Important: Safety Warning
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Fusible Alloys
Fusible alloys are composed principally of bismuth, tin, and lead, and the proportions in which they are alloyed determine the temperature at which they will melt. An alloy of bismuth 8, lead 5, tin 3, when fused together, melts at 212 deg. F.; one of bismuth 2, lead 5, tin 3, like the other, will melt in boiling water, or 212 deg. F.; and one of lead 3, tin 2, bismuth 5, melts at 197 deg. F.
Wood's patent fusible metal, cadmium 3, tin 4, lead 8, bismuth 15, melts at 150 deg. F. Other fusible alloys which bear a particular name will be found in their places.
As all fusible metals, including lead, tin, zinc, antimony, bismuth, etc., and their alloys, melt at a much lower temperature than iron, ladles or pots of that substance may be used for melting them in without any intervening lining. See BISMUTH; TIN; LEAD; ANTIMONY; CADMIUM; ALLOYS.