37% of the slab) is free.

I just checked, and there are no sales of this type on eBay, right now.
CM

[JeffinNZ]

Try a scrap yard and look for a BIG bearing full of "white metal" or "babbit".

I scored a BIG bearing, chipped off all the white metal and it transpired I had high tin (85%) alloy so add it to WW now to up the tin content.

The bearing cost me ZIP!

[trk]

I'm buying lead free solder scraps/dross from the company where I work. Paid just under $3 a pound for the last batch (depends on daily scrap market). 30 or 31 pounds yeilded 28 pounds of ingots. I have the feeling that there will be more than I can use, so some time in the future I will consider selling it as is or refined (although I don't like being in the refining business).

What I'm getting is 96.5% tin (sn) 3% Silver (Ag) and 0.5% Copper (Cu). It's HARD. I have tried casting a few bullets - sharp and crisp - although cooling is very slow.

[shotstring]

Thanks guys. I will check out all of the above. Finding this forum is the single best thing that has happened to improve my casting. I will probably be trying for quite some time to digest all the information so freely given here.

Incidently, the post for the tin was under virgin tin ingots,
ebay#200143976066.