Why Pewter

[JAMESGR]

Why do some people use pewter in cast boolits?????????
I honestly don't know. So, this is a learning moment.
Thanks for the replies,
JAMES
JAMESGR

[imashooter2]

Modern food service pewter is better than 90% tin and can be had much cheaper than most other tin sources.

[imashooter2]

Look for it on Craigs list, at thrift stores, yard sales and our swapping and selling section.

[Winger Ed.]

It hardens the alloy.
The more you add, the harder it gets. To a point, you can push the boolit faster before it starts Leading the barrel.
It also makes the alloy's viscosity 'thinner' and you'll get better fill out in the mold than pure Lead.

If you've been using old school wheel weights as at least part of your alloy---
you're already using Tin since they have some in them.

[GhostHawk]

Antimony will add more hardness but it is harder to get it to mix in unless it is already in a lead/tin/antimony alloy. Which is why so many like lino or solder.

In my case my wife came home with 6.5 lbs of pewter on sat morning, paid 11$ for the whole works.
I cleaned up on of my older 4 lb lee dipper pots and proceeded to melt it down. Poured it into muffin pan for "coins" and 310 gr boolit mold for smaller units. So if I know my standard 50% Clip on Wheel Weights, + 50% range scrap/soft lead needs a little extra. Drop in a Pewter bullet or a coin, stir well and cast.

Boolits come out shiny with a harder surface, and molds fill perfectly.

Its just easy. Rocket science it ain't.

[Castaway]

Tim adds hardness initially, but the ratio to lead hardness to tin amount added isn’t linear. In other words, a little tin added to pure lead does harden to a point, but the same amount after the initial addition of tin won’t harden the same amount. Tin’s big contribution to lead is to allow the melt to flow and fill the mould cavities of large bullets

[GregLaROCHE]

Tin can add some hardness to pure lead, however, it’s good at improving the flow of the alloy. Bottom line, it’s a lot easier to make better well filled out boolits.

[d4xycrq]

I can only add one thing to the discussion.... Pewter seems to be everywhere at flea markets. Except what you pick up may not be pewter. Seems more and more, it's cast aluminum, with a patina to look like pewter. So, for me, pewter is getting scarce. Then there's the little old lady seller that thinks it's silver, and wants an arm and a leg. Stuff you see in antique malls will be priced for it's decor value - too high. I haven't come home with much pewter, lately. Hope you do better.

[Castaway]

A quick field test to determine pewter from cast Al is pewter will scratch with your fingernail, Al won’t.

[poppy42]

I can only add one thing to the discussion.... Pewter seems to be everywhere at flea markets. Except what you pick up may not be pewter. Seems more and more, it's cast aluminum, with a patina to look like pewter. So, for me, pewter is getting scarce. Then there's the little old lady seller that thinks it's silver, and wants an arm and a leg. Stuff you see in antique malls will be priced for it's decor value - too high. I haven't come home with much pewter, lately. Hope you do better.

When you buy pewter you need to look for hallmarks and know what you’re buying. Not everything that simply looks like pewter is

[JAMESGR]

OK, pewter is a solder substitute. Adding flowability to lead.
If a piece of flatware says "pewter" on the bottom it's a good bet that it's not coated aluminum. Correct????? And can be added to the lead pot.
Thanks,
JAMES
JAMESGR

[wilecoyote]

yes, all pottery that has pewter stamped on the bottom (and it melts better & faster than lead, btw)

[charlie b]

Wiki knows all :)

"Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85 -95% Tin, with the remainder consisting of Copper, Antimony, Bismuth and sometimes, less commonly today, Lead. Silver is also sometimes used. Copper and Antimony act as hardeners while Lead is common in the lower grades of Pewter, which have a bluish tint.

...A typical European casting alloy contains 94% tin, 1% copper and 5% antimony....

...So-called Mexican pewter is any of various alloys of aluminium used for decorative items...."

Melting point, depending on alloy, can be from a bit over 300F to around 450F.

So, as many have said, it can be a cheap source of tin for your alloy. But, have to make sure that it is actually 'tin' pewter.

https://www.rotometals.com/pewter-alloys/

[imashooter2]

OK, pewter is a solder substitute. Adding flowability to lead.
If a piece of flatware says "pewter" on the bottom it's a good bet that it's not coated aluminum. Correct????? And can be added to the lead pot.
Thanks,
JAMES
JAMESGR

Novice pewter hunters should read the thread linked in my signature. I have never seen an item marked simply "pewter" which was not. "Mexican Pewter," Pewterex and the like are NOT pewter.

[fredj338]

I think a better bet for scroungers is solder. I have found linotype at garage sales as well as bar solder. I have a bunch of pure lead to alloy so always looking.

[imashooter2]

Finding scrap pewter is a matter of where you live really. I live near a couple of affluent college towns. All that pewter hollowware that well to do 1950s housewives had to have to impress the neighbors holds no interest to their children. I bought piles of it for very reasonable prices back when I was selling ingots. Diligent searching on the big auction site turned up another pile. But for the 700 or so pounds I bought, I probably walked away from a ton or more that didn’t meet my price point.

If you live rural, or in a relatively new built area, you might well find more solder than pewter. It really doesn’t matter… low cost tin is the goal.

And it should be remembered that low cost tin stashes are built the same way as low cost lead stashes… years of dedicated scrounging. If you want it now, you pay the gotta have it price.

[Chaparral66]

I have access to about 50 pounds of pewter waiting to be smelted into ingots.

[JAMESGR]

Since the bride and I enjoy going to thrift stores anyway, I'll make pewter my quest item.
Wonder info!!!
Thank ya'll,
WISHING ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!
JAMES

[imashooter2]

And a Merry Christmas to you and yours James.

[JAMESGR]

Thank you imashooter2, hope ya'll have a SAFE AND HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
We were in Nanticoke, Pa a few yrs ago. pretty country.
JAMES

[Texas Gun]

how much is tin worth ?? i have a lot of it and pewter

[wilecoyote]

how much is tin worth ?? i have a lot of it and pewter

https://www.dailymetalprice.com/metalprices.php?c=sn&u=lb&d=20

[GregLaROCHE]

The one good thing about pewter (tin) is you don’t really have to add that much to your pot to get the results it gives. If it’s not easily available to you, consider buying some from a place like Roto Metals. A little bit goes a long way.

[PULSARNC]

pewter availibilty must be a regional thing . Here in eastern NC i very rarely encounter pewter either in thrift shops or on yard sales . When i do it its priced so high as to be unaffordable for the purpose of melting down. I have better luck with old solder on yard sales and surprisingly at pawn shops