For all of you caster out there..
Here is table of Hardness of Lead Alloys
Alloy % Lead % Tin % Antimony BHN Hardness
Monotype 72 9 19 28
Stereotype 80 6 14 23
Linotype 84 4 12 22
Lyman #2 90 5 5 15
Taracorp Magnum 92 2 6 15
1:1 Lead/Lino 92 2 6 15
Electrotype 94.5 3 25 12
10:1 91 9 0 11.5
16:1 94 6 0 11
20:1 95 5 0 10
30:1 97 3 0 9
40:1 97.5 2.5 0 8.5
Wheel-weight 95 0.5 4 9
Pure Lead 100 0 0 5
Lots of folks test their lead by the fingernail test. If they can scratch it with a fingernail, it is considered by some to be soft.
In the BHN hardness, an average persons fingernail is about 13 bnh. A person who is used to hard labor, or shopwork may be 14 or 15.
The fingernail test tells you that the hardness of the lead is less than the hardness of the fingernail, nothing more. It is more softer than more harder. ;D So lead that can be scratched with the fingernail is usually less than 13 BNH.
On the wheel weights you only have the clip on weights listed. Stick on weights are 99.5% pure lead with a BHN of six. Plenty soft enough for round balls, conicals and minies. Here is a more indepth article on bullet casting alloys. http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletAlloy.htm
Common Bullet Alloys,
Composition and Hardness
Alloy Tin% Antimony% Lead% BHN Arsenic
(Trace)
Foundry Type 15 23 62 ? No
Monotype 9 19 72 28 No
Stereotype 6 14 80 23 No
Linotype 4 12 80 23 No
Lyman # 2 5 5 90 15 No
Electrotype 3 2.5 94.5 12 No
1 to 10 tin/lead 9 --- 91 11.5 No
1 to 20 tin/lead 5 --- 95 10 No
1 to 30 tin/lead 3 --- 97 8 No
1 to 40 tin/lead 2.5 --- 97.5 6-7 No
Hard Ball 2 6 92 16 No
Clip-on .5 3-4 95.5 10 Yes
wheel weight 96.5 12
Stick-on * ** 99.5 6 No
wheel weight
# 8 Magnum --- 2-3% 97-98 *** Yes
Plumbers Lead --- --- ****100 No
Lead --- --- 100 5 No