Shotgun Luckey
06-29-2008, 11:43 AM
I am helping a newly widowed relative clean out her basement and have hauled out over 300 lbs of lead ingots. My only problen is, they weren't labled and had gotten mixed and re-mixed so I can't even be sure one bucket is all the same alloy.
So I figured I needed a lead hardness tester. Now, I'm not a machinist or engineer, but I'm working on building may own tester. I've done some prototyping and believe I almost have it figured out. Now I'm waiting on a magnifier with a scale to more accuratly measure my indentions.
I don't think it will be precise enough to cross directly to a BHN but it will give me a relative scale of hardness. I've tested it on pure lead, wheel weight, 20-1 alloy, pure tin, and lino type and have been able to accurately rank them in terms of hardness.
Has anyone else done this with success?
So I figured I needed a lead hardness tester. Now, I'm not a machinist or engineer, but I'm working on building may own tester. I've done some prototyping and believe I almost have it figured out. Now I'm waiting on a magnifier with a scale to more accuratly measure my indentions.
I don't think it will be precise enough to cross directly to a BHN but it will give me a relative scale of hardness. I've tested it on pure lead, wheel weight, 20-1 alloy, pure tin, and lino type and have been able to accurately rank them in terms of hardness.
Has anyone else done this with success?