Identify this "wiping" alloy

[SeanMP]

I've come into a decent quantity of these 5lb ingots and I'm trying to figure out the definition of "wiping". There doesn't seem to be anything conclusive other than it usually ranges from 5 to 15% tin.

Does anybody have any experience on exactly what I have here? On the reverse side it's stamped "wiping" and "30" But the 0 is raised well above the 3 on all bars.

It seems to scratch with a 2B pencil

100447

I'm casting for 45-70 BPCR

[Dusty Bannister]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?66241-Melting-points-of-Lead-and-Alloys

See post # 13 which may help you determine what you have. Good luck.
Dusty

[bangerjim]

If you really want to know, have it analyzed with an x-ray gun at your local scrap yard. You will then know the exact amount of Sn in there.

It is old wiping solder and can vary in content.


If you plan on using it, just dump some in to add a bit of tin if your boolits do not fill out properly. Close enough. If you are planning on trying to "make a killing" selling it (which I would NOT), you MUST know the EXACT content or people will not pay you properly.

banger

[KYCaster]

Wiping requires eutectic solder that doesn't have a slushy stage; it goes from liquid to solid with a very slight change in temperature. Often called 60/40, it's actually 63/37. It melts at 361*F. It's solid at 360* and liquid at 362*....all or nothin'.

It's most often found in butt joints in lead pipe and the joints between telephone cable sheath and junction boxes, often with a brass "wiping sleeve" inside the pipe.

Because of its low melting temp. compared to the nearly pure lead of the pipe, you can melt it off the joint with a torch without melting the pipe, so if you're careful, you can recover quite a bit of solder of known composition.

Solder joints on sheet lead are usually 40/60 or 50/50. Machine made joints like on vent boots may contain even less Sn.

Typically, a good mechanic would use a pound of solder to make 24 in. of joint, but that could vary widely. Unless you're really anal about it, it's not usually effective, time wise, to try to salvage Sn from sheet metal joints, but I've seen telephone junction boxes that have been opened and resealed numerous times that would yield 20 lbs. or more of solder.

Auto body solder is usually 40/60 that has a long slushy stage to allow a lot of time to work with the joint while it's still soft.

Jerry

[mikeym1a]

KYCaster----excellent response.

[zuke]

melt, pour into 1lb ingot's and use it sparingly in big batch's.

[rintinglen]

Add 1 Lb to 25-30 lbs of COWW for a really great casting alloy.

[GlocksareGood]

Pour it into a known volume mold. Then pour that same mold with pure lead. Assuming that it is a tin/Lead alloy you can then calculate the percentage of tin/Lead based on both boolit weights. Pure tin boolit is ~62% weight of a pure lead one but check that to make sure as i do not have my calculator in front of me.

[SeanMP]

Great info

Thank you very much.