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lead melting

stankemp
Specific question that my brother had about melting spent bullets.
He melted the bullets in an aluminum pot and after removing the initial dross left it for a bit and got another load of dross.

Is the second dross a result of using aluminum for the pot instead of cast iron? I think it might be lead oxide from being clean and left to set (while molten) a while but I'd like conformation.

Stan
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Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • jonk
    Probably oxidation. However I'd warn- a lot of casters have tried aluminum... it WILL fail if he does it enough. Metal fatigue. He's not getting hot enough to melt the aluminum but is getting hot enough to soften it a bit. Pick that up, it sags, small occlusions in the metal fail, whatever. Makes a heck of a mess, maybe even a disaster.

    castboolits.gunloads.com
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  • 11b6r
    Flux and stir- the "dross" could be the tin that is the hardening agent. Would stay away from aluminum for reasons stated.
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  • team roper ozzy
    i buy old sheet steel pans at yards sales for large melting over a campstove outside and then recast small ingots to use in my lee melting pot and it works just fine..or i just belly up and buy 100 pure lead...mixed dug bullet lead i use for scuba weights only[:D]
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  • p3skyking
    Cast iron or stainless are the only pots I've ever used. It is possible to puddle the aluminum if you use gas jets for your heat source so I would advise against it.
    I've used hundreds of pounds of spent bullets in my pots. The bullet factory used tin, antimony, and lead when they made them which is exactly what you want. Given the options, I'll take spent bullets over anything else except linotype in my pots. One cravat though. As a rule, the spent stuff is full of impurities so after the original dross scrape, give it a couple of minutes and then drag it again. If really dirty, once more can't hurt.
    Use a good flux and stir up the bottom of the pot every once in awhile too.
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  • cussedemgun
    Stan,

    Check out your neighborhood thrift stores. Most do a good business in used cooking utensils & cast iron pots are what you need for melting & cleaning scrap lead (fluxing with bees wax works well - get a standard toilet flange seal & you'll have enough bees wax to last a looooong time). I find 2 to 3 quart size work well. Flux often, bees wax is cheap & the cleaner the metal, the better quality of your bullets.

    When working with molten lead, avoid breathing any smoke or fumes as lead is very toxic. A covered patio (outdoors with good ventalation) is best. I say covered because any moisture in the melting pot will cause it to POP & throw hot lead everywhere. For this reason, eye protection is mandatory. Welders gloves (heavy leather & insulated) are an asset also.

    Tin in the bullet alloy will oxidize readily & form a skim on the surface of your molten lead. When casting you will notice the square edges will not always fill out when too much tin has burned out of your pot. Tin improves the fill (cuts down on surface tention) of your mix. Too much tin & you will get "whiskers" on your bullets. The lead will flow into the tiny gas vent grooves.

    My $.02 Jim
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  • captkirk3@dslextreme.com
    Take heed...Listen to what your being told..Get a Cast Iron Pot...Aluminum is great for melting Wax or Butter for Popcorn...But not Lead...
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  • JIM STARK
    Another caution.
    A good friend was reclaiming range scrap..He added a bunch of it to a half full pot, and the water /moisture trapped in some of the jackets turned instantly to steam..It emptied the pot all the way to the ceiling of his garage.... 15 -20 lbs. of molten lead really makes a mess.... Fortunately he was wearing long sleeves, gloves, face shield and a hat... No damage to him, but the ceiling and the top of his wife's clothes dryier were a mess...
    800+ degrees of anything requires caution...Be safe..
    JIM............
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  • p3skyking
    quote:Originally posted by JIM STARK
    Another caution.
    A good friend was reclaiming range scrap..He added a bunch of it to a half full pot, and the water /moisture trapped in some of the jackets turned instantly to steam..It emptied the pot all the way to the ceiling of his garage.... 15 -20 lbs. of molten lead really makes a mess.... Fortunately he was wearing long sleeves, gloves, face shield and a hat... No damage to him, but the ceiling and the top of his wife's clothes dryier were a mess...
    800+ degrees of anything requires caution...Be safe..
    JIM............


    Good heads up Jim! The way to avoid this is to load the pot up while it's cold. The moisture will evaporate prior to the lead reaching melting temperature.
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  • stankemp
    Thanks very much for all the cautions and advice.
    We will get the required equipment.
    Thanks again,
    Stan
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