BHN of Super Tough

[madsenshooter]

Anyone know the BHN of Rotometal's Supertough? I have some babbitt with a BHN of 32.3. I found some limited info online about it, like Supertough, it doesn't have any lead in it, that's about all. I'm trying to get an approximation of it's formula. Sn, Sb and Cu is all that's in it.

[Toymaker]

The Roto Metals web site says it's 30% antimony and 70% lead.

[cbrick]

Dunno what Super Tough may be, are you referring to Super Hard? If so it is 70% Pb and 30% Sb, no Sn, no Cu.

It is not for casting boolits, it is for adding Sb to your alloy.

Rick

[btroj]

Super tough is a Babbitt from Rotometals.

[cbrick]

Oh yeah huh. I just looked it up.

Rick

[btroj]

:DMaybe you should rewrite your book......

[Toymaker]

"This Grade 3 Super Tough Babbitt Bearing Alloy consists of approximately 84% Tin, 8% Copper, and 8% Antimony. The melting temperature is 464 F and the proper pouring temperature 915 F. Each ingot weighs approximately 1 lbs."

[madsenshooter]

Thanks guys, we're getting closer, but still not what I'm after. How about someone who knows how to use the alloy calculator finding out what combination of Sn, Sb and Cu would give a 32.3BHN? Don't know if that's even possible with the calculator. Also, I now know the specific gravity of the babbitt I have. It's 7.53. I'd have to dig out my college chemistry book to figure the approx formula from that. I'd say it's close to the Super tough though.

[454PB]

If your objective is to attain 32.3 BHN, why not just heat treat?

[osteodoc08]

A boolit not be hard to shoot well. A boolit is better to be softer for game unless wanting one to act a solid.

[bangerjim]

Why so unbelievable hard for your boolits?????????? Educate me.

Fit is more important than hardness. I have not ever cast or shot anything even close to 32! Mabe 23 at the max? And that was NOT using water hardening.

As stated above, the "super" alloys & Babbitts are intended for doping your alloy mix to raise the Sb content accordingly, not to cast with directly. The Excel alloy calc works pretty well when you do it that way.

Use your Babbitt to dope pure Pb to obtain a reasonable (!) hardness and make sure your boolits are sized properly for your gun's barrel.

I have almost 450# of Hardball and I use it to add hardness only. If I water drop that stuff, the hardness goes off the Cabine's scale!!!!!

I powder coat everything to pretty much eliminate the worry about hardness! Works for me......and no grease and NO LEADING!

Good discussion!

banger

[RogerDat]

There is a couple of rows near the bottom of the lead alloy calculator Excel sheet that let you put in the composition of your alloy and use it in the final calculation for approx. BHN given how many lbs. of each type of metal you use.

Enter that 84% Tin, 8% Copper, and 8% Antimony that toymaker provided for super tough babbitt and figure out what you would mix with it to get what you want. I would think heat treating would make more sense. Small amount of that super tough and some COWW could get you where you want to go (for whatever reason) with heat treating.

I dunno maybe the trace of copper would keep a 32 bhn bullet from shattering.

[madsenshooter]

I'm not making bullets of it alone, I'm just trying to get the unknown composition of the 32.3BHN babbitt for alloy mixing purposes.

[badgeredd]

Anyone know the BHN of Rotometal's Supertough? I have some babbitt with a BHN of 32.3. I found some limited info online about it, like Supertough, it doesn't have any lead in it, that's about all. I'm trying to get an approximation of it's formula. Sn, Sb and Cu is all that's in it.

You might want to melt some of the babbit and air cool it slowly by throwing a towel over it and then check the bhn. If it reacts like my #2 (similar to Rotonickel) babbit, it'll be a lot softer. My ingots (#2) that are 3 years old check in the 30 bhn range. I also have some #11 type babbit that is aged and checks in the high 20s near 30 bhn.

Edd

[zuke]

bring some to a scrap yard and get them to shoot it with their x-ray gun.

[popper]

Per Bumpo's calculater, suoer tough = 40 BHN.

[badgeredd]

Per Bumpo's calculater, suoer tough = 40 BHN.

I doubt the 40 bhn value is valid. I've got a article gleaned from the net that pegs the nickel babbits generally in the 26-28 range. I am guess quenching medium will affect hardness as well as age. I also would question whether we as hobbyists can check the bhn very closely once we get above 29-30 bhn.

Edd

[madsenshooter]

Popper, thanks for checking that on the calculator. Maybe I'll email Rotometals and see what they say it actually is. Afraid I don't know how to use the calculators, simple as it appears, biggest problem is I don't have excel. Some old National Lead literature I ran across lists their hardest babbitt at 32.4@68*.

Email sent to Roto, we'll see how the answer compares to the calculator.

No luck with an email, they said they don't test their ingots. If I really needed babbitt for a project, say my drilling rig, I'd be shopping with someone that can supply technical info.

[RogerDat]

Don't have Excel then try Open Office it's free and handles the lead alloy calculator fine.
http://www.openoffice.org/download/

[AKbushman49]

madsenshooter- Bumpo's alloy spreadsheet will also work with the Microsoft Works speadsheet program. bushman

[boog]

Don't have Excel then try Open Office it's free and handles the lead alloy calculator fine.
http://www.openoffice.org/download/

Libreoffice works well, too. https://www.libreoffice.org/ It forked from openoffice when Oracle bought Sun.

[madsenshooter]

Calculating the SG from the formula given for Super Tough yields a 7.37. What I have must be higher in Cu, cause the SG is 7.53. Thanks for the info on different programs, I have open office, just didn't know the calculator would would work with it.