ID this metal?

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  • Last Post 25 April 2008
Pbhead posted this 22 April 2008

I've got some stuff in bars that are about a foot long and rectangular in profile about 1/2” x 1/4” marked “National Lead Company     FS 1336"

It tests about as hard as monotype.  Anybody know how to ID this stuff for content? 

thanks

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CB posted this 22 April 2008

Do you have access to a hardness tester?

It could be monotype or bearing babbit.

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runfiverun posted this 22 April 2008

sounds like the old body lead, by the description, could try to look that # up

on foundry sites though, could also be a bar for a large solder machine.

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CB posted this 23 April 2008

I dont think it is body lead, that was pretty soft with just enough tin to get it to flow. He is claiming it has roughly the same hardness as Monotype..

It could also be lead based pewter...

The only way to find out what the exact composition is would be to either track down the foundry that blended it or send a sample to somewhere that has a mass spectrometer...

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runfiverun posted this 23 April 2008

i know some of that 63/37 tin pb is about as hard as mono.

it is as hard as lead can be made with just tin alone, i have quite a bit of mystery

tin lead around i usually treat it as 30%sn,unless it is real hard then i call it 50/50

but for just castin pop-gun plinkin loads, for rifle or stuff that matters for consistency.

i buy what i know is truly what it says it is.

 if i had a bunch of this stuff i would have a piece tested but if i only had a coupleof

bars of it i would treat it as a tin source.

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Pbhead posted this 23 April 2008

I've got about 50 lbs of it and was hoping someone could point me to a National Lead Co. chart or some such reference without having to send it to a lab.  I have some known linotype that I got from a local print shop and this stuff tests slightly harder than that on my cabine hardness tester.  I think it may be some kind of type metal,  at least it looks like it and sort of acts like it,  but I havent shot any yet.  I had some bar solder one time with a NLC code # on it and I finally tracked it down on the internet, but now I cant find the same web site that listed a bunch of NLC codes for lead products???   I'm thinking I'll mix up a small batch of #2, and treat this stuff like linotype and just see what happens. 

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runfiverun posted this 23 April 2008

if you got it at the print shop it could be the replentish metal for the lino-type

it then would be foundry type.   probably way too hard to shoot.

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Pbhead posted this 23 April 2008

No,   I didnt get it at a print shop,  I was comparing it to some known linotype that I did get from a print shop.  On my hardness tester,  the linotype shows a reading of 90 ( on average) this FS 1336 stuff will average about 93,   which is slightly harder than linotype.  For reference,  my tester shows a reading of 70 for wheel weights. 

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runfiverun posted this 23 April 2008

i would just do the call it lino thing as the only other thing i can think to do is melt it and measure the eutetic

with a temp probe, that is still kinda a guess though, it could also be a bar of high antimony that is used in some industrial applications have heard of it but cannot recall what it is called.

 

  sorry can't be more help'

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CB posted this 23 April 2008

I would try diluting it down with some lead to maybe a little more than WW hardness, then shoot it. That will tell you more than hardness testers, and I don't know of too many places that will do a spectrograph for free. If you find such a place I could use those services also.

Jerry

 

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454PB posted this 23 April 2008

My linotype measures 21 to 23 BHN, and my monotype measures 28 to 29 BHN. Some of the babbitt I have tests about the same as monotype, and it sounds like that may be what you have. Babbitt alloys sometimes contain small amounts of copper, which makes it harder than lino or mono. If you're interested, here's a link to some info on babbitt:

http://www.alchemyextrusions.com/babbitt/>http://www.alchemyextrusions.com/babbitt/

 

If you own an accurate lead thermometer, you could do a test to find the liquidus and solidus temperatures. That would give you a better idea of it's composition without lab tests.

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Pbhead posted this 24 April 2008

I reckon I'll just mix up a batch and shoot it.  I need to cast some .338 bullets anyway.  I was just curious if anyone could id this stuff.  I have a batch of “mystery metal” of about 200lbs which is about like wheel weights, so I thinkI'll try mixing some FS 1336 to about four parts mystery metal and see what that does.  My .338/06 load velocity is 1800fps,  so that should be plenty hard enough for that.   I might could even get away with 6 or 7 to one.   If you were going to mix wheel weights and linotype for 1800fps loads,  what porportions would you use.  Would you add any tin? 

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runfiverun posted this 25 April 2008

i use a 4%tin 6% antimony for anything over 1600 fps

and 2/4 for everything under that, i have taken the 4/6 up to 2350 fps

with g/c and a hard lube with no problems.

for smaller calibers 243 and less you may need a bit harder mixture as

they run a higher rpm cayse of the faster twist rate in the bbl.

 you could water quench the 2/4 mix to approximate the 4//6 but you donot

get quite the same hardness every time and they will soften up over time.

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