Lead hardness tester

[Janes]

I need to know if the stick on wheel weights are pure lead. I found a simple way to test hardness of lead, but I need some pure lead

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[Certaindeaf]

What does your tester say?

 

[Janes]

I don't have a tester. I found a way to test lead if I had a piece of pure lead

 

[evltwn]

Pray tell, what is your method?

 

[Certaindeaf]

Pure lead bends very easily. It is my understanding that stick-ons are generally way softer than WW's.
Why do you need pure lead, to just test out your "tester" that you don't have?

 

[Janes]

When I get home I will post the instructions You use some pure lead and some unknowen lead and put a ball bearing between them and squeeze them in a vise. The you measure and using some calculations to come up with the hardness

 

[Certaindeaf]

Everybody needs a hobby. I usually listen for a/the "ring" and or try to bend or cut it with an axe or cutters. Do you work for Nasa?

 

[Certaindeaf]

When I get home I will post the instructions You use some pure lead and some unknowen lead and put a ball bearing between them and squeeze them in a vise. The you measure and using some calculations to come up with the hardness

I'd not bother. It seems you know about nothing. good talk though!

 

[Janes]

When you cast bullets you need to know hard it is

If you get on the Internet you can find many ways to test hardness of lead

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'd say you're being kinda silly.

 

[Velzey]

This is what Ive been using for years! Made by Saeco, I have seen them on ebay also.

 

[Janes]

Yes I have seen those. I may get that one

 

[Certaindeaf]

But he needs some pure lead to test his tester..

 

[Mark W.]

Also muzzle loader balls should be cast from pure soft lead.

His method of putting it between soft/pure lead and the unknown lead and squeezing it will in fact work.

Why Certaindeaf is giving the OP crap over this is beyond me.

 

[Certaindeaf]

.Why Certaindeaf is giving the OP crap over this is beyond me.

The boy is speaking in tongues and doesn't even know what he's talking about.

 

[Janes]

Sounds like you need to do some searching on the web to find out if I am right or wrong

 

[Rick4070]

I use to have a hardness tester from LBT, it worked well.

It is nice to know what Brinell # your alloy is, as different alloys are used for different purposes, and sometimes harder (or softer),ain't always better for a purpose.

I saw the ball bearing "tester" method being used in a couple different publications in the past, it seemed to work pretty well.

Then again, even with a tester, it isn't going to give you what percent of trace elements are in your unknown alloy, tin, antimony, etc.

If I needed 100% pure lead, I'd buy some from Alfa Aesar who sells pure elements and metals.

If I needed what would work as pure lead, I'd buy some plumbers lead, or some lead flashing, and make up an ingot, and go from there.

Or, perhaps here:

http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/leadingotpure.htm

 

[Janes]

Thanks for the information. I think I will get a tester because with the ball bearing testing would be pretty slow if you had to a lot of testing

 

[Rick4070]

The method is described in the NRA book "Cast Bullets" by Col. E.H Harrison.
My edition is the 1982 printing.
( I THOUGHT I remembered it being in one of my books...)
IIRC, the SAECO tester needs a smaller diameter bullet, like a cast rifle bullet to fit in the tester, but I might be mistaken on that...
The LBT tester:

http://www.lbtmoulds.com/hardtester.shtml

It runs about $100, and will work with any flat nosed cast bullet less than 1" long.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Why do you need a tester if you have a.. nevermind.. hobbies are good perhaps