Unknown lead alloy may be 50/50 tin/lead - How do you tell?

[Turbo]

My brother gave me about 40 pounds of a lead alloy that has a distinct yellow color to it. It is very hard and has been cast into 1 pound and 1/2 pound ingots. I think it may be 50/50 bar solder because of the color and relative hardness. I don't have a lead hardness tester.

Is there any way of telling if I have 50/50 tin/lead alloy?

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks.  Jon

[Lloyd Smale]

one way to do it is to cast a bullet with the alloy and compare the weight of the bullet to another of a known alloy. Tin is alot lighter then lead.

[Billy Marr]

Llyod is right  do that comparison it should get you very close.

[Turbo]

I assumed there would be a relatively easy way of telling the approximate alloy. I'll melt one ingot in a small pan and will cast a few bullets in one of my bigger molds. I actually have a few pure lead bullets from that mold which I cast to make silent loads.

Thanks again!

Jon

[Leftoverdj]

Specific gravity.

Measure the amount of water a piece of the allow displaces and weigh the bullet. %0/50 solder would have a specific gravity midway between that of lead and tin.

I could look up and calculate what that would be per CC, but I'm feeling lazy.

[Turbo]

I just looked up the specific gravity of lead (11.342) and Tin (7.29). I think I'm on the right track now.

Thanks for the help!  If anyone is interested, Antimony is (6.618)

Jon

[Kywoodwrkr]

Turbo,
Have you tried to melt any of that alloy?
The color sounds like what my tin looks like.
If it's possible that it could be pure tin, melt some and pour into a long thin strip in something. When it cools try to bend it. If it crinkles, a noise crinkle, then it is tin or has a very high concentration of tin.  
DaveP

[Turbo]

A great idea! Before I made the post on this forum, I added a few ingots to my regular wheel weight mix before I figured out it may be something of extra value. I'll try your idea of melting some and then pouring into a thin strip.  I had heard that tin pipe had a distintive noise when bent.

I'll also pour some directly into one of my bullet molds to see what they weigh.

Thanks!

Jon

[jh45gun]

My 50/50 bar solder Looks just like lead and there is no yellow color to it. It is stamped 50/50 so I know what it is and I use it to add tin to my pure lead. So I have no idea where the yellow is comming from? I have never seen an alloy that has that color, but then I am not saying it is not possible either. Jim

[Turbo]

I did a couple of tests on my "alloy" and found out it is pure tin. That's why it had the yellow color. The bullets cast with the material showed up as pure tin based on Tin's specific gravity as compared to lead.

I also did a test by pouring about 3 ounces of the material in the V of a piece of angle iron. I made a long, narrow bar. After it cooled, I heard the distinctive "Crinke" noise when it gets bent. Never heard it before, but I'm sure it's the real thing because it is such a unique noise.

I'll have to thank my brother as soon as possible for giving me 25 pounds of pure tin.

Thanks to everyone for helping me figure out what I had.

Jon