Believe it or not Walmart is now selling sinkers made of tin. If you need just a little to improve casting quality this might work for you. Then again is it really tin?
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Believe it or not Walmart is now selling sinkers made of tin. If you need just a little to improve casting quality this might work for you. Then again is it really tin?
Could check the density of the sinkers. I can't believe anyone would make pure tin sinkers.
Tim
Concur. Why would anyone use expensive tin to cast sinkers? In a market where pennies make the difference in sales, they’d be cutting their own throats.
Edit: OP is correct. Eagle Claw claims to use tin. Hard to believe, but there it is…
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eagle-Cla...0&from=/search
Some states have outlawed lead sinkers so tin would work for the smaller ones. I'll bet zinc is another option soon too, especially for the larger ones.
I've seen them that look like Tin, but are actually Zinc.
If they are Zinc, they'll weigh right at 60% of what the same size & shape Lead one does.
I have no idea how much weight is there but Rotometals is selling pure tin at 25.00 a pound which comes to 1.56 an ounce so I am guessing WalMart is making a good profit on those tiny pieces.
You can also get little cut tin wire pieces if you want to duplicate the little pieces theme and that pound at Rotometals is 27.00 or 1.69 ounce.
Yeah, zinc would be too hard and brittle for split shot sinkers. Cost of tin is not an issue with such small weights. Anyone remember the sinkers with a rubber dogbone to keep them on the line. They could be made out of zinc.
Tim
Rolls of pluming solder is another good source of tin.
There are a few different kinds of Lead free sinkers.
Steel & Tin, Bismuth, Brass, Tungsten, and Brass.
Do a specific gravity test then check the melt temp.
If you need a bit of tin for your alloy right now, then the sinkers seem to be an option, though I’m not sure you’re getting much for your money.
Already mentioned, split shot and the thin 'wrap' sinkers need to bend easily, most of the 'cheap' metals are too brittle for that. Used to clamp lead split shot with my teeth, before lead became more toxic than polonium.
yup.. and I bet tin won't corrode in salt water like zinc could.Quote:
Originally Posted by dtknowles
Yeah but how long you going to leave the sinkers in the water. I guess zinc would not work for all types of fishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Soundguy
Tim
how much could that package weigh? 1 oz maybe 2. at $4 pkg. yeah, they are making money
and who knows, eagle claw might own a tin mine in some far off land where they pay the workers $0.10/hour?
and here I was thinking that its a problem to eat too many fish because of mercury not lead. I'm sure if a fish were dumb enough to suck in a lead sinker it would go right through it and sure not dissolve.
dont let my comments upset you I'm just in one of those rare moods