Bullet Casting

Antimony Master Alloy

The melting point of antimony is 630 degrees C, higher than most hobbyists can melt and alloy correctly. To make adding antimony easy, we offer antimony ‘Master Alloys’. These are 20% antimony alloyed with either tin or lead, for easy addition to other metal, usually for the purpose of hardening it. Once antimony has been alloyed with tin or lead, the melting temperature is significantly lower than pure antimony and much easier to work with. In this way you can introduce antimony to harden tin or lead without segregation of antimony in the final alloy, and without the need for specialised high temperature melting apparatus.

Bullet Casting Alloys

Using alloys of consistent formula, rather than scrap, eliminates the need for testing and adjusting for variations. .

2% tin, 6% antimony, 92% lead in 5kg ingots - known as hardball. This is by far the most popular with target shooters and generally preferred to Lyman no.2.

'Lyman No. 2' - 5% tin, 5% antimony, 90% lead in 5kg ingots.
Tin/lead alloys to suit black powder shooters: 1:16, 1:20, 1:25, 1:30 in 5kg ingots
Linotype - in 5kg ingots
Pure lead - 5kg ingots or 25 kg ingots.

Chamber Casting Alloy

Does the same as the U.S.-made alloy known as Cerrosafe. It is used to check gun chambers. Initially it expands, and then shrinks during the first 30 minutes after casting. At the end of one hour it is EXACTLY the chamber size. Other uses include supporting work pieces while machining. It starts to melt at 70 degrees C and is fully molten at 87.7 degrees C. Can be remelted and used again and again.

Home or Hobby Casting Kits

Suitable for melting small quantity of metal for casting sinkers, projectiles, model soldiers, fishing lures, diving weights. The 6 inch pot holds approximately 8 kg of Lead or 5 kg of Tin

6" Pot and windshield - $235 + GST

Gas burner with hose and regulator - $115.90 + GST

Ladle 2.5” - $30 + GST

Ladle 3” (holds 1kg lead brimful) - $40 + GST

Ladle 4” (holds 2kg lead brimful) - $50 + GST

Skimmer - $72.00 + GST

Thermometer and k Type Thermocouple - $75.00 + GST

Sold separately or discounted as a kit if 3 or more items are purchased in one transaction.

PLEASE ASK IF YOU NEED LARGER POT SIZE - THESE ARE AVAILABLE TO ORDER

Ladles and Skimmers for Home Casting

Durable, foundry-quality ladles with a good pouring spout and 40 cm handles, suitable for use with any of our alloys.

2.5” - $30 + GST

3” - $40 + GST

4” - $50 + GST

Skimmer - $72.00 GST

Linotype

Hayes Metals’ linotype is 5% tin 11.5% antimony 83.5% lead. Originally formulated for use in the hot metal printing industry, this is a hard alloy which casts with very good detail.

Linotype is as an excellent casting alloy where low cost is important. It is often used in model soldiers, badges and decorative items that will be electroplated, or fishing lures. It is a fairly brittle alloy, so may not be suitable for castings with very thin sections, but detail is excellent and it plates well.

It also is very suitable for hardening lead for casting projectiles because the tin and antimony are in a ratio that is very suitable for mixing in equal parts with pure lead, or with less lead if a harder alloy is required.

In the printing industry linotype was used to cast lines of type, monotype was a harder alloy often higher in both tin and antimony. As the name says, mono- type was used to make single letters. Stereotype varied considerably. Within each group there was no set formula because printers each had their own preferences. Often scrap dealers, and people seeking scrap, are unaware of these differences, which can make a big difference to the suitability of an alloy for a particular purpose.

Melting Pots for Home Casting

Three sizes now available, larger sizes made to order:

6” diameter - designed to hold up to 8 kg of molten lead-based metal or 5 kg of tin-based alloy - pot and windshield contact us .

7” diameter – suitable to melt up to 14 kg lead-based metal or 9.5 kg tin-based alloy - pot and windshield contact us.

8" diameter - suitable to melt up to 22 kg lead-based metal or 14 kg tin-based alloy - pot and windshield contact us.

Ideal for making jewellery, model soldiers, sinkers, projectiles, fishing lures, chess sets...any hobby that involves melting tin or lead alloys.

Designed to sit over a simple 2-ring gas burner, at the optimum height above the flame, with a shield to keep the flame and heat where needed. The bottom of the pot is fully rounded so metal can be easily scooped out with a ladle, and there is a bracket to hold a thermocouple if required.

Normally a ladle is used to cast from the pot. However, if emptying metal from the pot for storage, you can heat it without the windshield and pour directly from the spout into a mould or tray placed in position. No need to lift it from the bench - just let it rest on the two front legs and use the third as a handle to tip it forward to pour. (For 6" and 7" only. 8" bowl does not have a pouring lip)

These simple pots will last a long time and the temperature can be controlled more accurately using a thermometer than with a thermostat which may cut in and out with greater temperature variation than can be maintained by manually adjusting the gas flow.

Thermometers for Home Casting

You can cast successfully without a thermometer but you may have some trial and error and some rejects, not always casting the same.

For consistent results, without trial and error, you need a thermometer. The ideal temperature for casting depends on the melting point of the alloy you are using and the design of each mould. When you find the temperature that works best for your job, a thermometer is handy to test that and record it. Then you can work at the ideal temperature every time, saving time.

A digital Thermometer complete with a thermocouple measuring a temperature range from -50 deg C - 750 deg c is available for purchase . Contact us

Tin - High Purity

All tin supplied by Northern Smelters exceeds industry standards, and is available if required with a Certificate of Analysis. Every batch of tin used by Hayes Metal Pty Ltd is sampled, and tested by an independent NATA approved laboratory to confirm quality of all material we supply.

Ingots – approximately 25 kg

Bars – approximately 3kg

Sticks – approximately 500gm or 750gmPellets – 23 grams - used in electroplating baskets, or for small additions of tin in foundries

Pellets – 23 grams - used in electroplating baskets, or small additions of tin in foundries

Granules – irregularly shaped, from about 3mm to 5mm diameter.

200 gram buttons – exact weight (+/- 5gm) for accurate addition to furnace charge etc.