I know nothing about casting,but someone will probably ask what ya goin' to shoot with them,and how hot ya load 'em. Think the old cowboys used pure lead with BP.

 

Not reloading yet, just making a list of materials and possible sources.

63/37 & 60/40 solder is eutectic...it stays solid until a specific temp is reached and then almost instantly converts to liquid form. I think 63/37 is solid to about 572 degrees, give or take. 60/40 is slightly lower.

 

On my phone right now or I would post a link to my favorite reference site. From my recollection that mix is a waste of the smaller elements needed to make good lead bullets. Some pure lead would be good to mix in (dilute) the tin.

 

jgriffin....if I am understanding your mixture correctly you would be using way too much tin. I don't have my numbers in front of me at the moment, but Lyman #2 is 90/5/5........Lead, Antimony and Tin. This has pretty much been the standard for years.

I don't add tin to my formula ( I use that term loosely) and I am using range scrap/lino type mix.

 

Thanks for the info, didn't know the composition ratios of bullet lead...why is antimony important?

 

I believe it is for hardness.

 

My co-worker, who is a little older and wiser than me, told me antimony improves the properties of lead and tin. Helps them get along better.

Hmmm...wonder if it could improve a marriage...?

 

yes it can, i buy all i can at flea mkts, yard sales what ever, use it to blend into other alloys

 

Well, I had to answer a call halfway through my answer above and in the process you beat me to it ... but that's what I thought he might be asking as well, not as a primary component but rather as an alloy tweak. The problem is that eutectic solder is designed to adhere to steel, which can really lead to some leading problems with your alloy if you're not sure what you are doing velocity/pressure-wise. That's why I mentioned I've only done it in a pinch and very very sparingly and with very low velocities. The moment you start experiencing etching is the moment you're going to have some pretty serious leading problems IMHO.

 

Are you asking if you could use the solder as an additive to your pot, or are you asking if you can cast boolits from pure rolls of solder?

I have used solder as an added casting agent before in a pinch, but again you need to forget the lead content and think strickly of the tin content when adding to your pot in an effort to get 90-5-5 or 87-8-5 or whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.

 

Hi
Just to say I have been casting my own bullets for many years and I use pure printing type, this makes a nice hard bullet ,will not lead up your barrel and you can run a bit faster speeds and even gas check if needed. I make all my .357, 44 and even .308 with a gas check running about 2000fps. when melted use a little tallow and skim off any muck this will cast a nice clean bullet. Hope this helps
Regards
Paul

 

Okay, understood that solder used for electronics is not a stand-alone casting medium, I kinda figured once the barrel heats up after several dozen rounds it would lead it up pretty good, with a micro-groove barrel (or any barrel) that might not be a good idea.

I also now understand why lead wheel weights are sought after, because the already contain antimony.

What about other, harder solders, such as those used for brazing copper pipes and such? Are there any other options? I'm asking because if there are, and I happen to stumble on a good supply, I might like to stockpile it for future use in casting.

Has anybody ever cast solid copper? I know it melts at almost 2000 degrees...anyone tried it at home?

I guess the tried-and-true recipe for bullet casting has three major advantages: availability of the raw material, ease of use and proven performance.

 

........ What about other, harder solders, such as those used for brazing copper pipes and such? Are there any other options? I'm asking because if there are, and I happen to stumble on a good supply, I might like to stockpile it for future use in casting..... .

Those are typically 95% tin 5% antimony.

20/1 (lead / tin) alloys can be used successfully in cartridges up to around 1,400 f.p.s.

To make that with your lead/tin ingots, mix approx. 1 lb with 8#'s of lead.

w30wcf

 

Get all of the solder you can. You can mix it with wheel weights or other alloys to add some tin to the melt. This will improve the fill out in your mold, and also the malleability of the bullet. I happen to like a 50/50 wheel weight/pure lead mix, with about 2% tin to help fillout. This makes a good hunting bullet if you don't try to push it too fast.

 

Thanks to all for their input...no one wants to see a Marlin turned into a lead squirt gun!

Now, time to secure me some Pb, Sb and Sn...

 

I didn't have pics for my original post.

This is a 1.6 lb section of 63/37 lead solder. I came across it in our Test Lab at work and it's what got me thinking of ordering and using some for cast bullets. It's about 3/4" by 1/2" high.

 

Because solder is so expensive I've been reducing the amount of tin in my mixes for the fill out properties and I've been surprised how little tin is required. As far as I'm concerned I use 20:1 (Pb:Sn) uncooled bullets for all my stuff ( 7 calibres) that goes under 1500 f.p.s. and for everything else that goes more than 1500 f.p.s. (6 more calibres) I use a homemade Lyman #2 mix out of wheelweights and tin, the source of which is solder, and these casts are water cooled. In the slower speed stuff I'm starting to add just an eighth of an ounce of tin to 5 lbs of lead and the cast has been very satisfactory and I think the lack of leading is the more the product of a two thousandths of an inch overbore bullet and a velocity under 1500 f.p.s. rather than anything else. Folk carry on and on about the lubrication but I just tumble my bullets in Lee's Alox whether they're going to go fast or slow. I do try to gas check the fast bullets if I can find a suitable mould but I'm not sure that makes much difference either. It's the overbore bullet that's the key I think and possibly it's hardness in the faster bullets that prevents leading. I have a feeling Ken Watters feels the same way.

 

So does a higher tin content make harder bullets?

Tin melts at 449.5 degrees F

Lead melts at 621.5 degrees F

Edit: 63/37 solder melts at 361.4 F

 

jg
pure lead 5 bhn, 40-1 8.5 bhn, 30-1 9 bhn, 25-1 9.5 bhn, 20-1 19 bhn, 10-1 11.5 bhn, aged wheel weights 14 bhn, lyman 2 15 bhn, lynotype 22 bhn, water dropped wheel weights 24 bhn. i like to mix 50/50 wheel weights and lead with 2 or 3% tin then water drop, i get good hard bullets without using up all my wheel
weights and tin, they harden after a day or two to around 18 to 22 bhn

 

I have some lino and plumbers lead. Just recently came by some 50/50 solder. Wonder how it would all go together. Need to get a book or something that tells about it. Saw something earlier about something in the solder adhering to steel that got my attention.

 

Tin helps fill out the mold and only makes minimal gains in hardness. It also helps keep lead together when it hits something. Antimony is for hardness. If I could find 95/5 solder for as cheap as I do pewter, I would use it but I find pewter cheap so in the pot it goes.....


Doc

 

For hunting, the Lyman Cast Bullet manual list the Lyman #2 alloy as the best. Any alloy that is harder than the L#2 (like linotype) will shatter when it hits bone, therefore stops penetrating. The Lyman #2 is made of 9# wheelweights and 1# of 50/50 solder. I make mine from 9# wheelweights, 1/2# lead and 1/2# tin.

When melting the raw wheelweights, don't heat over 700 deg. so that if any of the new Zinc wheelweights get into your mix, it won't melt and destroy your whole mix. Zinc melts at approximately 787 deg.

Jack

 

Thanks for all the good info! I apologize for my ignorance on casting, I'm just getting interested in it and collecting wisdom.

I forgot about base hardness, thank you for posting the numbers, green lizard. Very helpful guide.