Price Metal Co Kansas City MO Solder

[DHurtig]

I picked up a big spool of solder marked Price Metal Co at a yard sale this morning. There is no marking for the amount of lead and tin. I Googled the name and got nothing so apparently the have been out of business for a while. The spool is 4" wide and 6 1/2" tall and weighs about 20 pounds. Lady said it was her Grand Fathers. Paid $5 for it. Anybody seen this or have an idea of what I've got here ?

[MT Chambers]

You can tell tin content to some extent by comparing how much it takes to bend it, compare with a solder of known content. The softer it is the more lead it has.

[RogerDat]

You may find a single number someplace that is the tin content. Like a /30 or -20 or just a number. Scrap yard XRF gun is best bet, or send a sample with 1# of regular lead to one of the members in S&S that will gun it for you. With 20# it is probably worth the extra effort or pound of lead plus shipping to find out. Melt / Liquidus temp can be a good indicator in lead/tin binary alloys, antimony added alloys with three or more ingredients are more variable than just lead/tin about those temps.

[DHurtig]

I took it to the local recycler and they scanned it for me. 93% lead 3% silicon, less than 1% tin.

[DerekP Houston]

I took it to the local recycler and they scanned it for me. 93% lead 3% silicon, less than 1% tin.

That stinks, but at least it was only .25c a lb. I wonder what the silicon content would do in boolits.

[RogerDat]

I would double check that figure, silicon is contamination, possibly on the gun sensor. Silicon is used in machining lubricant, and doing a barrel of shavings they can get the stuff on the sensor. Solder at 1% tin is not a normal product, lowest I have ever seen is 5% which makes a nice 20:1 ratio for casting BP cartridges or mild pistol rounds.