help identifying bar solder, recommendation for blending with "pure" lead

[keyhole]

Today I scored about 300 ingots marked WW, lead, and lino. The gentleman whose stash this came from was a lifelong caster and reloader, so I am assuming the markings are correct. There are also some bars of solder. Some solder is marked "Sn 50", so assume this is 50% tin. Would the remaining 50% be just lead?




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These state 1/2 & 1/2. so half tin and half lead?


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These are 40-60. Does this mean 40% tin, 60% lead?


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This one just states "standard", no other markings. Any ideas on composition?


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Finally, to make an alloy approximating clip-on wheel weight metal, what would be ratio of pure lead to 50/50 solder bars?

Thank you for your thoughts.

keyhole

[zomby woof]

yes...

[Cowboy_Dan]

50 Sn =50% Tin, balance Lead
1/2 & 1/2 = see above
60/40 and the like list Tin before Lead

It would be impossible to make wheel weights out of just Tin and Lead, but you can make useful alloys out of just them. What are you casting for? I use 30:1 for some low pressure pistol. Elmer Keith used 16:1 extensively devoloping the .44 Magnum. Those last two are Lead to Tin, unlike solder.

[keyhole]

What are you casting for?

Mostly low pressure target handguns loads- 185, 200 SWC with 4.0 gr Buillseye in .45 ACP and 148 WC with 3.0 gr Red Dot in .38 Special.

After I posted my questions I realized the tin/ lead mixture lacks antimony, so could not approximate COWW metal.

Thanks Cowboy Dan, for your help.

keyhole

[lightman]

I'm trying to come up with a method for storing and using my solder. Thinking about leaving the marked bars as is and melting all of the unlabeled rolls together and casting into large bullets. Maybe use the small cavities in a Lee ingot mold. Would love to find a decent deal on a Potter mold.

[Sasquatch-1]

I would save the bar solder for when you need to add tin for fill out purposes. It is more valuable as tin then lead.

The linotype is what is used to harden the lead. For many years I shot straight WW in pistols.

[RogerDat]

any of the black powder cartridges such as 38 or 45 colt can be cast from lead/tin only alloy. Hollow base wadcutter bullets I was told are best made from lead/tin since they need to be soft and are fired at low power.

Best use is as "sweetener" in COWW or homemade alloys. As little as 1 or 2 percent tin can make a big difference in how the lead fills out the mold.

I store misc. and assorted solder in "coins" a make by melting as big of a batch as I can accumulate and pouring a 1/4 inch of it into mini-muffin tin. I do large batch of the odd rolls and unknown stuff so that I will have something consistent to use. Much rather have 10# all the same than three different 3# batches and 1# of something else. Foundry stamped bars stay in that form. Both because I know exactly what they are and if I decide to sell them the buyer knows exactly what they are. Like buying a silver dollar for silver, you know how much silver it contains.

Melted into homemade coins is only for the partial rolls of wire solder or short pieces of bar solder without a known tin percentage. I also sometimes throw in stuff that feels, looks and melts like pewter but isn't stamped as pewter, get picture frames like that sometimes. Can sometimes find good deals on old solder rolls at garage sales by fall can have a big pot of mystery solder. My typical is 23% - 35% tin from those batches. I use one of those small salad dressing ladles such as you see on salad bars. 2 coins per ladle full.

Lot of guys do the bullet thing but it seemed slower since I pour the coins 12 at a time in mini muffin tin and have a couple of tins from garage sales. I would also hate to get confused and start loading my tin bullets as bullets.

[Traffer]

Tin sells for 8 to 10 times the price of lead. Lead being roughly a dollar a pound, tin being roughly 10 dollars a pound. It would be foolish to use it in a large proportion when casting boolits. I would recommend that you only use it for adding tin to lead for flow purposes. You only need about 2% tin in your lead to make it flow well. If it is more than you will ever use, I suggest leaving the markings on it and sell your excess as is.

[MyFlatline]

Solder/tin is over $20 bucks a roll. That bar solder is gold. I have started stopping off at yard sales..you can pick up partial rolls of solder for a buck.

[RogerDat]

Forgot hollow point in those same revolvers plus in 45 ACP can get better expansion from a lead/tin alloy. The tin adds a little hardness but it does make the bullet more flexible and not as likely to fragment. At lower velocities 3.5% or so tin was given to me as a good starting point for lead/tin bullet alloy. Works ok at 720 or so fps in .38 special.