I do not understand the calculator

[DCB]

at all!!
from Lyman cast bullet 3rd edition page 57. composition and hardness of bullet metals.
I mixed what I thought would give me a hardness of about 15-17 bhn.
#2 alloy 90% lead 5% tin 5% antimony. the mix calls for 4lb. of Linotype ? Is linotype harder than antimony? I used 50/50 solder instead of tin.
so my thought was to add 1lb. more of antimony to the batch which came to about 11lb. total. 5lb. lead, 1lb. 50/50 and 5lb of antimony.
I let the cast bullets set for about a month, now when I check for hardness they are at about 12 bhn using lee checker and calipers to measure the dent in the material. the lead test at 5-6 bhn the antimony at 26bhn
..HELP..

[Kosh75287]

I calculated the expected hardness by weighted average and came up with 17 - 18 bhn. You have 5.5 pounds of lead, 0.5 pounds of tin, and 5 pounds of antimony in the mix (which seems like a lot too much).
Your lead:tin:antimony ratio is 11:1:10. I'm NOT a master bullet caster, but I'D expect the better ratio is more like 18:1:1.
I'm not sure that the role of antimony is so much as a hardener of alloys (it certainly CAN), as it is to help keep the lead and tin from separating into layers or phases during melting. The lead is obviously what makes up the bulk of the projectile, but is too soft on its own, for most uses. The tin hardens the lead alloy, up to a point, but it's ALSO there to enable the melt to fully fill out the moulds, when poured into them. I would think that no more than 3 to 6 % by weight is necessary. If more tin is desired, care must be taken to be sure it does not form layers or phases within the lead matrix. Antimony, so named because it is almost never found in nature uncombined with lead, tin, and similar metals, acts as a "common solvent" into which both lead and tin become freely soluble. 1% to 3% by weight is USUALLY all the antimony that's required to do this.
I think I'd set these projectiles aside, and add them back in, 1part projectiles, 9 parts 1:20 tin:lead bullet alloy, and re-cast. You might also try dumping the newly cast projectiles in a bucket of water, straight from the bullet mold. I'd EXPECT that you'll get projectiles in the 18 brinnell range.

[Dusty Bannister]

Wrong combination of tools for the accuracy required. You need to scope part of the set to take accurate readings.

[DCB]

""I calculated the expected hardness by weighted average and came up with 17 - 18 bhn. You have 5.5 pounds of lead, 0.5 pounds of tin, and 5 pounds of antimony in the mix (which seems like a lot too much).""
OK that makes some sense to my thick head.
If I mix 18-1-1, I will get about 11 BHN? correct?
This batch started out to be 'mix your own #2 alloy. with a BHN of around 15-17.
The combo I mixed is in the composition and hardness of common bullet metals. If I had used a full 5% Tin instead of the 50/50 solder would the mix have been closer to my target BHN? yes?
/// :killingpc ///
I need tin..
Dusty I have a scope that came with the lee hardness tester but its a pain to use cant seem to find the divit. I figured out today how to mount it so I could get a fairly good measurement.
thanks










ok

[Minerat]

Here is a thread to an alloy calculator on excel it might help.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?105952-Lead-alloy-calculators

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

at all!!
from Lyman cast bullet 3rd edition page 57. composition and hardness of bullet metals.
I mixed what I thought would give me a hardness of about 15-17 bhn.
#2 alloy 90% lead 5% tin 5% antimony. the mix calls for 4lb. of Linotype ? Is linotype harder than antimony? I used 50/50 solder instead of tin.
so my thought was to add 1lb. more of antimony to the batch which came to about 11lb. total. 5lb. lead, 1lb. 50/50 and 5lb of antimony.
I let the cast bullets set for about a month, now when I check for hardness they are at about 12 bhn using lee checker and calipers to measure the dent in the material. the lead test at 5-6 bhn the antimony at 26bhn
..HELP..
Are you sure you have pure antimony?
pure Antimony has a BHN of 50
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

""I calculated the expected hardness by weighted average and came up with 17 - 18 bhn. You have 5.5 pounds of lead, 0.5 pounds of tin, and 5 pounds of antimony in the mix (which seems like a lot too much).""
OK that makes some sense to my thick head.
If I mix 18-1-1, I will get about 11 BHN? correct?
This batch started out to be 'mix your own #2 alloy. with a BHN of around 15-17.
The combo I mixed is in the composition and hardness of common bullet metals. If I had used a full 5% Tin instead of the 50/50 solder would the mix have been closer to my target BHN? yes?
/// :killingpc ///
I need tin..
Dusty I have a scope that came with the lee hardness tester but its a pain to use cant seem to find the divit. I figured out today how to mount it so I could get a fairly good measurement.
thanks
ok
I think you either need to follow the recipe or figure out how to use Bumpo's spreadsheet alloy calculator.

[garandsrus]

You are confusing 5% antimony with 5 lbs antimony! You don’t have 5 lbs of antimony in your mix.

Tour initial mix was 90-5-5 (pb-antimony-tin)
You added 50-50 (pb-tin)
Linotype is stated as 84-12-4 (pb-antimony-tin)

If you use the alloy calculator, you can figure out the percentages of what you have based on how much of each you added.

[DCB]

Thanks I now see the error of my thought.
the antimony is a blend. I will get the exact components next week when I see the seller.
I should have used 4 lb. lead 2lb. of 50/50 solder and now I am not sure how much of my antimony blend. 5% antimony may be correct.
I am going to work on the spread sheet today and figure out what to do for another batch.
Thanks for all the help. Homer.

[hc18flyer]

4# lead + 2# 50/50 solder(1# tin)= 16+% tin and 83%+ lead. I use the free bumpo calculator, which works fine for me. hc18flyer
If my mathimatizing is corect?

[Rickf1985]

I am having trouble following all of the different mixes here but from the sounds of it no matter what you do you are looking at WAY too much tin! You only want a max of 2% tin for fill out and the antimony for hardness but too much antimony will give you brittle bullets that will self destruct in flight.

[DCB]

Thanks, I am starting to understand confusion is a state of mind
and I have a lot of it.

[notenoughguns]

Try this , 85 oz pure lead , 10 oz. 50/50 solder and 5 oz. antimony .Can't be much simpler than that !

[DCB]

Figured out the calculator.
my expectations for my batch of #2 was skewed by mis information on my part.
i went back and doublechecked all my numbers and found they were pretty close as far as the bhn except the lead.
The lead is a solid 5 bhn the 50/50 is what you get 14Bhn now the antimony is more like monotype at 28 Bhn.
Thinks for all the help i can see clearly now :redneck: