WOW - casting 96% tin

[trk]

I've got a BUNCH of 96.5% tin, 3% Silver 0.5% copper alloy in ingots from smelting that are 2" x 4" x 2".

SO, I've been trying to figure how to get them into smaller more usable sizes and thinking about building a set of moulds of angle iron.

In the mean time I dug out a 12 ga round ball mould.

FIRST several from a cold mould were bright and shiney! About 0.8 oz compared to lead/tin alloy of 1.2 oz.

HARD. Can't scratch with my fingernail!

[Calamity Jake]

Just use whatever you are using now for casting ingots only pour small amounts of the 96% tin in each, try to pour the same amount in each ingot mold.

[HeavyMetal]

Why are you wanting to re smelt these?

Are they to large to fit in your casting pot?

If this is just about making the Tin easier to figure out when you want to add some to WW metal I'd just hold an ingot in to either the 1/2 or 1/4 mark on the current ingot as determined by the amount of tin you want to add to the alloy in your pot! The 96% tin will melt fast! No burned fingers!

I'm a believer in the fact that everytime you smelt a high tin content alloy you lose some of the good stuff in the dross! In other words if it ain't broke don't fix it!

You may also have other reasons to want to "shape shift" this stuff. I'm just suggesting that you think it through before you waste time and effort when a different approach may net you the same result!

[trk]

In the 2x2x4 ingots they are very difficult to melt off just a little or even a known amount. The ingot is such a good heatsink that the lead just freezes around it. That technique does work well with the bar-solder (96% tin 4% antimony) since the bars are long and thin.

I have quite a bit and at some point if I can figure out a good mould that is very easy to use I'll 'reshape' all that I have to be able to use/sell it.

[trk]

Just use whatever you are using now for casting ingots only pour small amounts of the 96% tin in each, try to pour the same amount in each ingot mold.

I may well do that with muffin tins - as I have 5 or 6 trays to use just for making ingots! Thanks, good idea!

[Razor]

Sounds like nice Tin babbit metal
I use it same as pure tin for alloying WW..
I use my Lyman ingot mould..
Casts up nice 1/2 lb and 1 lb marked ingots...

[Buckshot]

..............I had a bunch of tin in Lyman ingots and they were too large for most applications at the time. I grabbed an ingot in a visegrip and then 'C' clamped the pliers to the edge of the counter. Down below the ingot was a 3 lb coffeecan half full of water. I used a propane torch to melt the tin ingot, which resulted in a stream dripping inot the water.

I ended up with it all rendered down into small teardrops. In such a form it's eay to handle and to weigh out to a knat's er, behind :-). Yes it was in water, so yes you HAVE to dry it somehow, but there are many effective ways .

..............Buckshot

[crabo]

I can understand why you would want to do this. I have comtemplated melting all my solder and tin into large boolits, so I can just throw in a boolit or two when I need it. I was going to get the biggest mold I could find and something different from any gun that I cast for.

[jerrold]

I have a good idea!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sell me a few of those blocks of tin, problem solved

[405]

I like jerrolds idea :mrgreen:

I've had all manner of tin and solder. I've used two ways to handle it for alloying.

If you smelt large batches of a particular alloy in large pots simple add appropriate amounts to smelt then pour into ingots and mark ingots for future casting.

For single, casting pot batch lots, you'll need small or handi sized pieces. I have a regular gang ingot mold. For the small batch uses I just melt the tin or solder and pour into the regular ingot molds but only to about 1/4 to 3/8" thicknesses. That way they can easily be cut even smaller if needed. I use either a chisel or set of bolt cutters to cut and weigh.

No matter the ingots I pour for future casting or alloying I mark them with a small metal stamp set. That way, some time in the future, I'll know exactly what the stuff is.

[blackthorn]

Why not use either muffin tins or the regular ingot moulds and get/make the size dipper needed to give you the amount of tin in each ingot to pour? Each full-dipper ingot will be the same weight (or close) and still be small enough to do what you want.

[Wayne Smith]

Do you have some scrap 2x4? A router? Just route a channel in the 2x4 and pour away. It will last a suprisingly long time.

[trk]

Do you have some scrap 2x4? A router? Just route a channel in the 2x4 and pour away. It will last a suprisingly long time.

