Additives

[layusn1]

If you guys were going to add solder, or any other "hardener", to WWs would you do it while smelting or in the bottom pour just before you cast?

[Anvil]

Isn't that really a question of quantity?

[BigSlick]

Solder won't give too much hardening, although a 10-20:1 tin/lead mix is slightly harder than pure. You gonna need something with some antimony and/or arsenic in it (depending upon what you believe).

This being said, ww's have minimal amounts of both.

Making straight clip on ww's a good candidate for water quenching or heat treating. Thus, no additives necessary to gain a harder bullet.

Most solder added is 50/50 or 98-99.5% tin 2% antimony (or less, down to ½%)

Don't use rosin core or any dat have some silly crap added. Tin, lead an antimony is all ya need

Tin is primarily added to reduce the surface tension of the melt, aiding better bullet fill out in some moulds. I say some moulds because the smaller the bullet/mould, the less effect added tin seems to have in my experience.

If I'm going to add anything, I do it in the pot, with clean ingots to start with. I never smelt in my bottom pour pots, and to date haven't had so much as the first drip.

Fluxing with sawdust seems to work great - if needed, which is a whole different conversation.

[layusn1]

I was asking because I thought I read about adding solder in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and saw some on sale today. I kinda figured you might want to add it to ingots, instead of the smelt so you wouldn't flux it out and waste the money. No plans of smelting WWs in my bottom pour here.

[AdamN]

If Im experimenting or making a small batch Ill mix in the casting pot. Add tin/ww/pure lead/lino or whatever.

If I settle on a mix that works Ill fire up the smelting pot and mix up a large batch of ingots just for that bullet. Then I can have 100 or 200 pounds of alloy that is very consistent.

Its also easier to calculate % in the mix when your making a 100lb batch:cornut:

[layusn1]

100lbs? Dang...how do you get that much?

[AdamN]

100lbs? Dang...how do you get that much?


I think there is probably about 120lbs here.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/Lead/Smelt2.jpg


I just take a little bit off the top of the pile:yikes:

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/Lead/ton.jpg

[layusn1]

I will mourn the loss of the WWs I have. Took forever too get em and never got to smelt a single one of em. Just can't pay the movers to take dead weight like that to Maryland but I know the intended recipient(s) will make very good use of them so that is a good thing.

[Anvil]

I will mourn the loss of the WWs I have. Took forever too get em and never got to smelt a single one of em. Just can't pay the movers to take dead weight like that to Maryland but I know the intended recipient(s) will make very good use of them so that is a good thing.

What state are you moving from?

[cohutt]

i do my mixing in the pot, not @ the smelt.

I keep a cheap calculator and a 5lb postal scale handy. keep my castin notes in the same box.

[layusn1]

I am moving from Texas...they are stingy with their WWs. Slick managed to get himself some good sources but I'm betting he has been hitting them up for a good bit of time and cultivated those relationships. I had managed to find one source. I could get about 1/4 to 1/5 a bucket every payday. I'd give em 5 bucks figurin most people said $20 for a full bucket is ok. Everything was going good, when I didn't get sniped by someone, until I went there one day last month and they had a 1/4 bucket and I handed the guy $5. He looked at me like I was stupid so I said what...he said thats $25. Needles to say I took my $5 and bailed so I got no lead now.