new to casting question

[jungleman9941]

i just started to cast 9mm and i have a good supply of 63/37 solder. i guessed at how much to add and the mix came out to 90/10. this was checked on a high dollar machine at work. are these o.k. to use or is it to much tin?

George

[cabezaverde]

Won't hurt you, but anything over 3% is a waste.

[mroliver77]

Back in Elmer Kieths day he shot 10/1 boolits in his magnums. It will cast beutifully and shoot well but tin is an expensive way to harden boolits. Oh, what did you mix solder with?
Jay

[Gohon]

but anything over 3% is a waste.

No it's not......... that mix should give him between 11 and 12 BHN. With only 3% tin he would be lucky to reach 7 BHN. This is all assuming he is mixing tin into straight lead which it sounds like he is by his indication of 90/10. If it is WW he is using then that is a different story.

[jungleman9941]

i used ww lead and mixed in some 63/37 bar solder and the mix came out 90/10. i just guessed when i added the solder must have gone a little heavy. i don't mind about using to much tin it's free. just want to make sure it o.k. to use.

George

[Gohon]

i used ww lead and mixed in some 63/37 bar solder and the mix came out 90/10. i just guessed when i added the solder must have gone a little heavy. i don't mind about using to much tin it's free. just want to make sure it o.k. to use.George

That being the case then you are using way to much tin but then the 90/10 you mentioned doesn't sound right either as there should be antimony figure in there somewhere. This makes the over 3% tin waste comment valid if you're using wheel weights.

[405]

Hey, if the solder (tin) is free no problemo. I assume you can analyze the alloy at work? Another nice bonus! If you mixed the solder with WW then there likely is some antimony in the mix also. Between the high tin content and the unknown amount of antimony the last key to the puzzle is still missing. That is the hardness (BHN) of the final alloy. It would pay get that checked also. Most shooters use the relative hardness on the BHN scale as a basic tool when working up loads and as a reference base line for any given alloy.

*Gohon, we must have been posting on the same wavelength and at the same time :)

[Slow Elk 45/70]

Solder is free , lucky you. There is no problem with adding the tin, but if you are melting WW for alloy to shoot in a 9MM, and adding tin, it is really a waste. The WW is already harder than you need for most pistol loads. Take the tin and save it, trade it , what ever or use it if it makes you smile.[smilie=1:

[dubber123]

With that much tin, would you please send me your used boolits?, I'll use them to improve my alloy! I stick maybe 6" of wire solder in a pot, that probably amounts to nothing. The free tin is a nice thing to have.

[cajun shooter]

Tin is not used for bullet hardening. It is used for mold fill out! You need to read the Lyman Cast bullet Book. You also need to read the sticky section of this forum. Read every thing you can find that is written by Glen Fryxell. There is a sticky that covers your question

[sqlbullet]

Tin is not used for bullet hardening. It is used for mold fill out! You need to read the Lyman Cast bullet Book. You also need to read the sticky section of this forum. Read every thing you can find that is written by Glen Fryxell. There is a sticky that covers your question

Um....Actually, tin can be used for hardening and the sources above will confirm that. It just doesn't harden very much (relative to other agents), and is very expensive to use in this fashion.

Pure lead is a BHN of 5, 2.5% (1:40) tin is a BHN of 8, and 10% (1:10) tin is BHN 12. Clearly the tin alloys are harder than pure lead.

Tin does not contribute to hardening from heat treatment (quenching). Tin is expensive compared to other hardening agents (notably, antimony and traces of arsenic).

As mentioned above, the benefit tin is best at providing is lowering melting point and surface tension, reducing waste from oxidation and giving better bullet mold fill out. These properties are maximized at 2% tin.

The OP may want to consider using their supply of very valuable solder to trade for type metal (lino, mono, foundry), WW, or other lead alloys with antimony. This will maximize the number of casting you get from your supply.

[fredj338]

i used ww lead and mixed in some 63/37 bar solder and the mix came out 90/10. i just guessed when i added the solder must have gone a little heavy. i don't mind about using to much tin it's free. just want to make sure it o.k. to use.

George
I'm not sure what machine you use to measure alloy composition, but how do you know what the ww composition is? If it's clip-ons, as noted, you can shoot them straight w/ a little tin added for castablility. The antimony is what makes the bullet harder.
I believe the ref. to E.Keith using 10-1 alloy was off a bit. I think Keiths' magnum alloy was 16-1. I shoot LHP @ 25-1 to 1225fps+ w/o leading. SO adding tin does make the bullet a bit harder than pure lead but I think adding more than 5%-6% is about all the hardness you'll get.

[blackthorn]

Whats free tin today may well be costly and/or unobtainable tomorrow! Why waste it?