I might even get off my duff and go out to the shop (it's COLD out there this time of year) and fire up the mill and make a set of custom 1oz tin ingot moulds; just looking for something easier and less of an investment of time.

[James C. Snodgrass]

A 2 oz sinker of tin to 10 lbs of WW is perfect . I'm sure every one has sinker molds ? You do have a good problem though . James:mrgreen:

[trk]

Tried the muffin tins. 6-8 oz is easy, got a bunch. Agree 1-2 oz would be more convenient, need a bunch of moulds to do it. I have one sinker mould but it's smallish.

Still lookin' ....

[trk]

I tested the hardness of the 96.5/3/0.5 yesterday. 42 on Rockwell A. That's hard. Don't know what copper is. Will test the 95/5 tin/antimony today.

Easy to cast a 1/2 lb ingot in the bottom of a muffin tin. A bit big. May try bending sheetmetal to do a 'stick'.

[alamogunr]

Except for the low production rate, what's wrong with the 12 ga. round balls?

[hemiallen]

So what is the correct ratio of Tin to pure lead for rifle bullets? I have 3 pound fishing weights of pure lead that I won't be using anymore ( salmon weights) as I use downriggers w/ release clips instead of wasting lead.


I also picked up 4 half-full 5 gallon buckets of WW and when I melt them into muffin tins should I add Tin to them also? All will be clip style weights, seperating the stick-ons.

Thanks
Allen

[johnly]

It looks like the material is SAC 305 which is the standard lead-free solder used in the electronics industry.

John

[GLL]

I found this mould (breadsticks??) to cast my tin.

Art Greene showed me that you can cut such strips or bars of tin like cheese with simple garden lopper shears.

Really works well ! :)

Jerry

http://www.fototime.com/4BFECD999A11993/orig.jpg

[trk]

It looks like the material is SAC 305 which is the standard lead-free solder used in the electronics industry.

John

Kester is the brand. The scraps I have are purchased from the company I work for. We use solder pots filled with thsi stuff to dip the ends of wires into to solder the ends before being assembled to circuit boards or to windings of motors. What I've got are the scraps/overflow that gets spilled and then collected - we don't put anything into the pots except the new solder.

[trk]

Jerry -
I've been LOOKING for a mould like you've posted. Seen them in the past, just never thought to pick one up.
GOOD idea on the shears to cut them up.

[trk]

Allen -
Most folks add 1-2-3% tin to wheel weights to help the fillout.

1:20 to 1:30 are common ratios of tin to lead for soft plainbase bullets.

[hemiallen]

Thanks trk.

Allen

[trk]

Just measured a 500 gr .458 Hornady bullet - 43-44 on Rockwell 'a' scale. The 96.5/3/0.5 is 42 on the same scale.

Hmmmm.

[trk]

Back from the range.
3 different bullets.
335 gr tumble lube (20% wheel weights/rest 96.5/3/0.5)
335 gr 4 groove bore rider (20% wheel weights/rest 96.5/3/0.5)

305 gr 3 groove (96.5/3/0.5)

50/50 Alox/BW

458WM

19 gr Unique
Velocity ?? maybe 1400ish.

Accuracy - about the same as from WW or lead. Not spectacular, but not bad, potential for improvement with load development

Leading - MINIMAL

Clean as Unique usually is with light charge - dirty.

Bore cleaned up easily.

[IcerUSA]

If you go with the angle iron idea , look for some that is 1/2" or 3/4" from the hobby metal bins at the Farm Supply places , make them about 9 to 12"s long and you have nice meltin sticks of tin that don't look like anything else in the casting supplies .

Just an idea !

Keith

[azcoyhunter]

If I had that much Tin,

I think I wold cut it with a cold chisel,

That way you cold cut exact same sizes, so you can reproduce your alloys

When I make my alloys, I just mix every thing I have .... old bullets, wws, culled boolits, mystery lead ect......

[mtgrs737]

The Lee ingot mould has two 1/2 pound ingot cavities that can be shorted to reduce the weight even more.

[zxcvbob]

I'd use my biggest 6-cavity .45 bullet mold. Pour solid tin bullets, then make sure you label them!