How much lead free solder per pound of WW lead ??

[opatriot]

Gday friends .. I am a new caster and was wondering how much lead free solder wire to add to my lead to harden it up ... when i cast my first batch of 405gr. bullets they came out Great but seemed to soft ...... so i put in 150 grains of lead free solder per pound of lead on the next melt and the bullets came out a mess ... they were deformed , swirles,voides ,etc ......... any advice would be appreciated ................ kind regards ..... Davey

[jhalcott]

  Are you casting for the 45-70? How do you KNOW they are soft? The buffalo hunters used a 1 in 20 (tin to lead) alloy in their guns. SOME even used a softer 1/30 alloy. The tin does more to help the alloy flow and fill out all the grooves in the mold So if you have 160 ounces of lead, you'd need a lot of EXPENSIVE tin to make a 1/20 mix. If you are using wheel weight, you'd only need about 2 per cent tin (1 1/2 -2 ounces) to get decent fill out. I have cast a lot of wheel weight (about13 bhn) for the 45-70. I have used an  alloy of half and half pure lead and wheel weight also. This gives me a bullet about 10 bhn that really works well on deer. My bullets are gas checked and lubed with Felix lube for smokeless powder. For black powder loads I use a bees wax/tallow lube I get from a friend.

[opatriot]

  Thanx for the reply......... Yes its a 45-70 lever 1881 .. I use loads between 1100 - 1400 fps ... sooo i think your saying with WW i only should need 2% tin .. or lead free solder to help with the pour ....... and the bullets should be hard enough ..  ??

[ContenderCrazy]

Not all lead free solders are created equal.   Some solders use ingredients that are detrimental.   Watch especially for Zinc which will certainly ruin your mix.

Lead free solder may contain any or all of the following - most of which don't help your cause.
Ag: silver
Al: aluminum
Au: gold
Bi: bismuth
Cd: cadmium
Cr: chromium    
Cu: copper
In:   indium
Mo: molybdenum
Ni: nickel
Pd: palladium    
Pt: platinum
Sb: antimony
Sn: tin
W:  tungsten
Zn: zinc

The stuff you want to look for is the 95/5 Tin/Antimony solder.  Taracorp makes this and sells it under the Dutchboy Trade name.  Ferguson Plumbing carries it.

[Lloyd Smale]

tin will do very little to harden wws. Its used more to get better fillout then anything. It takes a substantial amount of lead to harden an alloy and its just not worth the money unless your trying to shoot black powder guns with pure lead. With wws first try it without tin if they cast well dont worry about it. WWs vary alot in composition and i usually start at 2 percent but some batches need as much as 5 percent. If your looking to harden lead you need antimony. Lineotype is a good source for it and is a much cheaper way to harden lead alloys. WWs should do well up to at least 1200 in your gun. Ive shot it as fast as 1600 in a good gun without trouble.

[opatriot]

Thankyou all .... im on the learning curve ....... I have a friend that wants to learn to cast also but i do not want to introduce him to it till i get some consistent bullets going ..... if i drop the bullets in a can of water from my mold will that harden WW lead up much .. ??

[jhalcott]

http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm
  read this page carefully and you will learn some things about the casting business. Show it to your friend so you can discuss it. After you read it feel free to come back with MORE questions (you WILL have them)

[jhalcott]

Water quenching from the mold will harden wheel weight bullets. The problem is it MAY not harden them all the same, Depending on the heat in the alloy/mold and the coolness of the water. Also the time it takes to drop the bullet into the water. Why do you think you NEED a harder than WW bullet in the 45-70?

[ContenderCrazy]

The reason for incomplete fill out/wrinkled bullets is usually either you haven't gotten the mold truly clean or it is not up to temp.  Clean the mold well with a cleaner/degreaser that does not leave a film.  I like a quick cleaning with Brakleen and a nylon brush then a dip in boiling water to clean mine initially.   Micro-90 also works well.   Once you get the mold clean, the next trick is to get it up to temp.  I put my mold on a hotplate while my lead is melting to help accomplish this. Many others set the mold on the top of the pot as they melt the lead.   Don't worry about getting bright shiny bullets, worry about good fill out.  If the bullets are frosted evenly that's fine it won't effect how they shoot at all.  Shiny bullets with frosty spots is a problem (with venting).

[opatriot]

GDAY FRIENDS ..Thanx for your input ......... well im thinking at 1400 fps i might lead up the bore with just strait WW lead .... most of these are for target so quit a few will go down the bore ........... contender .. you may be rite ... I originally sprayed some of that mold no-stickum from Midway in there and it left a residue buildup ... so i tryed to clean my mold with lacquer thinner and maybe i didnt get it cleaned properly...... I will clean  with  your method ........ kind regards .....davey

[opatriot]

   WOW JH ........... Great link   !!  Thanx for sharing ......................

[jhalcott]

 Opa, you will get leading from the wrong lube and bad sizing quicker than from any thing else. I use straight wheel weights and shoot them at 2000 FPS in other guns (properly sized and lubed) with out leading the bores. If you are shooting black powder you should NOT use a lube containing petroleum byproducts. Vaseline or other oil products are a NO-NO! I use a bees wax /tallow mix I get from a friend.There is a lot of recoil with a 405 gr going 1400 fps. I have a load that is a good bit faster that I use in a bolt action rifle that weighs 15 pounds and it still kicks.
 If you did NOT notice it before, the general rule is to NOT use tin untill you HAVE to. It is just NOT cost effective.

[SHOOTALL]

if ya want tin use 95/5 soder if the plumbing supply has none get some at the roofing supply , it will be in bars not rolls but its the same stuff ! sometimes its at HVAC suppliers also

[SHOOTALL]

also if you have trouble with flow try smoking it with a plumbers candle , found at many hardware stores ( go figure )