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Old November 9, 2011, 10:58 AM   #11
dahermit
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Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
Posts: 6,501
Quote:
Using straight WW alloy, I have never found the need for tin (not to hijack the thread) .
Back in the day that Linotype was plentiful, we would use it for our bullet casting. If the pot was set at the optimum temperature, the alloy would harden almost instantly in the iron molds, could be dropped without any waiting for sprue to harden for fear of smearing lead under the sprue plate. In short, there was no "mushy" stage in that alloy due to the proportion of tin to the lead and antimony, resulting in beautiful bullets cast a rapid pace. With wheel weights, due to the lack of Tin, there is a distinct and annoying "mushy" stage making it less than ideal for casting as is. However, techniques such as casting with two molds, etc. can compensate for that. Nevertheless, if a caster had the luxury of using straight Linotype, it is apparent why it was formulated as it was for casting type face characters in the printing industry. The qualities that made it ideal for printing, make it ideal for bullets also...we just cannot afford or find it anymore.
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