A month or so ago I placed a WTB add for a Lee or other brand hardness tester. I have automated a Master Caster and can go thru 100 pounds of lead pretty quick. I have bought close to 2,000 lbs of lead in various forms. Buckets of wheel weights that I sorted COWWs, stick on lead, and throw away anything else. Friend has donated 200 lbs of 22 bullets. I have bought 200 lbs of Linotype and then just misc lead that I am not sure of what it is. My thought was a hardness tester would be handy. One has not come my way and funds are going to bullets molds, a bullet collator, and an automated bullet sizer.
On my WTB post, there where lots of good suggestions as to how to measure lead harness. some required casting the lead into either bullets or some other smaller ingot. with all of the various sources, I was trying to find something simple. well, one of the suggestions was using drawing pencils of various hardness. I had been years since I researched using this method. under $20 investment. watched 6 or so u-tube videos and decided to give it a try. used a file to cleanup the surfaces of two 22 lead ingots, two COWW ingots, an ingot that was bright and shinny that probably had a bit of tin, and 3 others of undetermined origin.
the pencil scratch test is really pretty simple. the 22 and WW were right on. what I thought had tin was the hardest but only around 15 BHN. all my Linotype was at the shop so did not test. I am probably going to do some weight per volume calculations, density, to see if it can be further evaluated.
I am not one to add comments to posts in the classified. Not sure if those posts can be moved to here to get them all in the same place. you may have to go there if you want to see the other methods.
I am thinking about setting up to convert other individuals lead into small ingots that kind of look like raw boolits. Uncle Sam requires a license to sell (changed from "make" per rickm's post) bullets. I may just convert lead from one size to another.
On my WTB post, there where lots of good suggestions as to how to measure lead harness. some required casting the lead into either bullets or some other smaller ingot. with all of the various sources, I was trying to find something simple. well, one of the suggestions was using drawing pencils of various hardness. I had been years since I researched using this method. under $20 investment. watched 6 or so u-tube videos and decided to give it a try. used a file to cleanup the surfaces of two 22 lead ingots, two COWW ingots, an ingot that was bright and shinny that probably had a bit of tin, and 3 others of undetermined origin.
the pencil scratch test is really pretty simple. the 22 and WW were right on. what I thought had tin was the hardest but only around 15 BHN. all my Linotype was at the shop so did not test. I am probably going to do some weight per volume calculations, density, to see if it can be further evaluated.
I am not one to add comments to posts in the classified. Not sure if those posts can be moved to here to get them all in the same place. you may have to go there if you want to see the other methods.
I am thinking about setting up to convert other individuals lead into small ingots that kind of look like raw boolits. Uncle Sam requires a license to sell (changed from "make" per rickm's post) bullets. I may just convert lead from one size to another.
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