OK..I'm stupid...please help.

[rmcc]

Looking to find what hardness I get when I mix 10 lbs lead to 1 lb 95/5 solder.

Thanks,
Rich

[Yodogsandman]

Pure lead?

[scottfire1957]

Did you try the alloy calculator sticky?


Edit to add: because BOTH of your ingredients are listed in the calculator, IF you meant pure lead. I used your numbers and it predicted a BHN.

Give it a try! Don't cost nuthin'.

[bangerjim]

The FREE alloy calculator spreasheet on here will answer all your questions!

Get it.

[rmcc]

Ok, if I read that right 9 lbs lead + 1 lb 95/5 solder should make Lyman #2?

[badbob454]

should be @ 12bhn or 10-/1 10 lead / 1 tin

[Yodogsandman]

Ok, if I read that right 9 lbs lead + 1 lb 95/5 solder should make Lyman #2?

If you're trying to make Lyman #2 and using clip-on wheel weights, that's going to be too much tin. A 1/2 lb of 95/5 solder would be closer. So, 9 1/2 lb of clip-on wheel weights and 1/2 lb of 95/5 solder will give a very close alloy to Lyman #2 with a Brinnell hardness of about 14 after age hardening for 3 weeks. That's a great alloy for mold fill-out, malleability and toughness.

I've been using an alloy of 9.85 lb of clip-on wheel weights and just about 2 ounces of tin. I heat treat the boolits made with it at 450*F for an hour in a convection oven and then quench in a 5 gal bucket of ice cold water (with ice). This gives me a BHN of about 30 after 5 days of age hardening that I use for rifles.

[MBTcustom]

OK, first of all, what is this "lead" you speak of? Is it pure (aka: foundry pig, roofing sheet, certain SOWW)? Is it an alloy (clip on wheel weights, Linotype, Monotype, etc etc etc)?
Good you know the solder content.

Second, Lyman #2 is 90% pure lead, 5% Antimony, and 5% tin. It is mixed this way not just for hardness but for toughness and casting consistency.

Assuming you are starting with pure lead, there is no way you can achieve Lyman #2. It's just not in the cards.
Also, you cannot look to tin to supply all the hardness you think you need (which you might be mistaken about depending on the application). If your tin content gets over 6%:
A. you're throwing expensive metal downrange
B. If your real problem is a fitment issue, you're still going to lead up your barrel, but this time it's going to be soldered to the bore which is a real bear to deal with (ask me how I know).

If you need harder bullets (be careful here. Lot's of people missdiagnose their problems with harder bullets and it only acts as a placebo.) Unless you are trying to shoot warp speed, hardness is on down the list of importance.
FIT IS KING. This is a true statement that cannot be undersold. You need to start with bullets that are .002 over your measured groove diameter and adjust from there.

Please tell us what you are doing. What caliber? What speed? What distance? What powder? What are you trying to correct?

[largom]

Rich, Look at Goodsteels post. Give us your answers and we will try to help you.

Larry

[rmcc]

All right, sorry, I did not make myself clear. Lead is sheet lead that you can bend with your fingers. I have quite a bit of 95/5 solder. What I want to know is what hardness I will get with 9 lbs of lead and 1 lb of the solder? I have WW or lino that I can add in quantity to bring mix to Lyman #2 or harder. I just need the formula. I have downloaded calculator here twice and I can't get it to work. Thanks for your help fellas!!!

Rich

[rmcc]

Forgot to add, want to get hardness first worry about what gun later. I am having a ball figuring all this out!! Would like to shoot in multiple calibers. I never shoot anything very fast. I leave that to the jacketed stuff. I am more interested in slow/ no recoil loads.

Rich

[rmcc]

bttttttt

[bhn22]

Then post #6 is your approximate answer.

[bangerjim]

All right, sorry, I did not make myself clear. Lead is sheet lead that you can bend with your fingers. I have quite a bit of 95/5 solder. What I want to know is what hardness I will get with 9 lbs of lead and 1 lb of the solder? I have WW or lino that I can add in quantity to bring mix to Lyman #2 or harder. I just need the formula. I have downloaded calculator here twice and I can't get it to work. Thanks for your help fellas!!!


Rich

Your 95/5 solder can be 5% Cu, 5% Sn, or 5% Ag. Which is it? only makes about .3Bhn difference.

You have to have MS Excel (or open architecture) program to run the calc sheet. The formula is embedded and woven into it. [I=8.6+(0.29*B47*100)+(0.92*C47*100)] Just use the spreadsheet! Much easier than messing around with formulas! On my computer, my iPhone, and my iPad. Works great! It is in a self-extracting ZIP format I believe.

1# 95%Sn/5%? + 9# Pb ~ 11.8Bhn

But get that spreadsheet up and working, as you will need it every single time you want to mix all that other stuff you listed. It is the only way to get the answers, short of bothering the kind folks on here every time you want to mix up a batch of alloy.

banger-j

[largom]

Approx. Lyman #2 alloy formulas:
Linotype - 2 pounds Clip-on wheel weights = 9 lbs.
50/50 bar solder = 1 lb.
Wheel weights [clip-on] - 5 pounds
Could add 3% tin for better fill-out


Lino = 3 lbs. clip-on wheel weights = 9 lbs.
Wheel weights = 9 lbs. Linotype = 2 lbs.
Add 2% tin tin = 7 ounces



clip-on wheel weights = 4 1/2 lbs.
Linotype = 1 lb.
Add 4 ounces tin


The above 5 formulas will get you close to Lyman # 2. A good hunting formula is 50% clip-on wheel weights and 50% lead plus 1 1/2 to 2 % added tin. If you want them harder just drop from the mould into a 5 Gal. bucket of water. This will be a little harder than Lyman #2.

Larry

[40-82 hiker]

I would like very much to add something to this that has already been stated. If you want slow target quality loads in pistols and/or revolvers, I would not use Lyman #2 made up ahead of time. Much accuracy is derived from the correct alloy as well as the correct diameter, and hardness really is not necessarily needed. In fact, nearly pure lead makes very accurate wad cutter loads (with 2% tin). COWW/pure lead/tin (49/49/2) makes a very good alloy for .45acp target loads (and others).

The needed obturation of the very soft lead used in wad cutters in revolvers cannot be obtained by Lyman 2. Just an example...

Others, as well as myself, are suggesting you go slow and suit you alloy to your needs, as it is very hard to suit your needs to your alloy. Goodsteel said it very well that hardness is used too often as a fix to poor boolit fit. If you are looking for target loads, Lyman 2 is not needed, and it is going to use more tin than you need use, even if you do have plenty of it.

Yodogsandman's formula to mimic Lyman 2 with COWWs is very frugal, and on the money.

In short, starting with pure lead, and making Lyman 2 out of it is hard on resources, and may not be what you even want.

Just my 2 cents in this. I mean this in a most sincere and polite manner, along with all others who have chimed in here. IMHO you are putting the cart before the horse. In this one thread alone there is the collective wisdom of many, many decades of experience. Shooting lead revolves around boolit fit first, and then an alloy that matches the pressure you are getting in your load.

[rmcc]

40-82 and everybody....thanks a ton!!!!!!!!

I have been reloading since 1982 and when I came to this site I found out how little I know about reloading!!! It has opened up a whole new hobby for me. Thank you to all the kind people who have replied with helpful information. I have got a pretty good idea where I am headed now. Will take some trial and error but thanks to y'all, I have a good starting point!!

Rich