Shiloh Rifle Forums

Robert
I am a lead scrounger also .
Woody is right...be careful adding fresh scrounged lead to a hot pot.
If you introduce moisture things will get exciting for a second.
Wear long sleeves, pants, glasses , a hat and SHOES!!

Funny ... when I get all relaxed with my lead pot I have a piece of molten lead remind me to cover my skin.

I fully understand, Glen. I was a fitter most of my working life, I welded many types of stick rod. Stainless steel was the worst because the spatter from stainless rod is really hot. When it contacts your skin it takes the hide right off of you. My arms and chest show I welded a lot. Even though I wore leathers the heat from the HOT spatter penetrated to burn the skin. Nothing like heavy wall piping.

I’ll keep the molten metal in the pot. Thanks.

Robert

Yes, suit-up before casting.
Robert

Now here s where we differ.
I always cast n thongs and a pair of cutoffs. It keeps you on your toes and paying attention

Oh the visual!!! How do erase it?

Woody

Dean
I am a manly man and like most guys on here...I think I know everything about everything.
I have cast bullets outside thinking " who needs those hot long pants and shoes that cover my feet"...and while the lead burns are healing I am reminded every day that hot lead is a great teacher.

About 15 years ago Mike Mooney and I recovered 1600 pounds of lead sheathing from the roof of Stadium High School in Tacoma, WA. The biggest job was separating the lead from the glue. I used a 100 pound pot and a turkey fryer propane burner. Melting and fluxing, pouring melt into muffin tins for ingots. Have 800 pounds in my stash for when I cannot buy lead tin alloy. It is all on the bottom shelf of my reloading bench. It helps stabilize it.

Well glen.
As they say some learn listening some by seeing and some just gotta pee on the electric fence

hahaha...That electric fence brings back some great times as a kid. Man we were ornery. Some of those old fences would hit you way hard.

Michael

We make garage sales and one day went into an estate sale. In the garage there were HUNDREDS of pounds of truck weights from decades ago and they were still in their boxes. The guy running the estate sale told me " 20 bucks if you'll haul all of it off" and I did.

I have piles of linotype, wheel weights and pure lead under trees in the woods, in the garage..etc. I obtained all of it cheap wondering if I'd ever need it and this whole covid thing has made me glad I kept all that.

To keep the dross out of the casting pot … melt any scrap lead in a separate pot and flux until there is no dross

John Boy wrote: ↑Sun Sep 12, 2021 7:32 am To keep the dross out of the casting pot … melt any scrap lead in a separate pot and flux until there is no dross

I quit fluxing years ago. I just skim the dross and toss it. (Well I actually save it and sell it to the scrap yard for about $.18/lb.) The amount of metal I would save by fluxing is not worth my time. I treat recovered lead the same as my clean bullet casting lead. Fluxing does nothing to remove any impurities. It just changes the small amount of metal oxide to metal by absorbing the oxygen. It does not mix the tin, or antimony into the lead. It does not promote the removal of dirt or other junk from the mix. That stuff will float to the top on it's own. If you do not understand the chemistry of what I am saying, the info is readily available for your research. I also have not bought any foundry lead for close to 20 years. I am always on the hunt for good scrap and have several 5 gal buckets of ingots and several hundred pounds of those 27 lb radiological shielding bricks. That stuff is pure.

Woody

Call me an idiot if you like, I've cast several thousands of bullets in my boxer drawers and deck shoes. As stated earlier, you will stay alert and pay attention to the task at hand. Haven't tried it in my thong yet, I'm not that brave.

I'm off to see my therapist!

Woody

Woody
I have often wondered about all that myself. Yep...I was always the kid in chemistry class that asked " Just how does that work?' I'm right there with you on how I treat salvage lead.