Convenient Lead Hardness Testing
- Thread starter Boomer
- Start date
unstableryan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Beautiful Okanagan Valley
Fun... thanks for that.
I have a Lee tester, really not that expensive.
I'm looking at a way to determine hardness and approximate alloy composition in one easy step. The basic theory is to cast a round ball, check the diameter with a caliper, use a simple formulae to calculate the weight of the ball if it were pure lead, then weigh the cast ball. Ball weight / lead weight x 100 = relative density. Compare that # to a chart.
Preliminary tests are encouraging. Now I need to clean up my excel spreadsheet.
Similar to the earlier Jamison formulae, only no time consuming testing weights in water.
I just used my Lee RB mold. Came in at 97%, about 95/3/2 and bhn 14.
Short of having the alloy scanned with an XRF, this is a pretty useful test.
Nitro.
Some common alloys and RD.
Lyman #2 = 94%
Hardball 92/6/2 = 95%
Lino 84/12/4 = 90.5%
I'm wondering if anyone else weighs cast RB to check relative density.
I'm looking at a way to determine hardness and approximate alloy composition in one easy step. The basic theory is to cast a round ball, check the diameter with a caliper, use a simple formulae to calculate the weight of the ball if it were pure lead, then weigh the cast ball. Ball weight / lead weight x 100 = relative density. Compare that # to a chart.
Preliminary tests are encouraging. Now I need to clean up my excel spreadsheet.
Similar to the earlier Jamison formulae, only no time consuming testing weights in water.
I just used my Lee RB mold. Came in at 97%, about 95/3/2 and bhn 14.
Short of having the alloy scanned with an XRF, this is a pretty useful test.
Nitro.
Some common alloys and RD.
Lyman #2 = 94%
Hardball 92/6/2 = 95%
Lino 84/12/4 = 90.5%
I'm wondering if anyone else weighs cast RB to check relative density.
