Pewter vs Tin

[Tenmile]

I’m wanting to pour a nose cap on a rifle I’ve had in the works for a while. I have some tin discs from my silhouette shooting days. Would this be as good as pewter?
Lynn

[JPK]

Pewter is about 96% tin with copper and antimony. I’ve used 95% tin with antimony with good results.

[Robby]

I have used some of the lead free solders from the hardware store with success.
Lead-free Solder
Tin-Silver: This alloy is an excellent replacement for the 63/37 tin-lead solder and is widely used in many industries, from electronics to plumbing.
Tin-Copper: It’s one of the most popular lead-free alloys, with excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. It’s ideal for electronics and other applications.
Tin-Bismuth: This is the lead-free alloy with the lowest melting point (only 95°C or 203°F). It’s ideal for working with delicate thermal sensitive parts.
Tin-Zinc: This alloy offers great ductility and has a relatively low cost. It’s great for working with aluminum and galvanized steel. It’s not the best in terms of anti-corrosion and oxidation properties, but it does the job.
Tin-Antimony: This solder creates hard connections and is widely used in industrial applications.
Tin-Nickel: This solder is widely used in the aerospace industry because of its excellent mechanical properties and resistance to thermal cycling.
Robby

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

About 50 years ago, I scored a big chunk of high speed nickel babbit from a friend who was a mill worker back then.  I have cast literally hundreds of nose caps from it and it has worked very well.  It is hard enough to take a polish, you cannot mark it with your thumb nail, and it is easy to file/sand.  I believe it ends up with a darker softer finish than would pure tin., but it is entirely adequate and easy to use.  Here's the last cap I poured some years ago now.

[Tenmile]

Thanks for the information. It seems that a bit of alloy might be good. That’s a fine looking rifle from the looks of the front end Taylor.
Lynn

[dadybear1]

"D" I REMEMBER MY DAD FILING BABBIT BABITT BEARINGS WAY BACK---LOL

[Hungry Horse]

 I use lead free pewter from the second hand store. I don’t think you’re going to get material any cheaper anywhere. This stuff is either engraved with somebodies name, or has a big dent in it, but that doesn’t matter for melting down to pour nosecaps or mold lead free shot.

 Hungry Horse

[Dphariss]

There are many different Pewter alloys. Some contain lead. The best Pewter tip material I have ever used is “Silva-Brite 100” solder. Its actually one of the old non-toxic pewter mixes. Did a lot of Pewter tips when I was the custom shop for a brass suppository rifle maker. Did not have to worry about bring lead dust home to the kids.

[Dphariss]

I use lead free pewter from the second hand store. I don’t think you’re going to get material any cheaper anywhere. This stuff is either engraved with somebodies name, or has a big dent in it, but that doesn’t matter for melting down to pour nosecaps or mold lead free shot.

 Hungry Horse

This also works well.

[Tim Crosby]

 With the second hand store stuff you will be able to get an idea of how it will age/change color. Some of the mixes are hard to darken even with acid.

  Tim C.

[Tenmile]

All good advice. I was just thinking that I have several pieces of the 99% tin. I am putting this rifle together with pieces that I’ve had for a while and not wanting to spend much on it. If the tin were alloyed with something to harden it a little it would probably be better. It’s a little soft as is.
Lynn

[mikeyfirelock]

My wife loves the 2nd hand stores ( so do I ……there’s treasure there!) and I have in the past picked up old pewter items…..bowls and such.   They are usually marked “ pewter.”  I melted them down and used them to cast nosecaps on several,1/2 stocks .   They are not expensive…….the more beat up, the less expensive, and the store is glad to see them gone.

[smylee grouch]

I have used Pewter on a few rifles and thought they were a little too shiny as in chrome plated. I then added a 40 cal round ball and a two inch strip of silver solder to the mix and it was better looking to me.

[bluenoser]

There is lead pewter and lead-free pewter.  The lead pewter generally has a more grey appearance and might be better suited to nose caps and such..  I suspect S G kinda duplicated the lead pewter.

[Pukka Bundook]

I use babbit material, as it darkens to more the colour of real old pewter with lead in it.
The old 18th C tankards were very dark grey, and the lids 'plunked' when you closed them. no clink like tin .

[Hungry Horse]

 Pure tin will take a high polish, but it resists tarnishing and will remain pretty bright. The food grade pewter will tarnish some, but won’t go to dark gray like old lead based pewter without some chemical help.
 I have found that the best castings are the purer metals. Mixtures that contain several metals with slightly different melting points are harder to caste without air bubble in metal that has the lowest melting point.

Hungry Horse

[Bob Roller]

"D" I REMEMBER MY DAD FILING BABBIT BABITT BEARINGS WAY BACK---LOL

I worked for a few months at American Babbit Bearing near mere in 1985.They poured them and bored them I was the only one that had  I was the only one there that had a real VERNIER and one of two that knew how to read it.There is more to this story but it involved criminal behavior that did NOT involve me.Back in the "day"when I worked on Duesenberg cars we sent the engine block and the head to Federal
Mogul along with the crank shaft and the  two cams.They did a great job and the last one we rebuilt ran for 24 years trouble free.Federal-Mogul in those days offered a rebabbiting service for any engine that needed it
Bob Roller