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Forums - Modelling / Construction |
The construction forum is for the discussion of techniques on the construction phase of AFV modelling and the tools and materials used. |
| Topics | 1869 |
| Messages | 8608 |
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| Subject: | Re: White Metal not Lead |  |
| Date: | Jan 18, 2003 |
| From: | Rick Young & Carol MacLennan-Young | |
I have seen low-temp, supposedly leadless alloys on sale, mostly from UK
sources. Prices are hideous, however - especially when considering the
shipping costs for any quantity. The lead alloys I mentioned, like wheel
weights, do contain a substantial portion of tin (like solder, which in a
lot of cases is half tin). I'd be rather surprised if lead alloy was
prohibited - too many uses from wheel weights to battery posts/plates to
bullets. Are you thinking of the prohibition of lead shot use in waterfowl
hunting? (Way off topic, but the less than adequate alternatives available
to replace lead will likely cause the painful demise of a lot more birds
than ingestion of shot ever did...but I digress.)
The problem is that most of the non-lead solutions are either excessively
expensive or likely need casting temperatures far in excess of what the home
caster could work with. Even much-maligned old lead is over 600 degrees in
it's molten, castable state. You do not want that coming into contact with
any bare skin (or any water getting in it - turns into instant steam and
gives anything closeby a lead shower). Also, other substitutes just plain do
not cast as well, leaving poor reproduction of detail, unfilled cavities and
so on. The tin/antimony is what really hardens the casting (has to do with
how the lattice-work of metals fit together or some such thing I remember
from way back in my school days). If you're looking for a source of
excellent, hard-as-hell alloy, the standard has been linotype for many
years. Getting hard to track down now, but if there are any small town
newspapers nearby still using the traditional type-set press, you've struck
gold.
The main method of ingestion of lead is exactly that - eating it. Refrain
from sucking your thumb, smoking or eating while casting, work under well
ventilated conditions, hell - wear a respirator if you're concerned. I've
cast bullets/handled them in reloading for over 25 years and never had more
than trace amounts show up in my system during blood tests. The single
biggest source of air-borne lead for shooters comes from the lead styphenate
used in ammunition primers (thing that makes the cartridge go bang) - not
the cast or swaged projectile itself. And this is only an issue during the
winter, indoor season. Oh yeah - even if you do endure sufficient exposure
to get lead in your system at any level worth concern, (assuming it is not
as a result of stopping a bullet) there is a relatively simple medical
"purging" process to remove it.
Several reloading/casting tool manufacturers like Lee, RCBS, Lyman and
others make nice bottom-pour furnaces, some as cheap (like the Lee) as
$80-$100 Cdn. If you're not anticipating that great a use, you can also get
a nice little, purpose-built cast-iron pot and lead ladle from the same
sources for about $20-$30 (just requires a heat source - electric range or
Coleman stove, for example). This requires dipping from the top, a little
harder than the bottom-pour, but still quite easy. If you want to give this
a try, see if you can buy, beg or borrow the "Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook" -
it outlines all the do's and don'ts, tips for proper technique, etc. far
better than I can in a forum response. Any or all of the above could be
gotten from Wholesale Sports in Calgary or any local, full-service gun shop.
Rick |
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