Smelting Range Lead

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Today was a big day!

I had been collecting lead from the desert shooting range for a while now. The backstop is chock-full of bullets and I've only seen one other guy (and his son) picking up bullets there. Suffice to say that I'm doing my part to save the environment by removing the lead.

Each 5-gallon bucket can only be 1/3 full. More than that and you risk breaking the handle when you pick up the bucket. The bullets are washed and dried in the sun. I've left them sitting for over a week to make sure no water remains. Here's what they look like all nice, clean, and dry.

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I found up a very nice cast-iron kettle along with a turkey fryer at the local flea-market a week back. Spent $25 for the two. Turkey fryer worked when I got it home but had a stupid “timer cut-off” that I disabled. Found a couple of strainer-spoons and sauce dipper at the Goodwill. New “square muffin tins” are the single most expensive purchase (can be found at Michaels, use a 40% off coupon!) but create more space efficient square chunks for storage (according to Beaurrr, I tend to agree). Leather work gloves are good enough to protect the hands from heat and splash danger.

Filled the kettle half way with bullets and turned heat up high. Put lid on and sit a while. If you meditate, this is a good time to do so. The weather is 95 F and humidity is 25%. Kinda warm but not terrible. Off and on a breeze comes to cool me off and it's nice in the shade. Not a strong wind otherwise it would play havoc with the burner.

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After a while, when most of it have melted, stir the pot to move everything around. You can start removing some of the bullet jackets and dross floating on top now or add more bullets. ATTENTION: this is where you need to be careful that the bullets are completely dry. Wet bullets may become explosive when added to a pot of molten lead.

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After you feel you have enough shiny, melted lead and removed most of the dross floating on top (feels so good) throw in a small piece of wax or add wood sawdust and stand back!

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Sucker is going to smoke...

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...and may ignite!

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Last edited by Bisbee on Tue Jul 19, 2016 9:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Smelting Range Lead

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Aside from the excitement of fire, I heard adding flux helps to keep the antimony/tin in the lead mixture and encourages more of the impurities to float to the top. Scoop out any remaining black stuff that floats to the top.

Now, we have beautiful, clean, molten lead. You can stare at the mirror in the pot for a while like I did but you don't want the mixture to get too hot and start smoking. Lead vapors is no good, for the head or the scrotum. Carefully ladle out the molten lead and fill whatever mold you choose to use. The sauce dipper worked nicely but was very heavy filled with lead. I used the strainer-spoon in the other hand as support. Work efficiently but do not splash hot lead on yourself!

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After filling up a few molds, set it aside and continue to fill the other set of molds. You need to wait until the tops of all the lead feel fairly solid when you tap on them with a tool. They say the chunks fall out easier if you dump them while still hot but of course you don't want do be too eager and end up flipping the mold while lead is still liquid.

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Turn over mold with conviction. Here we go... Doh'!

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Nice!

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I smelted two bucket 'o bullets today. Photo tells the story: chunks of lead on one end and the dross on the other.

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Don' kid yourself. Each of these cute little lead chunks can weigh 3.5 lbs!...

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...And here are the left over jackets.

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Go home. Wash hands and face thoroughly with soap and enjoy the rewards of the day.

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Sitting down with beer and chips to upload the pics and write the post to reflect on what I learnd today: Next time I'll just load up the kettle, set the flame on high, and just walk away for a while. It doesn't pay to keep opening the lid to remove the dross before everything heats up to lead-melt temperatures. I didn't bother with using a cooking thermometer this time since the lead never looked close to boiling or smoking. Also, I have to remember to drink plenty of fluids when working with heat! We can forget and end up pretty darned dehydrated and dizzy before we know it.

Hot & heavy work! But satisfying. Very satisfying to see a stack of lead ready for casting and help to contemplate the meaning of life...

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Last edited by Bisbee on Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Smelting Range Lead

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Yay; less smelting for me!

Here's something I learned the hard way: Even though it may not look it, dross can be loaded with tin and antimony, and in my opinion, should be skimmed sparingly during the smelting phase, and only after fluxing with a good reducing flux such as sawdust. Many fluxes, such as oils and waxes, are not reducing agents.

Setting the sawdust on fire (like you did), then stirring it vigorously, does a pretty good job of freeing the tin and antimony from the oxygen molecules (reduction). Of course, as soon as you skim, the now-exposed surface of your melt will begin to re-oxidize. :(

That range should prove to be a productive and reliable source of lead. Hope your back doesn't mind. :)
Hell is where:
The British are the chefs
The Swiss are the lovers
The French are the mechanics
The Italians make everything run on time
And the Germans are the police

Re: Smelting Range Lead

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You melt lead and smelt ore. I never tried sawdust, but always used bees wax. The guy who has his hives in my wife's prairie has given me enough to last forever. I have used a lead tester before and after removing dross and have never seen much of a difference in hardness, so I doubt that much antimony and tin is being lost. The beeswax gives off a nice smell.

Re: Smelting Range Lead

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JoelB wrote:You melt lead and smelt ore. I never tried sawdust, but always used bees wax. The guy who has his hives in my wife's prairie has given me enough to last forever. I have used a lead tester before and after removing dross and have never seen much of a difference in hardness, so I doubt that much antimony and tin is being lost. The beeswax gives off a nice smell.
Depends on your drossing technique. Loss of tin won't noticeably affect hardness but will affect castability.
Hell is where:
The British are the chefs
The Swiss are the lovers
The French are the mechanics
The Italians make everything run on time
And the Germans are the police

Re: Smelting Range Lead

8
If you are going to wash the scrap first no matter how long you let them dry you can still have traces of water in it. Thats no problem but never add any to an existing melt. Saw dust from a lumber yard will have treated lumber mixed in and calls for extra caution to avoid fumes.

I consider wheel weights, and other lead scraps to be raw ore, the finished bullets all sized and lubed jewelry. A nice bit of work.

Re: Smelting Range Lead

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Not sure I see any reason to bother with washing the stuff in the first place. The dirt just floats to the top with the jackets, ash and other crap.
But that's just me.
Hell is where:
The British are the chefs
The Swiss are the lovers
The French are the mechanics
The Italians make everything run on time
And the Germans are the police

Re: Smelting Range Lead

10
beaurrr wrote:Not sure I see any reason to bother with washing the stuff in the first place. The dirt just floats to the top with the jackets, ash and other crap.
But that's just me.
I agree, and I'm sure Mr Bisbee will figure that out eventualy. But any lead that has spent much time in the water like counter balance lead in boat keels or scuba diving weights should never be added to an existing melt. They shoud be dumped into a fresh pot and the water will have been dried up by the time the lead melts.

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