yes , all info is interesting info .
but personally I dont like the 5% lead they mix into those alloys .
the lead is there to "lubricate" the alloy to get better machinability .
so for cannon and mortar tubes I wouldnt use them
and with a zinc content of 4-6% you loose a lot of the "bronze" color on the casting
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Im the old fashion foundry man , if they used 90/10 400 years ago it will be good enough for me today.
ok , I got full control of temperature +/- 7-10 degrees celsius
also use filters ( 20 and 30 ppi to remove slag and impurities from the mold ) and degassing .
Ihave seen many small , medium size and also larger foundries , some of them dont degas , some dont check the temperature , some dont Use filters .
a few of them dont do any of the 3 above , AND THEY CALL THEMSELF PROFESSIONALS .
Im just an happy amateure , but still I keep record of every pour statistics to look at if something goes wrong ,
but as we are dealing with cannons for shooting my opinion is that QUALITY WILL ALWAYS COME FIRST
ITS A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE BUT YOU GET THE BEST QUALITY MONEY CAN BUY , EXCEPT FOR VACUUM CASTING
so it aint much more to do to increase the quality if you not are prepared to use vaccun casting ,
but thats heII so expensive, so its not for hobby use ,