Lino, mono, and other alloys from wheelweights

[madsenshooter]

While going to college back around 2000, I spent more time with the library's archives of "Rifleman" than I did with my textbooks. One of the best articles I found was titled "Controlling Bullet Metals" The article included a graph adapted from "Type Metal Alloys", "Journal of the Institute of Metals". It explained alloying of various metals suitable for bullet casting in a very simple way. Once I learned the 3 part composition of various alloys suitable for boolits, it became very simple, with the help of a calculator that can do "sets" of numbers, to make different alloys by adding an alloy of 30% tin, 70% antimony to various other low temp metals. The 30/70 alloy was relatively inexpensive and added to wheelweights in various proportions it is easy to produce the type metals ranging from Electrotype to Monotype. Since Linotype is popular with bullet casters, here's the recipe for making it from wheelweights and 30/70: 8.75lbs wheelweights+1.25lbs 30/70 alloy = 10lbs linotype with an approx BHN of 22. Want to go harder, say Monotype? That recipe is 7.5 lbs wheelweights + 2.5lbs 30/70 alloy = 10lbs of monotype with an approx BHN of 28. This is great stuff for standard Krag velocity loads, especially if molycoated. I can't recall where I got the alloy from, or it's price, I know it was relatively cheap, it was from a company in New York that did custom alloying in small batches. 30/70 was at one time a standard solder used in the autobody business, and rods of it still may be found in really old autobody shops. If you can find some it, give the above recipes a try!:castmine:

[imashooter2]

30/70 solder is 30% tin, 70% lead. It will only have trace antimony in it. An alloy with 30% tin and 70% antimony would definitely be a custom proposition.

[Lloyd Smale]

be carefull eating any of these alloys though!!

[imashooter2]

Didn't even notice the section... I just click the "posts since last visit" quick link.

[fiberoptik]

that's certainly the HARD way to get lead poisoning!!! Hrmm... Crunchy!!

[nighthunter]

I'd like to hear more on this subject. Antimony is supposed to be difficult to alloy into lead compounds and requires a special flux from what I have read. I realize that once it has been alloyed with tin it might be a different ball game. Maybe a few words from folks with some experience can help.
Nighthunter

[imashooter2]

I made some 50/50 alloy way back when using a charcoal fueled brick blast furnace made according to the directions in the NRA book. The 50/50 alloy would melt at casting pot temperatures and readily mix with whatever was in the melt.

[Single Shot]

And it makes a great squirrel gravy.

Just pour hot alloy over a gutted squirrel and let air cool. Then when you peel off the coating, all the skin and fur comes off with it. And the squirrel is cooked through too. :drinks:

All kidding aside, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I can send you a file of alloy formulas. It is way too big to post here.

[madsenshooter]

OK, so I got into the wrong kind of cooking, this is none the less an interesting recipe! Someday I'll go back to Ohio and see just where I got that 30/70 from, it's still in the shipping box. It's possible to go beyond the hardness stated in my post, but at some point, the bullets are going to start to get brittle, even at monotype they have a crystalline structure that I wonder about. The little graph I got from the old American Rifleman stops at a bhn of 32. 22% antimony, 12% tin, 66% lead. What's for desert, I wonder?

[Lloyd Smale]

first dip the squirell in a nice hot wax flux to help remove then fur.
And it makes a great squirrel gravy.

Just pour hot alloy over a gutted squirrel and let air cool. Then when you peel off the coating, all the skin and fur comes off with it. And the squirrel is cooked through too. :drinks:

All kidding aside, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I can send you a file of alloy formulas. It is way too big to post here.

[Ricochet]

Might try LLA for gravy, too. It looks like it might be pretty good.

If it doesn't work for gravy, try it on ice cream.

[madsenshooter]

I finally got back home, and the 30/70 (Sb/Sn) alloy was made for me by NEY. the price is long since gone from the crate, and from my memory, but I thought it cheap way back when I got it. I guess one would have to call or email them for today's price. Google them, they have a website.