I know from experiece that most homesteaders are by nature or necessity, excellent scroungers and improvisers and someone out there is going to have an answer to this question: I need a cheap (free?) source of tin to create a lead/antimony/tin alloy for casting bullets. I know that wheel weights are good to use as-is but I have hundreds of pounds of pure lead and would rather use that. Anyone have an idea or experience?

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), June 14, 2000

Answers

I don't know if this is tin or not, but how about old metal (NOT aluminum) siding from a building? I have piles of it. Free for the taking.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), June 14, 2000.

"tin" siding is actually galvanized steel. You might try to find some solder, which is usually 60/40 lead/tin and use that to alloy your pure lead. Battery lead is high antimony lead that you may also use to alloy your lead.

-- Steve Beckman (steve.beckman@compaq.com), June 14, 2000.

John: OK, educate me. Why can't you just cast the bullets with pure lead? Does the tin make it better somehow? I thought I remembered my dad just using the pure lead, but maybe I was too young to know the difference. Thanks! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 14, 2000.

Janice, You can use pure lead but it will foul the bore of your gun in a heartbeat. Especially at any velocity over bare minimum. Alloying the lead with antimony and tin makes the bullet harder and less likely to give up it's skin while travelling down the barrel.

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), June 14, 2000.

I'd guess the first option would be tin cans, for more or less unadulterated tin without paint etc. The next thing I'd check is a scrapyard. If theres any metal working industry in the area the scrap yard is likely to have a bunch of it. Around here they sell scrap for about $.11/lb. Last resort would be bodyshops. You'd have to deal with the paint etc on the scrap fenders but it might cost you less than nothing---the best bottomfeeding score available---where they pay you to haul it away.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), June 14, 2000.

John: me again. What percentages of lead to antimony and tin would be appropriate? I'm asking because hubby has reloading stuff, and someday will get into casting bullets, etc. Just thought I would ask so I can look like I know something! Also, aren't "tin" cans now made out of steel? Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), June 14, 2000.

I think tin cans might be coated with a thin (very thin)layer of tin, but mostly they are steel as you can see when they rust.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 15, 2000.

Tin could be gotten from tin cans, just not very cost-effective You'd need to burn out the plastic liner a lot of them have, then melt the cans, seperate the tin and steel. A lot of energy for a little bit of tin.

Solder is another choice, especially the old 50/50. Shows up in boxes of junk at auctions. Suspect tin babbit would work. New the stuff's around $20-25/lb. Might find someone who works on motors who has some old tin babbit. If you're not familiar with babbit, be aware that there are different kinds, and the kinds may have been mixed.

Have you tried searching for information under pewter casting? You might be able to find a site or the name of a book that deals with scrounging. They're generally trying to reduce lead, so what is bad for them would be good for you. And since they're generally making jewelry and eating utensils, you might get some good information on the actual makeup of various things. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 15, 2000.

Janice, You're probably going to wish that you hadn't asked, but here is the answer to your question about bullet alloys. For everyday pistol bullets (under 1,000fps) you can use a mixture of between 1 to 20 and 1 to 10 parts of tin to lead. For rifle bullets a tin/lead/antimony ratio of 10% antimony, 80% lead and 10% tin is about right. In the larger and hotter pistol loads and in all rifle loads, a gas check should be used. Be sure that the bullet lube has a really good chance to dry and harden before you swage them. Good luck, John

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), June 15, 2000.

Ummm, isn't lead being phased out of ammunition? I thought lead shot was environmentally disastrous, as now it is being said of lead sinkers for fishing, too...just wondering...please enlighten me! Thanks

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), June 15, 2000.

Sheepish, I don't know about nature, but lead bullets are definately harmful to those critters which invade my space and won't take "no" for an answer.If you followed the discussion on things which prey on chicken eggs you probably found my non-firearm solution which involved the planting of insecticide-filled eggs. In a mythical non-violent world, firearms and clubs would not be needed but if only one resident of such a society decides to be really boorish, it forces the rest of us to respond. Peace thru superior firepower, John

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), June 16, 2000.

