Question on blending monotype with range lead

[fortrenokid]

Howdy Pards

Hoping this isn’t too novice a question and hope some good person will have some input.

Background: I grew up in a casting world where wheel weights were abundant and often free for the hauling away. Wow! They were lead too … not the iron, zinc, and plastic encountered nowadays. Those days are gone.

Now I’m fortunate in having access to plenty of range lead (composition varies but good guess would be 98-99% lead and 1-2% tin) and recently bought several pounds of monotype (72% lead, 19% antimony, and 9% tin).

Does anyone have a formula for the blending proportions of range lead and monotype to make an alloy with the approximate Brinell hardness of Linotype? How about the mixing proportions to approximate an alloy with the Brinell hardness of wheel weights?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Many thanks and Adios

Fort Reno Kid

[hawkenhunter50]

Check out this link. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?105952-Lead-alloy-calculators It has alloy calculators you can play around with to get what you want for blends.

[Winger Ed.]

Range Lead is all different.

If everybody shoots jacketed, you'll smelt out more or less pure Lead.
On a pistol range, there is a bit of everything- Jacketed, swaged, hard and soft cast, etc.

For anything close to being precise, you need to get a hardness tester, melt your range brass and start adding 'the good stuff'
to it and take samples along the way.

[fortrenokid]

Howdy Pards

Thanks to those on this Forum and another who referred me to alloy calculators. Alas they brot more confusion than enlightenment.

Found my answer on an internet search. Two parts soft lead to one part monotype (72 Pb/19 Sb/9 Sn) yields a Brinell hardness of 17. Reasonably close to Lino’s Brinell of 22. A bit more tin and I should have an alloy that hopefully will be a reasonable substitute for Linotype.

Adios

Fort Reno Kid

[GregLaROCHE]

Sounds like you found a good recipe. Good luck!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I'm not sure how near Linotype you mean by "reasonable substitute" for Linotype?
I'm also not sure why you want a reasonable substitute for Linotype for casting boolits?
But, be that as it may, let me help you with some numbers.

Monotype is 72-19-9

your blend of Two parts soft lead to one part Monotype is 90.7-6.3-3

Linotype is 84-12-4


The amount of Antimony in a ternary lead alloy is the main reason for hardness. So your blend has 6.3% Sb and Lino has 12%.

Your blend of Two parts soft lead to one part Monotype is pretty close to Lyman #2 (but short some Tin) which is a pretty good alloy, but it you dilute that with 50% soft lead, you will be very close to Wheel Weights.

If I had the alloy stash that you have, I'd mix 4 parts of Range lead to 1 part Mono. That will be very close to Wheel Weights, which is good for most shooting. If you need a harder alloy, that 4 to 1 blend will harden enough when heat treated...likely close to 22 Bhn.
Good Luck

[kevin c]

Other numbers:

Assuming the range lead really is 1% Sn, and that the monotype has the standard formula, a 60% monotype to 40% range lead mix will give you an alloy of 82.8% Pb, 11.4% Sb, 5.8% Sn, compared to Lino’s 84-12-4. So, a little less antimony, a little more tin, which does add some hardness, maybe more than making up for the slightly lower Sb.

Knowing what your application for the alloys will be would help some, as would knowing whether you’re going coat or wax lube the slugs.