Interesting Observation

JWFilips

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I get a lot of 19th century Natural Gas Lead gas pipe from my shooting buddy Ed, It is the base alloy of my mix of his wadcutter alloy I cast for him. Those ingots come in right at BHN 5 every time. And I make his alloy 9-10 bhn ( The way he likes them)

I got some nice Old Lead water pipe ingots recently but when I tested them the are consistently BHN 10 So that leave me to think that the Water Pipes must be a differen't alloy then the old Gas pipes! I find that interesting!
Internet wasn't much help but it did tell me that the Old water pipe alloy did not include tin but Antimony.
 
JWFilips

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
I'm figuring as such! My Stash of Old Gas Lead pipe test at 5 BHN even before smelting!
Just got to come up with an alloy that I can use the new BHN 10 Pipe Lead with the old BHN 5 Gas Pipe but add a bit of tin for good mould fill out! Then I'm Golden
 
Kevin Stenberg

Kevin Stenberg

Well-Known Member
Jim Rick probably hit the nail on the head. I didn't even think about it. But I always add 1.5% tin to all of my alloys. That is probably why the lead I sent you measures harder that your past experience.
 
Rick

Rick

Moderator
Staff member
JWFilips said:
I'm figuring as such! My Stash of Old Gas Lead pipe test at 5 BHN even before smelting!
Just got to come up with an alloy that I can use the new BHN 10 Pipe Lead with the old BHN 5 Gas Pipe but add a bit of tin for good mould fill out! Then I'm Golden
Click to expand...

Were it me I would add 1 or 1.5% Sn to the new lead pipe. While tin does harden lead it is minimal, especially at 1.5%.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
it'd have about 3% antimony in it.
antimony makes the lead extrude and flow smoother.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
that's what i thought too.,,,,, but i'm not so certain.
i had a good back and forth with Glen about their makeup and he kind of has me convinced they have about .5-1% tin.

i've had hundreds of pounds of 22 lr alloy, and it always comes out super clean and is always super shiny. [almost like 20-1]
the reason why i think it can contain tin is even though you'd normally have a high chance at cracking a swage die by adding tin to the alloy IS the big guys have presses that will put thousands of tons of pressure on the alloy and can also have larger stronger dies made.


my other thoughts on the matter [that kind of contradicts the above] is if that little expanding hollow tail the bullets have on them [the heel] isn't able to expand without breaking.... [shrug]
plus it'd be a super ton easier to make the bullets at the speed they run them through the process.
only once the antimony got broke down through the swaging process the alloy/bullet would always act like almost pure lead until it was re-melted.

so having an alloy that had a little of both would certainly have it's advantages.

that and i have been able to swage alloys with tin in them here at home with no problems.
 
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