Why 50/50 solder?

[Nora]

General consciences here seams to say 50/50 solder to increase the tin in the melt. Granted no one has said that it is the only type to use, it's just the most common response. Why hasn't there been any mention of just using solder with 95% tin and 5% antimony? After all antimony is the "other" ingredient in WW's.

I'm just curious if there is something I'm missing.
Thanks in advance.

Nora

[felix]

Anyway you know how is good. ... felix

[jhrosier]

Nora,
50/50 is so common that most folks just naturally mention it.
63/37 and 60/40 are also used.
The 95% tin "lead free" solder is a new thing to many of us old guys and just doesn't come to mind first.
You are not missing anything.
"50/50" is just a way of saying "some sort of tin/lead solder".

Jack

[montana_charlie]

Why hasn't there been any mention of just using solder with 95% tin and 5% antimony? After all antimony is the "other" ingredient in WW's.
I think those who use WW feel that it already has enough antimony. They add the tin bearing solder to get better fillout...not to further harden the alloy.

CM

[Bob Krack]

As long as you can verify the tin content (for repeatability) it don't make a bit of difference where ya get the tin (less'n there's contaminants also)

Bob

[fredj338]

Nora,
50/50 is so common that most folks just naturally mention it.
63/37 and 60/40 are also used.
The 95% tin "lead free" solder is a new thing to many of us old guys and just doesn't come to mind first.
You are not missing anything.
"50/50" is just a way of saying "some sort of tin/lead solder".

Jack

Exactly, that & it is easy to do the proportions w/o a calculator. I actually prefer pure tin for the cost, but you aren't as likely to find it at a local hardware store.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

:redneck:Yup , the only reason to use 95/5 would be if to enhance an alloy for a little more hardness with the Antimony content , you can do the same with a few OZ. of Lawrence Magnum shot.
50/50, 63/37 , 60/40 , is easier to find than pure tin, most of the time.
:redneck:: :castmine: :Fire::Fire

[runfiverun]

thaat and most of the old guy's used to be able to get 50-50 solder from one of their buddies that got it from work.

[randyrat]

General consciences here seams to say 50/50 solder to increase the tin in the melt. Granted no one has said that it is the only type to use, it's just the most common response. Why hasn't there been any mention of just using solder with 95% tin and 5% antimony? After all antimony is the "other" ingredient in WW's.

I'm just curious if there is something I'm missing.
Thanks in advance.

Nora I think the reason being is; Tin with lead is no longer used in residential aplications anymore (lead in the mix is a NO NO for water pipes) So us casters find tin/lead mixes easier or is more common at scrap yards,yard sales ect..
The Tin /Antimony95/5 alloys are way more expensive so most of us don't even consider using it.

[anachronism]

I use 95/5 leadfree. I buy it by the roll at my local "big box" hardware store when it's on sale. Not everyone wants to add antimony to their alloy, so 50/50 & the other "pure" variants will always have a following.

[windrider919]

I actually found that I could go online and buy pewter which is +- 95% tin for a lot less than pure tin or hardware solder. And as per adding antinmony, WW already have too much. Only if you were starting from pure Pb would you need to add antinmony. Adding more to WW does not work because beyond a certain percent it does not increase hardness. And it is pretty much at the limit in WW as it is. And if you research it, tin too has an effective limit in hardening the lead because it starts to form a different alloy and structure beyond a certain %. If I remember correctly, one of the stickies has all the alloy amounts listed and their effects. Anything more than 20-1 is a waste of tin.

[HangFireW8]

I actually found that I could go online and buy pewter which is +- 95% tin for a lot less than pure tin or hardware solder. And as per adding antinmony, WW already have too much. Only if you were starting from pure Pb would you need to add antinmony. Adding more to WW does not work because beyond a certain percent it does not increase hardness. And it is pretty much at the limit in WW as it is.

I don't know about your wheel weights, but my hardest batch was BHN 18-19 and all the other batches are 11-12. On the other hand, I have Monotype which regularly comes in at BHN25 to BHN29 due to the antimony. I've never seen wheel weights that hard.

-HF

[geargnasher]

I use quite a bit of 50/50 solder because it is the cheapest way for me to buy tin locally, pound for pound. 95/5 leadfree is almost three times the cost per pound and I don't need the extra antimony/copper/whatever they put in it. Same goes for silver bearing solder. If I need antimony (sometimes I get scrap or range scrap that needs it) I buy it pure and add known amounts.

The stuff called "stained-glass 60" solder has been the best deal on tin I ever found, a local hardware store had a sale on it a year ago in 1lb spools for $4, that's $6.67/pound for the tin if I didn't have TOO much fun in college[smilie=1::-D

For those who aren't in to algebra, 50/50 IS easier to figure, is widely available in bar form, and the extra pure lead cuts the antimony percent in ww some if you need a more malleable alloy for hollowpoints or whatever.

Gear

[JIMinPHX]

If you use 95/5, then just use half as much as you would use if it was 50/50. The 5% antimony in 95/5 isn't going to be noticed in a WW mixture that you add 1% or 2% solder to. 5% of 2% is 0.1%. That's not enough to appreciably affect a WW mixture.

[windrider919]

HangfireW8: As I understand it, beyond a certain percent the antimony does not alloy with the lead. Instead it separates and forms microscopic crystals of antimony embedded in the lead. In a hardness test it will appear to be harder but when fired in a firearm the softer lead around the crystals gas cuts easier and so the supposedly hard bullets can 'lead' the barrel more