lead hardness

[fullbug]

what is the best way to determine your lead hardness for cast bullets?

 

[fisherking]

check out the forum castboolits.Lots of good info there.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

If you can't mark it with your thumbnail, it's hard, if you can, it's soft.

Not kidding, it's an effective measure of hardness. You can in time, use it to grade hardness even further. (wash hands after handling lead)

 

[kodiak1]

Buy a cabintree lead hardness tester. They are the best guaranteed.
Ken.

 

[blacksmithden]

I bought a Lee lead hardness test kit. Cheap and a little hard to use if your hands aren't steady and your eyes aren't that great.....but effective.

 

[ben hunchak]

There are about 4 or 5 hardness testers out there, cabintree and LBT are considered the best, the Saeco and Lee are most difficult to get an accurate reading.

 

[vagrantviking]

I bought a Lee lead hardness test kit. Cheap and a little hard to use if your hands aren't steady and your eyes aren't that great.....but effective.

One of the cast bullet forums had a tutorial on how to mount the magnifyer on a cheap kids microscope stand and how to make a jig or something to make the indenter a lot more accurate.

Not sure if the trouble would be worth the difference in cost compared to buying a better tester.

 

[blacksmithden]

One of the cast bullet forums had a tutorial on how to mount the magnifyer on a cheap kids microscope stand and how to make a jig or something to make the indenter a lot more accurate.

Not sure if the trouble would be worth the difference in cost compared to buying a better tester.

The thing is, I've only ever melted 2 batches of lead...about 500 lbs each. One was using wheel weights from the same source and I wasn't even remotely worried about wierd stuff going on. The second was with scrap lead from a scrap dealer. I wanted to test a puck from each pot of that to make sure I wasn't making up a batch of junk. Even with all my shooting over the past few years, I've still got around 750lbs that's been tested.....so the tester sits in it's case for the next who knows how many years. The Lee did what I wanted it to do. I should think about selling it I guess.

 

[medicstimpy]

A quick way without a tester is... load them up at the diameter and lube that is known good for your gun and fire a few. If it is too soft, they will lead more than what you are used to. They may also tumble and leave keyholes if they are too soft.

If the barrel and target are ok, then go home and cast away. If not ok, add some WW's or solder to bring up the antimony and try again.

 

[zuke]

Ask somebody to test it for you. Cast a couple and send it to them.