Using pure antimony

[jordanka16]

I have a lot of pure lead and lead/tin solder, but not much else. So shooting magnum loads can be difficult without using up a lot of tin. Wheel weights don't seem to exist in quantity anymore so I wanted another solution.

You can buy Antimony/lead mixes, but it's more cost effective to buy pure Antimony. About 15-20 per lb for antimony alloy, vs about $8 per lb for pure chunks.

I have read how it can be a challenge to get pure antimony to mix into lead but wanted to try it for myself. My technique was to melt some lead in a small container, then using a torch individually melt chunks of antimony into the lead. Some oxide was given off, if you've ever welded galvanized steel it looked like that but not quite as much, but working upwind with a disposable respirator takes care of that. I mixed up a batch of 50/50 in a 500 gram bar for my test. It went really well, the antimony melted right in to the lead without much trouble, stirring the mass felt like mixing sand, it was very grainy. I ended up with a wide flat 500 gram ingot. The inside when broken looks like a crystal.







I wanted to mix up a small test batch of alloy with this, so I broke off a small chunk and mixed it with pure lead and solder to get a ratio of 96/1/3 lead tin antimony, mostly to see if it would mix. Everything worked perfect, and although I didn't want to warm up a mold for one pour, I poured some into a copper pipe cap. The little slug I got is hard enough I can't scratch it with my fingernail. My next step is to mix up enough to cast some bullets with it and load them into my .44 or .357 for a real test, but so far it seems like it worked really well.

[JimB..]

There was recently a thread on this very topic. The short version is that antimony will alloy with lead at casting temps, you just gotta have a way to submerge it. Seems a lot less trouble than torching the antimony. Do report back if you try it.

[jordanka16]

There was recently a thread on this very topic. The short version is that antimony will alloy with lead at casting temps, you just gotta have a way to submerge it. Seems a lot less trouble than torching the antimony. Do report back if you try it.

I will have to give that a try too. I used a shallow flat cast iron pan this time, but I think I will look for a deeper and smaller pan to give that a try. This was mostly a test to see if it could be easily done, and indeed the torch wasn't difficult.

[oley55]

here's the link to thread mentioned.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...y-to-pure-lead

[Rich/WIS]

Did it by placing the SB in the bottom of my cut-off propane tank smelting pot and then piling half the lead needed for my alloy on top. Turned burner on high and when the top got liquid cut the heat back and added the rest of the lead. This reduced the alloy heat quickly to prevent serious oxidation and stirred well. Seemed to work okay.

[fredj338]

I think its just easier to get antimony into your alloy with a high antimony alloy like Lino or monotyp.