No need to melt it first. It's fairly pure. Just skim off the slag. If you do want to smelt, bees wax is an excellent flux. Regular canning wax also works, as does pine shavings.
Linotype lead is about BHN 20, and pure lead is about BHN 5. Between BHN 8 and 20, the metallurgy is fairly linear, so you can use a simple ratio to calculate BHN.
So, Lino:Pure PB
1:1 = (20+5)/2 = 12.5 BHN
1:2 = (20+5+5)/3 = 10 BHN
1:3 = (20+5+5+5)/4 = 8.8 BHN
If your starting with a harder lead, like BHN 11 range lead, just change the 5's to 11:
1:3 = (20+11+11+11)/4 = 13.3
1:4 = (20+11+11+11+11)/5 = 12.8
1:5 = (20+11+11+11+11+11)/6 = 12.5
1:6 = (20+11+11+11+11+11+11)/7 = 12.3
There's an alloy calculator out there that most of us use. Your numbers don't jive with the calculator.
As an example the calculator shows a 1:3 mix with a BHN of 11.7, the mixing of Sb and Sn with PB doesn't work quite like you think it does.
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...oy-calculators
NRA Benefactor.
Actually it's the alloy calculator that is inaccurate. It's based on the Rotometals calculation which assumes that the alloys are linear with respect to hardness, and it's fairly inaccurate on the higher and lower outputs. Here is the Lead/Tin mixture vs BHN which illustrates why you can't use a linear equation:
I know what you're thinking, that I've omitted Sb in this mix, and there is good reason for that. Sb alloys are even less linear and not easily charted.
What I was saying in my post, is that you can mix known alloys, and get a reasonable estimate as to what the hardness will be based on just the hardness and proportion of the alloys, but this only holds true if you final BHN is between 8 and 20. Just as with the Rotometals formula, my estimate is flawed as well on the higher and lower BHN's.
I've made many Lead/Lino alloys, and measured them, but this is even more complex than I have attempted to explain. I have the ability to measure BHN with an accuracy of 0.5 BHN.
Here is one of my latest experiments, where I was trying to determine the effects of equal amounts of SnSb in a lead alloy. It also illustrates the problems with attempting to calculate a BHN, as the answer isn't that simple.
Last edited by PBaholic; 04-03-2021 at 12:40 PM.
I salvage the old school metal muffin tins at garage sales. They come in several sizes and usually 6, 8 or 12 muffins. If you smelt you can short pour each puck to approximate the weight. With experience, you get real close. For flux, buy bees wax in a large block, it is cheaper than buying it 1 pound at a time. Another option for bees wax is the toilet seal ring in the plumbing section. Just make certain its not the "green new deal" and synthetic wax.
Benefactor Member of NRA
I've used second hand muffin tins. They work well, but don't use the ones that are actually tin coated with something like pewter. The ingots will weld to the plated metal and will be the dickens to get out (unfortunately I have first hand experience with this).
I acquired about 50 pounds of print type a few years ago. I was uncertain of exactly what I had and how many times it had been used. I melted all of it together, fluxed it well, and poured it into ingots using Lyman ingot molds. I then cast some of it into bullets using 6 cavity molds in 22, 40, and 45 caliber. Now I have "ingots" of widely varying weights. I can add this as needed to other alloys in relatively accurate increments. If I just need to tweak a mix, I can use the 22 bullets. In larger quantities I can use a larger ingot. I've found that mixing Linotype 50/50 with COWW yields a very close copy of Hardball alloy (92-6-2)
Sometimes the calculator doesn't "jive" with itself
Often when you combine 2 or more materials (like Sb & SN) you come up with a totally new alloy with new characteristics and formulas don't always work
I also just take the alloy's hardness and do the math.
I recently got done sorting/packaging/shipping hundreds of pounds of linotype from a print shop, my hands were always covered with ink when I got done.
I may be a little OCD but I prefer EVERYTHING that goes into my casting pot to be clean.
My 2¢
I melt my linotype, be it strips or pigs, and cast it into 1/2# or 1# ingots.
This way I can mix my own known alloy.
So far, I have used it to blend with other known alloys.
Quench your WW bullets in ice water as they drop from the mold if you want hard bullets. Not much difference between quenched ww's and pure lino. I used to do all my casting (back in the '80's) with pure lino and then tried quenching. Not much real measurable difference using LBT or Cabinetree testers...
All well and good, if one has access to WW alloy. Not everyone does and it's getting scarcer and scarcer. Three parts pure to one part lino is a close approximation of COWW alloy. Heat treating is a better option than water quenching, if you're after consistency.
Winelover
Early 70's lino was the go to, shot over 2K pounds in 45's 357's and 30/06 all at 7-9 cents a pound for ingots and some type lines at a Nickle a pound at the bone yard I sold copper to.
Cable sheathing was paid for at 3 cents a pound. Kept over another ton of that from one job we did as electricians. Pure lead cutting of the solder parts.
Cut the lino 50/50 with the cable sheathing.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |