Important: Safety Warning
This page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
In addition, this page describes casting spoons from a lead-bearing alloy that melts in hot liquid, and giving one to a guest to stir their tea. The alloy contains lead, which is poisonous, and the trick puts molten lead-bearing metal directly into a drink.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Home › Metallurgy › Another (Melt together lbs of regulus)
Another (Melt together lbs of regulus)
Melt together 2 lbs. of regulus of antimony, 8 oz. of brass, and 10 oz. of tin. Common Hard White Metal Melt together 1 lb. of brass, 14 oz. of spelter, and oz. of tin.
Tutenag.
Melt together 2 parts of tin and 1 of bismuth.
Fusible Alloy.
Put into a crucible 4 oz. of bismuth, and when in a state of fusion throw in 24 oz. of lead, and 14 oz. of tin; these metals will combine, forming an alloy fusible at the temperature of boiling water.
Mould this alloy in bars, and take them to a silversmith's to be made into a half-a-dozen teaspoons. If one of these be given to a stranger to stir his tea, as soon as it is poured from the teapot, he will be not a little surprised to find the spoon melt in the tea-cup.
The fusibility of this alloy is certainly surprising, for the fusing temperature of each of its components, singly, is higher than twice that of boiling water. Bismuth fuses at 476°, lead at 612°, and tin at 442°; whilst water boils at 212°.