Author Topic: plumber's lead for casting bullets?  (Read 9937 times)

titanicslim

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plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« on: January 07, 2009, 11:12:16 PM »
Hi All

A fellow at a gun shop just informed me that the best lead for casting rifle balls is plumber's solder.  I'm fairly new to BP shooting but I was surprised I'd never heard this before.  Is this right?

Dave

Offline BJH

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2009, 12:24:44 AM »
As long as we are talking about plumber's lead ingots "usually 5lbs.ea." You are getting pure lead. About as good as it gets. There is a thing called bar solder that is an alloy of lead, and tin. It will be stamped 60/40 or similar. Not good round ball material. I have only run into bar solder once in my life so I don't think its too common.
BJH

Harnic

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2009, 12:43:51 AM »
"Plumber's lead" is very uncommon these days except in a salvage context.  Most plumbing now is plastic & plumber's solder is no good for muzzle loaders as it's too hard with the high tin content.  A good rule of thumb is: if you can scratch it easily with your thumbnail (a deep scratch, not just in the tarnish) it's pure enough for roundballs.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2009, 12:09:21 AM by Harnic »

Offline Roger Fisher

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2009, 03:30:56 AM »
Stay pals with any plumber you know!  Grab up any of the lead pipes he drags out of an old/old building.  Thats good soft lead, I'm told! ;)

Offline Acorn Mush

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2009, 06:02:44 AM »
Don't forget lead flashing from roofs of older structures. Its nice and soft also.
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Offline Dphariss

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2009, 06:25:22 AM »
Hi All

A fellow at a gun shop just informed me that the best lead for casting rifle balls is plumber's solder.  I'm fairly new to BP shooting but I was surprised I'd never heard this before.  Is this right?

Dave

Don't try solder. Plumbers lead yes.
Solder is going to be 60:40 or 50:50 tin.
The  none toxic stuff is lead free.

Dan
He who dares not offend cannot be honest. Thomas Paine

titanicslim

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2009, 08:01:49 AM »
Several years ago, when I was building boats in the Upper Left-hand Corner, Ft. Lewis was installing fibre-optic com wire and I somehow came into a bit of the lead cable casing including the valuable heavy copper wire within.  That stuff was so pure. 

Is reloading shot a good source?  That's what I've been using and have had no problems with it.

Offline Acorn Mush

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #7 on: January 08, 2009, 08:30:23 AM »
Quote
Is reloading shot a good source?

Only if it is not hardened shot.
Consectatio pro excellentia in mediocris

Offline Gene Carrell

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #8 on: January 08, 2009, 01:33:20 PM »
I had about 60# of plumbers lead ingots (5#) that had been around for years. I thought it would be good for casting slugs for swaging into PP bullets for long range ML. When we started swaging, the hardness was all over the map. Had to remelt and clean to get the impurities out.
Gene

William Worth

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #9 on: January 08, 2009, 03:50:50 PM »
You can still buy lead roofing flashing.  What I have bought was 3' X 3' X 1/8" in a roll and was 25lbs. to the roll.  Looks like now would be a good time to get it with lead prices down.  The flashing is dead soft.   It was cheaper by the roll, per pound, then what local plumbing places wanted for their ingots.  I use tin snips to cut the roll into strips, then roll them back up to go in the pot. 

JBlk

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2009, 04:18:15 PM »
Another good source for soft lead was the telephone companies.They protected their wire splices with a soft lead cover.I don't believe that they use them anymore but they might have some laying around their repairs shops.

Daryl

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2009, 07:33:49 PM »
William - good idea - I hadn't thought of roof flashing.  It is easily cut with tomahawk, hand axe or felling axe. An ox-head works cvery well, giving a nice wide cut each time. It takes only a couple min. to reduce a 3' x 3' roll to ingots ready for the pot.  I'd roll it tighter and pound the roll into a 5" cylinder, then wack it into 4 or 5 lengths to fit the pot. Reduces stress ;D and readies the lead for melting.

Harnic

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2009, 08:00:42 PM »
James is right about the old phone cables!  I had several regular customers who were phone company linemen & they were very generous with cable sheathing knowing I shot black powder.  It's as pure as you can get, dead soft!  Makes great balls.  Too bad there's none left now, it's all gone plastic.

Daryl

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2009, 08:51:52 PM »
Harry - Every few months I'd drive my 'cruiser' up to the back of the BC Tel building work sheds in Surrey. 2 employees would help me fill the trunk with brand new cable sheathings until the trunk was way down and the front end was pointing really high. I figured about 400 pounds, maybe more each trip. I'd then take them home and within a few months, I'd need more.  In those days, I worked, cast, sized shot and slept very little.  Bit hard on the system, but I became a descent shot.  Weekends I'd drive to Squamish and shoot with Taylor, the rest of the time, at the Barnet and Coast Mountian clubs. Shooting was an every day affair. I loved worked graveyards, mean I could cast, load and shoot for 9 or 10 hours before grabbing a couple hours sleep to do it all over again. Ahh- the life of a young single man in good shape. 

 I'd cut the soldered ends off (important) to mix with WW's for modern pistol and rifle bullets and the 'centre's were used for my muzzleloaders. I also added block tin or 50/50 solder to the modern stuff.  This was until I discovered hardening and tempering WW's, courtesy or Verl Smith.

titanicslim

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2009, 11:35:57 PM »
You can still buy lead roofing flashing.  What I have bought was 3' X 3' X 1/8" in a roll and was 25lbs. to the roll.  Looks like now would be a good time to get it with lead prices down.  The flashing is dead soft.   It was cheaper by the roll, per pound, then what local plumbing places wanted for their ingots.  I use tin snips to cut the roll into strips, then roll them back up to go in the pot. 
And where might a feller go to look for such stuff nowadays ???

Harnic

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2009, 04:50:58 AM »
I loved worked graveyards, mean I could cast, load and shoot for 9 or 10 hours before grabbing a couple hours sleep to do it all over again. Ahh- the life of a young single man in good shape.

It's no wonder we're so buggered up now eh my friend? ;) 

William Worth

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #16 on: January 11, 2009, 12:16:22 AM »
Titanicslim: 

The place I find lead flashing is a building supply place.  Check around with construction supply in your area.

Daryl

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #17 on: January 12, 2009, 04:19:00 AM »
Right, Harry- I forgot all the dating, etc. That's why my girl-friend's 1st 6 dates with me were at the range - after the 6th, she bought her own muzzleloading rifle.  Oh yeah, she also happens to be the one I've been married to for 32 1/2 years now - perhaps more shooters should have gone this route?

Harnic

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Re: plumber's lead for casting bullets?
« Reply #18 on: January 13, 2009, 12:16:18 AM »
Right, Harry- I forgot all the dating, etc. That's why my girl-friend's 1st 6 dates with me were at the range - after the 6th, she bought her own muzzleloading rifle.  Oh yeah, she also happens to be the one I've been married to for 32 1/2 years now - perhaps more shooters should have gone this route?

Ha!  My wife was very tolerant of my black powder addiction too... at first.  She still supports me in my right to participate, but as you've noticed by her absence at Heffley every year, she doesn't play anymore.  She stopped trying to impress me by shooting with me about 30 years ago.  Just as well, my ego couldn't handle being out-shot by her all the time!
« Last Edit: January 13, 2009, 05:12:41 AM by Harnic »