source for tin

[257]

I have read on the internet that the little cups from spent rifle and pistol primer's are tin does any one know if this is true ? I took a handful and put them in a pan and they melted down a lot of debris and dirt in there thou if they are I have a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 ful of them any thoughts on this would be appreciated

[imashooter2]

Not true. They are brass.

Prove it to yourself. Place one (fired of course) on top of your melt and watch it float.

[bangerjim]

Win are brass.

CCI are plated brass.

[scottfire1957]

Oh my.

[257]

I had doubts , but they did melt in a pan on a hot plate. and I know for sure my electric hot plate does not get hot enough to melt brass. they are probably some weird alloy that's a trade secret

[imashooter2]

They are brass. This is well established fact.

It would be great if they were tin though...

[Thundermaker]

Whatever they are, they aren't tin. Roto metals sells rods of tin.

[coffeeguy]

Pewter is a great source, check out Salvation Army/Goodwill stores for pewter dishes, candlesticks, vases, etcetera...It's between 90 and 97 percent tin; I scored a 2-lb bowl last week for 99 cents. Woohoo!!

[JSnover]

If you have a five gallon bucket, haul it to a scrap yard, maybe trade it for something else. Last time we took five gallons of brass chips in, it was worth about $40.

[paralaska]

I saw somewhere where a guy melted down those tin foil covers from wine bottles. . . so I asked my neighbors (who drink a lot of wine) to save them for me . . .

[bangerjim]

Your neighbors will have to drink VERY costly wine if they are topped with Sn! Only the very finest premimum wines and champaigns are packaged that way anymore. My son is a head server and sommelierin a 5 star restaurant and has checked and most are aluminum foil on all but the $500-900 bottles. I drink beer!

banger

[paralaska]

Well . . . I won't have the heart to tell them to stop . . . I'll just wish the beer bottle caps were sn . . . Then I'd have a good excuse to drink more beer . . .

[Beagle333]

Get your tin from Pewter. Get it at yard sales, Thrift stores, antique shops, estate sales, or do what I do and buy it from imashooter2 here on the forum. He has it already smelted, weighed and ready to go! And it's much cheaper than me driving all around picking it up a little bit at a time. But if your job or daily activities take you past such stores/sales, you might fare better by picking your own. Good luck!!

[RogerDat]

I'm with Beagle on this one. Buy some pewter from a member in S&S forum. Keep your eyes out for it at garage sales, thrift stores, salvation army, estate sales. If it is stamped pewter it will be at least 90% tin. Check out the Pewter Pictures and Hallmarks thread to learn what to look for. Try to keep it around $3 a lb. but I have been known to pay a bit closer to $4 figuring it is still a pretty cheap price for tin.

[rupe01]

I agree 100% there. I bought a nice package of tin ingots from Imashooter2 about a year or two ago. He gives great value and is a "Straight Shooter"! It helps us all to buy from Forum guys.

[RogerDat]

I agree 100% there. I bought a nice package of tin ingots from Imashooter2 about a year or two ago. He gives great value and is a "Straight Shooter"! It helps us all to buy from Forum guys.

When you consider I have been collecting pewter for well over a year, not super aggressively but hitting a few thrift/antique stores that are convenient on a regular basis, stopped at a few garage sales. Have I would guess less than 20# sitting on a shelf, paid between 3 and 5 a lb. call it $80 and a lot of checking in and looking around time to find that. That 20# is enough to give 1000 lbs. of WW's or 50/50 WW/lead just over 2% tin. That same 20# would have only cost around $200 in S&S forum and would be sitting there ready to go so heck yes getting pewter in S&S forum is a pretty good deal. Even if one purchased in smaller quantities over time and paid for a bit more shipping it would still cover a lot of bullet casting for a good price.

But then I think of myself as being engaged in pewter rescue rather than scrounging so I would probably have hit the stores too even if I had bought the pewter ingots from a member. Look at that poor candle stick, sitting there with a chunk of weight stuck up it's butt for decades with little if any excitement, then boxed up and stored only to end up here in a thrift store. Come home with me little candle stick and later on I'll take you on a shooting trip to a target range, you'll like that! (Ok maybe wife is right and I'm crazy)