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Thread: How do you work with pewter for tin content?

  1. #1
    Boolit Man
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    How do you work with pewter for tin content?

    Up until recently my bullet casting has just been for cheaper plinking loads. After recently acquiring a few suppressors I’ve gone down the road of hunting with subsonic loads. I had some 20-1 ingots I acquired and cast some bullets out of that worked good in my 458 socom on two deer but I’ve used all my 20-1 up. I do have some pure lead ingots and after reading as much as I could about using pewter for the tin content I’ve acquired about 7 pounds of pewter. I’m curious how everyone uses it. I’d like to use my ingots of pure lead and just add pewter to the casting pot as I add ingots, I’m in Wisconsin and it’s fairly cold outside so I really don’t want to remelt all my pure ingots just to add pewter and then make more ingots out of it. For those that add pewter to their melting pot do you just cut chunks off to get the proper weight pieces to keep the ratio to the ingots you add? Do you melt all of your pewter before hand and cast them into smaller sized pieces that you then add to the pot? I’m just trying to figure out the best way to use this. I’ve done a lot of searching and found minimal info on how everyone is using it.


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  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    CastingFool's Avatar
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    My alloy consists of 50% wheel weights. 50% plumber's lead, or stick on wheel weights plus 2% pewter by weight. Normally, measure 10 bs of coww, 10 lbs of coww, and 6.4 oz of pewter.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master Wheelguns 1961's Avatar
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    I cast my pewter into large bullets. This makes it easier to add the correct amount. I even use the sprues for the same. I have a postal scale to weigh everything out. For instance, measure 10 pounds of pure, add it to the pot. Measure 1/2 pound of pewter, add it to the pot.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    I use pewter to adjust an alloy to 2% tin in everything I cast. And 5% tin in the BHN=15+ alloys. But if you have a 20:1 alloy you are already at 5% tin so you don't need to add more pewter since it would be a waste. Tin is the most expensive component in a melt and it does not harden that well. You need to get some linotype or monotype for the Antimony since it hardens much better. Then use a small amount of pewter to balance the tin to antimony ratio if needed.
    Last edited by Delkal; 01-03-2025 at 08:15 PM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master Castaway's Avatar
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    I mix it 20:1. At the risk of being flamed, I seriously doubt a 20:1 lead/pewter alloy performs any different than 20:1 lead/tin.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Castaway View Post
    I mix it 20:1. At the risk of being flamed, I seriously doubt a 20:1 lead/pewter alloy performs any different than 20:1 lead/tin.
    Agreed. I use pewter and tin interchangeably. It is not worth trying to correct for the actual makeup of pewter.

  7. #7
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wheelguns 1961 View Post
    I cast my pewter into large bullets. This makes it easier to add the correct amount. I even use the sprues for the same. I have a postal scale to weigh everything out. For instance, measure 10 pounds of pure, add it to the pot. Measure 1/2 pound of pewter, add it to the pot.
    This was what I was looking for. I have a 600 gr NOE 458 mold that I could cast it in. I also have a sinker mold or two that might make acceptable sized pieces to add to the pot. Thanks.


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  8. #8
    Boolit Master Wheelguns 1961's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bubbadoyle View Post
    This was what I was looking for. I have a 600 gr NOE 458 mold that I could cast it in. I also have a sinker mold or two that might make acceptable sized pieces to add to the pot. Thanks.


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    I turn my pot down when I make the tin bullets. It takes a little adjustment because the sprues will be more difficult to cut. I use a large 45 colt mold, only because when I started doing it, it was the biggest mold I owned. Now, I am used to it. Your pewter bullets will be lighter than your lead bullets. With a little experimentation, you can come up with a workable solution.
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  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    I have poured both 300 gr pewter, and using a muffin tin poured thin "Coins" both work well.

    My normal mix is roughly 50% wheel weight lead, and roughly 50% range scrap, glue on wheel weights, lead pipe scrap, or similar.

    I then add one coin and test. If my fingernail says hard enough, good to go, cast.
    If it says "bit soft yet" then add either another coin, or a tin bullet and retest.

    If I know I am casting for rifle I may dig a ingot of Lino out and wave it back and forth in the melted lead till it seems about right.
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  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    I make 8 ounce pewter “coins” using a muffin pan. One Lyman ladle full in each cavity. 10 pounds of lead and one 8 ounce pewter coin makes redneck 20:1.

    Willie T

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master fredj338's Avatar
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    Not with pewter, but i alloy the pot all the time. It gives me the most flexibility in alloys to keep everything in basic form & alloy as i cast. No it wont be perfect but perfect isnt really needed.
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  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Castaway View Post
    I mix it 20:1. At the risk of being flamed, I seriously doubt a 20:1 lead/pewter alloy performs any different than 20:1 lead/tin.
    I agree. Pewter is usually 90% and up tin. Ornamental pewter, non food use, can contain lead.

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  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    I'm on the 2% pewter band wagon as well. I have a slightly softer alloy, but I powder coat everything and amped-up loads get gas checks.
    25% COWW - 75% pure/soft lead - 2% pewter to total weight of lead.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by Castaway View Post
    I mix it 20:1. At the risk of being flamed, I seriously doubt a 20:1 lead/pewter alloy performs any different than 20:1 lead/tin.
    20:1 is about 4.75% tin. Modern pewter holloware is at minimum 92% tin. So 8% of 4.75% is 0.38% antimony/copper in the whole. I find it hard to get too worked up over it.
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    For various reasons (some well reasoned, others related to my personality) I like my alloy to be repeatable. To that end my lead sources and pewter scrap each get combined into large lots that I get xrf analyzed, allowing precise combination to get a specific end product. My casting alloy also tends to be made in large lots (200+ pounds) so the pewter lots are in bars of ~1 1/2# and coins of ~1 oz, more or less added depending on the tin content (US or European food service pewter marked as such is reliably 90 to 95% tin, but decorative pewter and some far eastern pewter can have a lot of the tin replaced by lead).

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