First time smelting

[megasupermagnum]

This will be the first time I've actually tried blending together multiple alloys to make a proper bullet casting alloy. I shoot mostly revolvers, but am starting to move into rifles. I have a decent stock of soft SOWW lead that seems nearly pure. I also acquired just over 100 pounds of linotype. I am thinking of mixing 3:1 lead to lino as has been suggested here. I assume this is enough tin to fill out the mold, or would I be better off adding more? I'd rather have a tougher bullet at the expense of some tin if just the 3-1 mix is too brittle. I have tried the alloy calculator on this website, but it doesn't seem to show the amounts for smelting. Just to confirm my math, would 75 pound of soft lead, to 25 pound of lino, plus 1 pound of tin equal 3-1 plus 1%?

[rancher1913]

ratio's don't work to mix for hardness, its a mathematical mess. there is a calculator here somewhere that you tell it your desired hardness and how much of "this" your using and it will tell you how much of "that" to use.

[runfiverun]

I don't even bother adding more tin.
your mix will be fine, it's even better if you can mix it 50-50 with some clip on ww alloy.
the arsenic in the ww's is a grain refiner and you gain even more BHN but without messing with the malleability of the alloy.

the big main bulk of my casting alloy is me mixing what I have in an attempt at getting between 2.5-3.0% antimony in the mix.
if I need a little more tin for fill-out or whatever I add it in the pot for that mold that day.

[megasupermagnum]

I've seen 3:1 listed elsewhere in this forum, and seems like a good alloy for what I'm doing, I could be wrong. I just wanted to be sure "3:1" alloy is, for example purposes, 25lb lino to 75lb soft lead (SOWW). It looked like 3:1 was pretty close to COWW's. You think I could go even softer? I'm all for the softest alloy I can get away with, but I'm working with handguns that can run up to 45,000 psi, rifles the same or higher. I prefer big bullets, and low velocity, but it seems the soft alloy (20:1 lead/tin) I have been using so far starts to cause leading problems with max loads where pressures are likely over 40,000 psi. I have been having good luck with another mystery alloy (that is likely straight clip on wheel weights), and water dropping. I don't have access to any COWW's, so that is a no go. I have SOWW, linotype, and a few pounds of tin. Maybe a 4:1 ratio plus tin? It might be in my head, I just like the idea of keeping the tin closer to 2%.

[MaryB]

This is the resulting alloy

Mixed Alloy Tin % Antimony % Arsenic % Copper % Silver % Lead % Weight Est. Hardness
1.19% 3.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 95.8% 100.0 11.7

Now if you used 75 pounds clip on ww and 25 linotype

Mixed Alloy Tin % Antimony % Arsenic % Copper % Silver % Lead % Weight Est. Hardness
1.38% 5.25% 0.19% 0.00% 0.00% 93.2% 100.0 13.8

55 pounds stick on WW to 45 pounds lino

Mixed Alloy Tin % Antimony % Arsenic % Copper % Silver % Lead % Weight Est. Hardness
1.94% 5.40% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 92.7% 100.0 14.1

[lwknight]

It will not be too brittle. In fact it will not be brittle at all unless you water drop from the mold. True that with only 1% tin you will not get the toughness that would be needed if you water drop. I don't think you need more tin unless you are going to make hollow points.
My guess is that you will get about a 12 bnh after they cure for a couple weeks.

Its not going to work very well if you use magnum loads without gas checks. You can water drop but will get sorta brittle bullets that will be great for paper punching on the cheap.

[megasupermagnum]

I do like to water drop. Thanks MaryB, for the chart. I do have the calculator, so I should play around with that some more. I am still thinking that a 3-1 mix is about where I want to be, and will be adding tin to get the mix around 2%. With water dropping, I am hoping this will work well for me. As I said, I have been getting some leading with the 40k+ PSI loads, but they are soft, probably 8-10 BHN. I don't have a hardness tester, so it's all an educated guess.