How about calling your local plumbing/heating/airconditioning service? They install ductwork, and isn't it made of tin? You might get scraps throught them for the taking.

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), June 16, 2000.

Sheepish, lead shot is banned a lot of places. I don't know how many shot are in each shot gun shell, but a lot. The extras end up on the ground where they get eaten. That's where the problem is. A lot of shot in each shell, a lot of people shooting shells. Bullets tend to stay in whatever gets shot (not always, but then you're probably over-powered). Also not that many people cast bullets so that also helps reduce the problem of adding lead to the enivornment. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 16, 2000.

Thanks for your replies...I like guns as much as the next person (well, maybe not as much as some people on this forum) but I like to think that whatever I shoot is the only victim and not the odd goose that wanders by and eats the shot, or the bufflehead that dives for the sinkers. Appreciate the answers...

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), June 16, 2000.

Guys, guys, guys! (OK - Gals, gals, gals!) Wait a minute, is "gals" OK? How about "guys"? Should it be "guys" and "dolls"? I'll bet not! Let's start over. Persons, persons, persons! (God! The administration of politically correct felons makes it tough on honest country boys! er- persons!) But I digress! John. Find a group of shooters who are muzzleloader fans. Pure lead is actually hard to find, and just what the blackpowder shooter wants. I am sure they will be happy to trade for the "range lead" that is easier to come by. Where are you? I am in Maine, and have a stash of range lead that I will happily send to you in exchange for pure lead. I suspect that is not reasonable due to the cost of shipping, but if all else fails... Gerbil et al! I know you guys from our frequent missives. And you are my kind of people, I believe. Not Clintonites. Not Algore treehuggers. Just like me, although Maggie says "There is No one like you, Thank God!" But I digress. Lead has been banned from SHOTGUN ammunition used for WATERFOWL hunting. The reason is that those less adept than I often place at least some shot beyond the target. This shot sinks to the bottom of the water, and is ingested by bottom feeding waterfowl, and there are many. Said ingestion creates lead poisoning. Hence the prohibition. But for other shotgun activities, whether hunting, or skeet, or trap, or just trying to keep the "outsiders" a sufficient distance away, lead shot is allowed and effective. Steel shot is now required only in areas where lead might be detrimental to waterfowl. Oh, for the days when lead might be detrime3ntal to Clintonites! (Sorry, I got political! How many of you New Yorkers embrace the Witch of Arkansas?) Good luck to Libertarians, some Republicans, and a few Democrats!

Brad, the loveably logical Libertarian!

-- Brad (Homefixer@SacoRiver.net), June 19, 2000.

Are you anywhere near Oklahoma? Drive through after a tornado and you can have all that you can unwrap from the trees.......

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), June 19, 2000.

John, I've been in the same boat before. Had free pure lead, and searched for tin and antimony. Problem was finding pure tin and pure antimony. No way to tell just by looking. Found sources, but the cost was way prohibitive, and then there was shipping. Fell back to what I 'knew'. Wheelweights. I added them to the pure lead mix. Worked ok, but I wouldn't use them hunting. Wheelweights, casted, then heat treated, work great for me. I ruined some good equipment experiementing with what I thought was tin. I learned my lesson.

-- phil briggs (phillipbriggs@thenett.com), June 19, 2000.

I am a beginner at casting and have not even started yet but CANNOT find a source of lead. Since I will be casting some for a muzzle loader I will need pure, hopefully virgin lead. I will also cast for modern firearms but plan to use tire weights since I have heard good things about this material if it is good and clean before melting. This all leads to a question! Where in the heck can I find some lead???

-- Greg (greg.lane@cingular.com), September 24, 2001.

I would stay away from battery lead. Modern lead/acid batteries are often times using calcium in the alloy mix which renders it pretty much unusable for bullet casting purposes. I believe quite a lot of new wheelweights have new alloys that make them unsuitable for bullet casting as well.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), September 24, 2001.