cheap portable lead hardness tester

[Darto]

Cost is about $12, available many stores and places online, stationary stores, amazon, ebay. Comes in a metal box and easily stores in your car trunk or glove compartment.

 

[mooman76]

$5 at Walmart

 

[steg49]

Awesome, I'm getting a pencil set!!! setg49

 

[BS]

Thanks, KISS

 

[Dude]

From what I've read, there are a couple of the pencils that give false readings. What was theorized is that the pencils are organized by how dark they are rather than hardness, and somehow some are softer (or harder) than you'd expect.

There is another test using a ball bearing clamped between two pieces of lead. One of the pieces is dead soft and the other unknown. Unclamp them and measure the indentation of each. There's a formula using the diameter of each indent to calculate the hardness of the sample.

 

[tenngun]

Fingernails?

 

[OhioHawkeye]

From what I've read, there are a couple of the pencils that give false readings. What was theorized is that the pencils are organized by how dark they are rather than hardness, and somehow some are softer (or harder) than you'd expect.

There is another test using a ball bearing clamped between two pieces of lead. One of the pieces is dead soft and the other unknown. Unclamp them and measure the indentation of each. There's a formula using the diameter of each indent to calculate the hardness of the sample.

Wouldn't surprise me, which is why the Architect I worked for in the late 70's insisted on the Staedtler pencils just as the OP shows. Final drafting work only, was done in Ink.

The video directions isn't opening for me BTW.. never mind... opened in opera rather than dissenter web browser. Cool method. gets an approximate as needed.

 

[Idaho Ron]

Pencils are subject to the users "best guess" My fingernails will scratch lead that is 18 BHN.
If you want a cheap hardness tester, get a really good one and use it to pick up good lead at a great price.
I use the Cabine Tree tester. They have since changed names.

This tester uses a dial indicator. So I can read a soft 5 BHN or a hard 5 BHN. If you use lead that is a known hardness you will be more accurate and the bullets will perform better on game.

I make my bullets to he exact same hardness by custom mixing my lead. This bullet was 458 grains when I made it.

After shooting my bull last year it weighed 454 grains.

The performance of this bullet is perfect in my opinion. The bull was swatted to the ground instantly.

I have worked on lead hardness for over a dozen years. Most lead hardness testers are a guess at best. Mine is spot on.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Fingernails?

They make for a good "go or no-go" gauge for me....

LD

 

[smo]

Soft lead I use for rifle roundballs , wheel weights ( stick on) I use for smoothbore balls...

 

[Tom A Hawk]

That looks very precise. I have have been using my calibrated thumbnail successfully for many years.

 

[fjrdoc]

I agree with Idaho Ron. I purchased the same lead tester that he pictured. I shoot muzzleloaders and I also cast bullets for reloading modern weapons. It was money well spent in my opinion. It takes all the guess work out of lead hardness.

 

[nhmoose]

Another web forum has a whole sticky on using pencils for testing and it has been accepted for years.

I cannot link it as it would violate forum rules. Do a search on Boolits many of our members also belong there.