Lead hardness tester

[Certaindeaf]

Oh, and it seems you're a tremendous sunt. that's always good.. for sunts

 

[Certaindeaf]

wha

 

[Janes]

Here is the way to test lead with a ball bearing. Place the ball bearing between the 2 samples and squeeze the sandwich in a vise. Remove the sandwich and measure the diameter of the 2 dents with a caliper and write down the readings. Square each reading ( multiply times themselves). Divide the square of the unknown sample into the square of the pure lead sample and you get a number lager than 1. When you get a number larger than 1 multiply it times 5 and this will give you the brinnell hardness of you sample. The reason you use 5 is because 5 is lead.

 

[Janes]

Certaindeaf, it sounds like you really don't know how a lead tester works or you are just playing with me.

 

[Velzey]

Math is hard.. I like my lead tester

 

[Rick4070]

In my case, I had several hundred pounds (around a half ton,) of various lead alloys, some fairly pure plumbers lead, some 50 pound ingots from a shipyard in Tacoma, some wheelweights, some linotype, some range lead, some old unknown alloy cast etc., and I wanted to melt it all together, and then alloy it with tin and antimony for various cast bullets, some softer, around BHN 10 or so, some 15, and some hard, like linotype, around 21, for rifle bullets, and I wanted to try heat treating the bullets after casting to see how much harder they might end up.

So, I bought an LBT tester, bought some tin and antimony, along with the special flux necessary to alloy the antimony with the lead.

If someone has known alloys it is fairly easy to make a certain hardness alloy, so much pure lead, so much wheel weights, so much tin, etc.

Also, I wanted to try testing some, setting them aside, and re-checking later, like over a year or so to see what effect age had on the hardness, because I read somewhere that lead alloy bullets get softer with age due to crystal growth.

(I don't recall if I ever re-checked any or not, I probably mis-placed my "control" bullets, or just shot them...)

Could I tell EXACTLY what percentages of other metals were in my alloys?

No, but I for sure could tell what the hardness was, and go from there.

When you are dealing with unknown alloys, a hardness tester comes in handy.

After all, the NRA cast bullet book considers the ball bearing method a very valid test to indicate hardness.

 

[evltwn]

A Lee tester works fine for me, although if you are short on cash you can use the "walnut" technique......place your sample and a bearing between your cheeks and squeeze for 30 seconds. You may wish to wash both items before proceeding.

 

[Janes]

I am looking at the Lee Tester to buy, it will be easier and a lot faster.

 

[Janes]

I am looking at the Lee Tester to buy, it will be easier and a lot faster. I also think with a Lee Tester that a person could test ingots and not just only bullets. Does anyone know if that can be done?

 

[Rick4070]

It looks like you could test ingots, the Lee tester fits in your press, and has a "V" block to hold the bullet, but i'd bet that as long as the ingot would fit through the press, it would work:

Real Guns - The Lee Lead Hardness Testing Kit - Bullet Biting Alternatives

 

[Janes]

I just ordered the Lee tester on Ebay for 63.80 including shipping. I check my press and I can fit my ingots in the press.

 

[evltwn]

Yes, you can check ingots. I would suggest attaching the magnifier to a 'hobby' type microscope for easier reading.

 

[Certaindeaf]

What a train wreck. dood nevermind

 

[Rick4070]

What a train wreck. dood nevermind

I don't see any train wreck.

I see you trying to derail the "train" though, but I'm not sure why you feel the need to do that because the OP has a valid topic that is interesting to some of us.

Checking alloy hardness levels is a good thing to do, because different hardness levels are needed to tailor the cast bullet to the velocity desired, as several publications have shown.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I think he went about "it" in the most inane way possible.

 

[springfield0612]

From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide For Handgunners, Table of Contents - Fryxell/Applegate A good read for cast bullets, lead, alloys etc.

Shay Cast Bullet Alloy BHN Test Equipment Comparison Test putting different testing methods to the test, testing BHN of different test batches. Another good read before you buy a tester.