Nice, Thank you! Looks like you spent a lot of time on it, I saved a copy.
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Nice, Thank you! Looks like you spent a lot of time on it, I saved a copy.
I am confused -- not unusual. does the formula:
Brinell = 8.60 + ( 0.29 * Tin ) + ( 0.92 * Antimony )
suggest that the BHN for pure lead is 8.6? The spreadsheet says pure lead is 5. As it is if one puts in pounds for just pure lead and leaves all others 0 one gets an estimated BHN of 8.6. While that matches the formula it would seem suspiciously high.
You only need about 0.5% Tin for proper mold fillout. WW has 0.5% Tin, 2-3% Antimony, 0.25% Arsenic.
So it would take much less tin then you estimated to get what you want.
If you mixed the following:
200 lbs Magnum shot
800 lbs pure lead
5 lbs pure Tin
= 1005 lbs of a mixed alloy with 0.50% Tin, 0.80% Antimony, 0.25% Arsenic, 98.5% Lead and an @ Brinell hardness of 9.5
(assuming 3% Antimony)
The link from LASC that you gave me yesterday said that WW lead has 3-4% antimony. I have always seen it posted as 2-3%. So, on my next revision of the calculator where I add the column for Arsenic I will use 3% for Antimony for WW.
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You can mix different alloys by weight to find the properties of the new alloy. The calculator tells you the %Tin, %Antimony, %Lead, total weight, and @ hardness.
The example that I left in the calculator is mixing the following:
1 oz of 50/50 solder (.0625 lbs)
5 lbs pure lead
5 lbs clip on WW lead
= 10.1 lbs of a mixed alloy with 0.56% Tin, 0.99% Antimony, 98.4% Lead and an @ Brinell hardness of 9.7
(assuming 2% antimony)
Another example would be if you wanted to mix Linotype and pure lead:
5 lbs Lino + 5 lbs Pure = 10 lbs alloy with 2.00% Tin, 6.00% Antimony, Hardness @ 14.7 (same specs as Hardball)
5 lbs Lino + 25 lbs Pure = 30 lbs alloy with 0.67% Tin, 2.00% Antimony, Hardness @ 10.6 (close approx. of clip-on WW)
Let me know if you have any questions.
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No problem. Use it and if you come up with any suggestions, let me know.
That formula came from Rotometals and you are correct - it does not make sense. :confused:
I have found that it works pretty well for alloys that have higher %'s of tin AND antimony (maybe 1% and up). Lower than that on either and it kinda breaks down. However, it is the only formula I could find so I'll use it until I find something better.
Here is the updated calculator with a column for Arsenic, as you requested.
I added two lines for your own custom alloys too. They can be used to put the results of your mixed alloy for future use. Just enter the data in the yellow boxes.
I also updated the specs for:
Magnum shot, Range lead, Clip on WW, and Stick on WW.
The changes were made according to some new information that I read on lasc.us. The articles are linked in the reference area.
Here is the 3/16/11 version: Attachment 30488
Thanks for the new version. I will put it to work this weekend.
i love the excell sheet!
Most excellent tool! could you add a column for pewter? ASTM B560 standard alloy 90-98% tin, 1-8% antimony, .25-3% copper. even a ballpark guesstimate would help. http://www.astm.org/Standards/B560.htm
Here is the updated alloy calculator with Pewter added. I also added a column for Copper %.
From what I can tell, the copper acts like a hardening agent.
Here is the 3/25/11 version: Attachment 30832
whats up
when you want 10 # of 16/1 the bhn changes from 11 to 10.4
All I know about copper is if you alloy lots of it with tin, you get bronze. Hardest stuff around before iron was discovered.
The hardness values to the right of the alloys in the table are the published values for that alloy.
The "est. hardness" in the mixed alloy calculator stands for estimated hardness. I use the rotometals formula to calculate the mixed hardness. It is not 100% accurate, but it is the best tool I can find and it is better than nothing.
I added two kinds of lead-free 95/5 solder (Sn-Cu & Sn-Sb).
Here is the 3/26/11 version: Attachment 30870
finally got it to work nice nice...
I made it easier to read the weights and added a link to Glen Fryxell's online book on casting "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners".
Here is the 3/29/11 version: Attachment 31140
Very Useful.
Thank you sir,
Joe
Here is the latest update to the alloy calculator - the 6/28/11 version.
Attachment 33808
I separated magnum shot into two categories by pellet size - 4% & 6% antimony.
Thanks to Canuck Bob for the source for the info.
It seems that Lawrence makes their shot in different hardnesses according to pellet size. Bob does a pretty good job explaining the reasoning for that in his thread, so I'll leave it to him.
In any case, it might help people who want to mix up a particular batch using shot as a base or hardener. You can measure the shot and get a pretty good idea of the antimony content of your lead.
Sources:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=120593
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Lea...d/products/68/
Here is the latest version of the alloy calculator (8/23/11)
Attachment 36813
I recently got some 40/60 solder and I realized that I didn't have a spot for that one.
I also added a link for information on solder.
Something is very wrong in all of these calculators. The pure lead BHN is 5. Try to make a pure lead alloy (0 Anti, 0 tin) its BHN will be 8.6