Lead Free Solder!

For hollow points, I treat 95-5 solder as tin. For the 358156 in my .357, I've been using 30:1. In the 44 special, I'm also using 30:1 but around 1,100 fps I start getting leading. Gould HP (457122) cast about 20:1 works OK with BP loads.
 
Good deal, that stuff had gotten crazy expensive last time I looked at any. Tin does make alliys cast a little easier and cleaner and tin also helps with malleability. It isn't as great for hardening alloys as much as many seemto think.
 
It was about 10 years ago, I got a 5 gallon bucket nearly full of roll solder, some was lead-free, most was 63-37 or 60-40. Most was flux core. After I schmelted the first batch that was unknown due to missing labels or loose (off the reel/roll), I decided it wasn't worth the hassle of dealing with the Flux sticking to pot side and smoking, smell was nasty, worse that any solder I've used in the past ...and I couldn't get it to burn up. So I kept some rolls for use as solder, and sold the rest to fellow casters. I have plenty of other tin in my scrap metals stash to use for bullet casting alloys.
 
Ian said:
Just wash it out with baking soda when you're done or it will be a one-time thing.
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Amen to that. That lead free doesn’t normally have embedded flux but good caution.
I once ordered some special solder at work for a project. Had silver content. The fab shop didn’t use it and it set for 5 years in the way. Made some really nice, hard bullets./beagle
 
the cheapasses where i used to work thought it was funny to only purchase the E-techs 95-5 solder..
they couldn't make tiny little connection fixes when it was 20 below nuthin, so i would wander around and scoop up all the free 20-1 i could find laying here and there on their benches every couple of months.
 
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