Tin Solder

[hammer58]

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered many times on this forum, so I would appreciate your patience with this rookie caster.

I have learned from other posts in this forum that adding 2% tin to my COWW boolits would help them fill out better. I only cast for a .38 and .45 for target shooting.

I saw somewhere that you can get "plumbers solder" that is pure tin? Is this correct? I am hoping I can get something like this at our local Lowe's Home Improvement or the like just to try it out and see how my boolits come out.

Thanks for your help!

[C. Latch]

I have seen 95/5 solder (95% tin) for under $20/lb at a hardware store. I didn't weigh mine, but unrolled a quarter-pound spool of it and divided it into 4 sections and called each of them an ounce, more or less.

It's cheaper to buy smelted pewter here on this website, but some 95/5 solder can get you started and let you experiment a bit, for sure.

[Garyshome]

Go and getcha some pewter. It's tin under a different name. check out the local goodwill or other second hand stores.

[hammer58]

I've seen comments that said that pewter is like 85-95% tin. What is the other part?

[Zymurgy50]

Current "water safe" solders are mostly tin, with small amounts of antimony, silver, and/or copper. Usually 95-97% tin, 2-4% antimony, and a trace of silver or copper. For all practical purposes you can treat this as pure tin when figuring alloys.
Pewter is a mixture of tin and lead, percentages based on who makes it. Hope this helps you, Z

[imashooter2]

They haven't used lead in food service pewter for many, many years. Modern food service items are 92 -97% tin with the balance antimony and trace - 3% copper or bismuth.

[sqlbullet]

Tin has many fine and redeeming qualities in a cast bullet.

But, it is expensive. I have found that what i get in isotope and WW lead is adequate for paper punching bullets without the additional expense. And I have about 50 lbs of pure tin bar solder sitting on my bench. I save it for bullets where I want hardness without the brittleness antimony brings.

[mikeym1a]

If you watch on fleabay, you can sometimes get a deal on old electrical solder, sometimes bar solder, and body solder. The local plumbing place sells 50/50 for $20/lb. They also have the 95/5 tin-antimony for about the same amount. I got some of the 95/5 off fleabay for about $10/lb. It's available, and you can also order from Rotometals. Lots of it around, but you do have to look. :-D

[hammer58]

Thanks for your tips everyone! Looks like I need to go shopping.

Great info!:grin:

[bangerjim]

Go and getcha some pewter. It's tin under a different name. check out the local goodwill or other second hand stores.

Easier said than done. I have looked in junk stores in the greater Phoenix area for pewter for over 10 years and there is none except the "collectables" cabinet at HIGH antique prices.

Just buy it from some of the fine folks on here that have sources. And save you time crawling the junk stores and use it casting and shooting!

banger

banger

[WILCO]

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered many times on this forum, so I would appreciate your patience with this rookie caster.

Hi!

Get this book:

[NewbieDave007]

Easier said than done. I have looked in junk stores in the greater Phoenix area for pewter for over 10 years and there is none except the "collectables" cabinet at HIGH antique prices.

Just buy it from some of the fine folks on here that have sources. And save you time crawling the junk stores and use it casting and shooting!

banger

banger

Please don't come over to the East Valley then. Since being back a few months I have found plenty. I have to admit that it became harder when the "Winter Visitors" arrived.

[jmort]

"If you watch on fleabay, you can sometimes get a deal"

There have been few, if any "deals" on ebay. Most of the tin will work out to around $20.00 a pound. For that $$$ I would just order from RotoMetals

[bangerjim]

I was VERY fortunate to be at one of my several scrap yards just now and spied a NEW 25# roll of "MARKED" 50/50 solder wire that just came in the driveway.....a buck a pound for "lead"...out the door to me!

Not bad.

banger

[NewbieDave007]

I was VERY fortunate to be at one of my several scrap yards just now and spied a NEW 25# roll of "MARKED" 50/50 solder wire that just came in the driveway.....a buck a pound for "lead"...out the door to me!

Not bad.

banger

Very nice score!

[jmort]

"NEW 25# roll of "MARKED" 50/50 solder"

Wow, right place, right time

[mikeym1a]

"If you watch on fleabay, you can sometimes get a deal"

There have been few, if any "deals" on ebay. Most of the tin will work out to around $20.00 a pound. For that $$$ I would just order from RotoMetals

Oh, sorry. Must have gotten there before you. :-)

[jmort]

A couple months ago I got a couple/three good deals, but not so much lately unless you will take smelted ingots which are un-marked. I'm a sucker for a good deal on tin.

[fredj338]

I rarely add tin to my range scrap or COWW. Bullet fill out is fine in calibers from 9mm up. When casting LHP, then I am looking at pure lead & tin, 25-1 ratio.

[zuke]

I've been using my bar's of 70/30 solder to hold stuff down.
I don't use it but wont pass up a good deal. If it wasn't so expensive to send by mail I would have sold it all by now.

[lwknight]

I had 50 pounds of 63/37 eutectic rosin core solder that I melted some of. Oh man, it was a thing of beauty till I ended up gluing ( not tinned) my ingots to the molds with the rosin. I had to heat then up to get them out. Then I had to burn out the molds
I figure that next time I will melt a lot of it so I can spoon most of the rosin out then dip from the middle or better yet just use my bottom pour pot.

[truckerdave397]

So if you can find pewter in the shape of small figures in a thrift shop at what price per pound is it worth buying at. I found some that I think I can get for $10 per pound but was going to go back and offer maybe $7 if the members her think it is worth it.

[C. Latch]

So if you can find pewter in the shape of small figures in a thrift shop at what price per pound is it worth buying at. I found some that I think I can get for $10 per pound but was going to go back and offer maybe $7 if the members her think it is worth it.


I can buy pewter here that another member has found, bought, checked to be sure it's real pewter, smelted, poured into tiny ingots, weighed, marked, and shipped to me for $9 per pound and change.

In light of that I lose interest in thrift-shop pewter at around $6 per pound. I've seen some pieces I could have got for $8 but it just wasn't worth it to me.

[imashooter2]

Figurines are a bit of a question mark. If they were made in the last 20 years or so and sold by a company like Avon, Spoontiques or similar, they are probably lead free. If not, you just can't be sure. Unless otherwise marked, I would call them about 80% tin. I would not be a buyer at $10 and probably not at $7 unless I could confirm lead free.

[NewbieDave007]

Figurines are a bit of a question mark. If they were made in the last 20 years or so and sold by a company like Avon, Spoontiques or similar, they are probably lead free. If not, you just can't be sure. Unless otherwise marked, I would call them about 80% tin. I would not be a buyer at $10 and probably not at $7 unless I could confirm lead free.

Are the Avon ones also marked as pewter? I've seen figures marked Avon that I would swear are pewter but could never see a pewter marking.

Thanks.
Dave

[imashooter2]

From the hallmarks thread...
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hallavon-350.jpg

[NewbieDave007]

From the hallmarks thread...
http://home.comcast.net/~imashooter2/pictures/hallavon-350.jpg

Thanks. I haven't seen that yet.

[imashooter2]

It is a fair bet that anything pewter with the Avon name on it is lead free. Not certain I suppose, but I would buy if the price was right.

[rollmyown]

I get 50/50 solder from the scrapyard for the same price as scrap lead. They set it aside for me. I dont get much but my solder bucket is getting heavier. I have maybe 30 sticks.

[JWFilips]

I can't even tell you how much 60/40 solder I sold on e-bay before joining this forum! Wow now I'm feeling really stupid!