How to use pewter

[6622729]

So I have what for me is a lifetime supply of COWW and a bunch of Linotype and Foundry/Monotype lead on hand. No matter how I mix them, there will be some combination that'll be short on tin. How does one use pewter in a lead alloy? In other words, what do I do about the copper, silver or bismuth content?

[bangerjim]

Don't worry about it!


Just weigh the pewter out as Sn and add it per the alloy calculator on here. Keep you Sn content at about 2% and shoot it. And just add a bit more if you have a mold that is not filling out well.

banger

[William Yanda]

You can figure that modern dietary pewter is over 90% tin, probably 92-94%. The balance is probably mostly antimony with a possibility of bismuth, copper or silver. Since a common goal for the final alloy is 2-4% tin, the maximum, say 6% of non tin in the pewter, times 4% of the alloy weight from pewter=0.06x0.04=0.0024% of the alloy is from these non tin materials. 1/4 of 1% will probably not be noticeable in the uses to which we put these alloys.
Good casting and good shooting.
Bill

[imashooter2]

As Banger said, I simply ignore the other metals and use it as pure Sn. I think folks get way too wrapped around the axle trying to make "exact" alloys out of scrap materials.

[bangerjim]

FYI.....Bi will harden you alloy. The teeny amount you will find in some pewter will probably not be noticeable.

I have a 52% Bi alloy that will harden 1# of pure to 10bhn by adding only about an ounce or so of the alloy. There is very little data on adding Bi in any of the lead alloy calcs I have seen. With the war on lead, Bi will be showing up more and more! Great stuff for hardening Pb!

banger