[fredj338]

I do my alloy in the casting pot, just seems easier to control the numbers. All my ingots are clip ww, pure lead or range scrap. I have lino in type form. Just add the ratio of diff alloy to the casting pot.

[Grmps]

I do my alloy in the casting pot, just seems easier to control the numbers. All my ingots are clip ww, pure lead or range scrap. I have lino in type form. Just add the ratio of diff alloy to the casting pot.

I found that Lino in type form is very dirty I prefer to smelt (fluxing multiple times) ANYTHING I put in my casting pot/
with pewter (tin) I smelt then cast into 1/2 oz boolits for easier alloying
https://i.imgur.com/Ffx487d.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Axvvj8Z.jpg

[megasupermagnum]

I'm not sure what kind of lino I have. It's in big 50# bars, and says Linotype on them. I've mixed alloys in my casting pot before, but ended up just scrapping that batch of bullets with all the crud that gets suspended in the alloy. I had been mixing to this point, but with clean alloys I bought from Rotometals.

[bangerjim]

After years of "playing around" with many alloys, I have found the best (for me) is to keep all the components of the different alloys I use in their native format. I have MANY MANY ingots of pure Pb, Sn, COWWs, high Sb, lino, and other metals I add to the casting pot as needed based upon ratios of the alloy calculator I need for what I am casting.

Good luck in your endevour in casting!

Making hundreds of pounds of an allow commits you to that allow for a looooooooooong time. I prefer to not commit to one mix, but make it up on the fly. Having your metals in thier pure format also makes selling the ingots easier if that ever comes to pass.

Banger

[megasupermagnum]

You know, that's a very good idea, and not one I had considered. All I'd have to do is turn my lino into ingots. My SOWW's are in about 3# ingots that fit in the casting pot, and my tin are the nuggets sold by Rotometals. That way I could play around with different alloys for this year until I decide on what I like best.

[MaryB]

I use a LOT of Lyman #2 alloy so I do 50 pound batches of it. Versatile, works in pistol and rifle...

[zymguy]

I use a LOT of Lyman #2 alloy so I do 50 pound batches of it. Versatile, works in pistol and rifle...

whats your mix mary ?

[bangerjim]

You know, that's a very good idea, and not one I had considered. All I'd have to do is turn my lino into ingots. My SOWW's are in about 3# ingots that fit in the casting pot, and my tin are the nuggets sold by Rotometals. That way I could play around with different alloys for this year until I decide on what I like best.


I keep my lino in the original "lines-of-type". Easy to cut up and add. And......it PROVES beyond a shadow of a doubt it is REAL lino......if you (or your heirs) ever want to sell it. No doubt is is real pure linotype. Cast into ingots......it could be anything!

Just a word to the wise from a sage of wisdom I knew years ago.

Banger

[dragon813gt]

I agree w/ Banger. Type metals should be kept in their original form. I personally won't buy, from an individual, if it isn't. There is no question about what it is if it's left in the original form.

[MaryB]

as close as I can get to 90-5-5 with whatever I have on hand. Foundry type is great for adding to soft lead for example. I use the spreadsheet calculator and work it out.


whats your mix mary ?

[megasupermagnum]

I still like the idea of mixing in the casting pot to try different alloys. I'll probably just cast a small amount of linotype ingots to start.

MaryB, I had been looking at lyman#2. Do you find the bullets to be tougher/less brittle than hardball, or do you just like the casting characteristics?

[bangerjim]

That's the cool part of this "hobby". There are no set rules. You can do whatever works for you and your guns! Experiment around. Try different "out-of-the-box" things. Just be safe.

If it casts and shoots with your guns.............that is all you need!

Happy New Year

Bangerjim

[MaryB]

It casts well, works in just about anything... and saves me from having to label mixed alloy with percentages. I mix mostly #2 and call it good.


I still like the idea of mixing in the casting pot to try different alloys. I'll probably just cast a small amount of linotype ingots to start.

MaryB, I had been looking at lyman#2. Do you find the bullets to be tougher/less brittle than hardball, or do you just like the casting characteristics?