Question on recycled lead...

[opencountry]

I’m attempting to reuse my 16-1 lead I shoot at the local target range. Today I washed the mushroomed slugs to get rid of most of the sand. After air-blowing it’s evident that it’s still pretty dirty. Should I melt it in a leadpot, and simply skim off the impurities from the surface of the melted lead alloy? I’m new at this, and could use some help, please. Any help would be appreciated. How can I know when all of the impurities have been removed? I certainly don’t want to damage the bore in my rifles.
Robert

[monkeyboy]

I've been shooting recycled wheelweights for years.I just skim off the valve stems,lug nuts ,clips and other assorted party favors and pour into molds. Your melt won't hurt your bore.FWIW Mike.

[Coltsmoke]

Where does lead come from? What process is used to turn into the product that you purchased?

[opencountry]

Sounds like everything lighter than lead floats to the top. I guess that’s all I need to know.

R

[Nuclearcricket]

I would like to add a word or 2 of caution here. Probably best to the melt outside. #1 fill your pot up with the spent bullets and such and then apply the heat. Skim and pour into ingots. Empty and cool the pot and repete. #2 if there is any moisture in any of the collected bullets, dropping into a hot melt is not a good thing. It could cause a very bad thing to happen and you never want to have that happen.
I have seen on other sites people selling led that is reclaimed range scrap so I see no reason your reclaimed/recycled scrap wouldn't be just as good as anyone else's.
Sam

[opencountry]

Thanks, Sam.
R

[bobw]

Robert, most info has been well covered above. I would add that the bullets you are recycling can be heaped over the top of the pot as they melt the heat drives off the moisture and the ones on the bottom melt. The melt level comes up in the pot until they are all molten. NEVER EVER ADD ANY MORE TO THE POT. STIR VIGOROUSLY THE MELT. The impurities sometimes cling to the pot sides, do this multiple times, then skim off, pour your ingots. Cool off the pot and repeat as many times as necessary to melt all your recycled bullets. I also agree on doing it a second time to reduce the impurities. Bringing damp bullets up to melt temp is not a problem but adding damp ones in 700+ degree melt will explode the whole pot. Be careful. Bobw

[bobw]

Robert, most info has been well covered above. I would add that the bullets you are recycling can be heaped over the top of the pot as they melt the heat drives off the moisture and the ones on the bottom melt. The melt level comes up in the pot until they are all molten. NEVER EVER ADD ANY MORE TO THE POT. STIR VIGOROUSLY THE MELT. The impurities sometimes cling to the pot sides, do this multiple times, then skim off, pour your ingots. Cool off the pot and repeat as many times as necessary to melt all your recycled bullets. I also agree on doing it a second time to reduce the impurities. Bringing damp bullets up to melt temp is not a problem but adding damp ones in 700+ degree melt will explode the whole pot. Be careful. Bobw

[bobw]

Robert, most info has been well covered above. I would add that the bullets you are recycling can be heaped over the top of the pot as they melt the heat drives off the moisture and the ones on the bottom melt. The melt level comes up in the pot until they are all molten. NEVER EVER ADD ANY MORE TO THE POT. STIR VIGOROUSLY THE MELT. The impurities sometimes cling to the pot sides, do this multiple times, then skim off, pour your ingots. Cool off the pot and repeat as many times as necessary to melt all your recycled bullets. I also agree on doing it a second time to reduce the impurities. Bringing damp bullets up to melt temp is not a problem but adding damp ones in 700+ degree melt will explode the whole pot. Be careful. Bobw

[George Babits]

Robert,

I've been "recycling" lead since i started shooting back in the early 1960s. I don't even bother with washing or blow drying, just throw it all into the empty pot and put the heat to it. All the dirt and crud will float to the top and you just skim it off. I have a 30 pound pot that I use to do this outside though, and on a nice sunny day. As someone said, you do not want a drop of water (including your own sweat) falling into the pot.

George

[beltfed]

I might add:
After the melt down of the range lead or wheel weights you want to FLUX the pot at least a couple times.
Stirring, and scraping the walls and bottomof the pot will also help to get those last particles of sand,etc
to float up so you can skim them off.
Again, FLUX and skim the H. out of the pot.
Pour your ingots.
Then, when using the ingots FLUX FLUX FLUX. as you make up your eventual alloy
Old candles work well for Fluxing.
Also stirring with a pine stick also aids the process.
beltfed/arnie

[Kurt]

This subject I will put my education in with working with the lead pot.
Working the plumbing trades for over 30 years 21 one years ago before retiring lead was used for packing and wiping lead joints and I wore a lead over coat several times over the years.
There are things that will empty a lead pot full of melted alloy with a loud pop and you will be wearing a silver colored overcoat.
Never add cold lead to the mix, especially if your casting outside. The cold lead will sweat and and if that sweat is trapped under the molten lead the steam will get violent and blow the pot empty. Lay the ingot on the side of the hot pot till it warms up even if hot when your working on this.
Putting a cold ingot or ladle in the molten alloy the first thing you will feel is a vibration, that is the sweat boiling off this will give you a split second to turn your back sometimes
Sweat dripping off your nose into the lead pot will not empty it, it pop so will wain drops or water drops leaking through a floor over head. It has never happen to me, but hail stones have emptied the pot a couple times. A sweat drop off your nose will turn to steam before it hits the hot lead.
You can empty the pot filling your ingot but it's best that you preheat the ingot mould first because it will blow the lead out filling it if it's cold outside. You can add lead to a hot pot with out a problem if it's empty the heating lead will cook the moisture off as it warms up as long as the moisture is not trapped.
You can get by running a lead pot in a dry basement that you won't outside especially if it's cold outside.
I recycle my lead from my range in my yard every two or three years and usually get a 5 gallon bucket full to make 10# bread loaf ingots again
Go for it but use caution. Hot lead will pull your skin off when you peal the lead mask off.......

Bucket full of bullets.jpeg

[opencountry]

Thank you all VERY much for your comments. It has put a much deeper respect in me than what was there before. No doubt this respect will save me from serious harm. I can say that in the past I have felt the vibration(s) as I dipped lead from the melted pot with my cold ladle. I’ll let it warm a bit on top of the melt before submerging it.
Thank you all! I’m going to write all of these pointers down, and put them at my casting station to remind myself often.
Thanks again, everyone!
R

[Kurt]

Robert,
It's best to use caution working with hot lead than careless. I have white scars from pealing the lead coating off my bare skin.
Water in the mix no matter the amount can give you a problem, even fluxing the pot wrong you will hear the rumble using the wrong method or material doing that.

[opencountry]

Thanks Kurt,
Somewhere along the line I picked up the idea of using bone-dry fine sawdust for flux material. In a 20# pot of melted lead I introduce to the lead just a very small amount of it, wait until it’s fully turned to char on top of the melt, then slowly mix it slowly and thoroughly down into the pot. This has proven to make fine bullets for target purposes out to 1,000 yds.
R