Pewter Bullets

[Reed]

Yesterday I decided to melt down the pewter I've collected. My first idea was to cast it as bullets to make it easy to dole it out in the quantities needed. By the way it bent in my hands, I thought it was a great idea. I cast a few of the prettiest bullets I've ever done. BUT I nearly beat my sprue plate to death trying to cut the sprue! I ended up using some old teaspoons I had in my toolbox as moulds. I wonder if I got some silver in the mix???

 

[358156 hp]

Or perhaps copper. It's commonly used in pewter. I cast my pewter in the little center ingots in LEE ingot moulds. After cooling I weigh them and write the weight on the side of the ingot with a sharpie.

 

[fiver]

Tin is hard.
copper is like 50 bhn, brass is more like 60ish [airc], tin is something like 35, linotype is 22, lead is down at 6.
Glass is harder than Brass [that's why you can buy brass ice scrapers]
but Tin doesn't bend and flex it will actually stretch then pop apart, you will hear it creak and crackle when you bend it.
the crackle sound is the molecules breaking apart.

 

[Brad]

I'm impressed that fiver didn't say something about his pewter being what he uses to visit the forum.

 

[fiver]

that's puter.

 

[Ian]

It's more like "Pee-yooter" here in Texas.

Depending on the exact composition of the pewter, it can be more or less eutectic and a real bee-atch to sync the sprue cut with the mush phase so it doesn't smear nor turn to rock and require beatings. Try casting your bullets with the sprue plate off next time, they won't all be exactly the same weight but you can eyeball it pretty close with some practice.

 

[Reed]

Try casting your bullets with the sprue plate off next time, they won't all be exactly the same weight but you can eyeball it pretty close with some practice.

I should have thought of that. I've done it accidentally on other occasions when my mind started wandering.

 

[quicksylver]

A new line of jewelry ?..
What lube are you going to use?
or for that matter have you tried sizing them?
Never mind I see they are TL

 

[Reed]

Funny you should say that. My wife saw them and took the most symmetrical, most colorful of the bunch. Says it's going to be a pendant. I think it'll be annoyingly heavy. As for lube, I'm waiting for a call back from NASA. I figure they have some high pressure situations that call for superior lube. Not gonna try sizing ... screech...

 

[quicksylver]

Ya...how do you think the silver bullets worked for the Lone Ranger..?

 

[L1A1Rocker]

I pour it into a long line in some angle iron. That way I can just snip off what I need with a pair of side cutters.

 

[quicksylver]

OK My method. ..I melt into the typical Lyman ,RCBS ingots..then every once and awhile when I am bored, I will hold one with a set of pliers , fire up the propane torch and drip it on top of the table saw...making all these tiny little pewter pancakes..then put them in a baggie...I usually use these to top of what I need when I am weighing my igredience. ..

 

[Reed]

Meanwhile, the little old ladies, former owners of the fine pewter objects we so gleefully melt, are turning over in their graves.

 

[Ian]

I don't always add tin, but when I do, I choose solder.

 

[Reed]

I don't always add tin, but when I do, I choose solder.

Well, that's probably better than dumping Dos Equis in there! Love those "Most Interesting Man in the World" adds. Good use of his line, Ian.

 

[minmax]

I used solder and got strange results. Must have been the acid core....it smell really good though.

 

[358156 hp]

I went to a gun show recently and noticed one of the vendors had some household items, including an incomplete pewter tea service marked as "antique" at about $40.00. I offered him $12.00 for it since it was incomplete, and the other pieces were a little rough. The guys wife jumped in with the "rare antique" lecture, and I let her know that I intended to melt it down for the tin content and that my offer was in line with scrap pewter prices. Big mistake.

The vendor informed me that he would not sell me the set for any price since I was going to "destroy" it, and how people like me are destroying the world, and making puppies cry. I asked him why he bothered to bring such non-gun merchandise to a gun show, and suggested he might find selling jerky more profitable. When I walked by later, the pewter was off the table completely and the guy and his wife turned their backs to me as I walked by. I guess I was supposed to be hurt by this.

For some reason, my friends don't feel they can take me anywhere.

 

[Brad]

Wow. Good thing I didn't invite you Tulsa....

What do they care what you do after purchase? Rare? Then it is worth more than 40 bucks and is being sold at an appropriate location.

 

[fiver]

I woulda let him know some rare stuff is only rare cause all the good ones got ruined or thrown away.
[they might have tried assassinating you at some point during the show]

 

[Rick]

Poor puppies.