Casting Temp???

[barebackjack]

Hey all, been in the fields workin the last few weeks, but its raining today so I decided to check the forum.

I got a quick question on lead melting.

I bought a lee precision melter to do some ball casting, and have been busy breaking down some old lead pipe and flashing.
Now when I melt the lead down, I always have a "skin" of lead on the top that wont melt. Is this normal or do I need to go hotter? It often looks like case hardened steel with blue and green hues in it. I flux and flux and flux but cant seem to get rid of all the crud and that film. Im using bees wax, lighting the smoke on fire, and stirring the crap out of it.
Am I doing something wrong, or is that film on the surface normal?

Thanks

Boone

 

[gmww]

I have the lee lead pot. I use bees wax too. When I add it, I stir the pot scraping the sides to get most of the crud. However you'll eventually keep getting that stuff forming.

As far as temp. I'm usually 3/4 of the way on the dial.

 

[Zonie]

If I read your post correctly, your melting some old lead parts down. These will have contaminations in them and because lead is heavy, the crud and lead oxides floats to the top.
I believe that is what your seeing.

Fluxing helps the molten lead release the crud and lead oxides so it floats up better rather than being mixed into the lead.

Skim the stuff off of the top and throw it away.
You will loose some pure lead in the process, but that's all part of the game.

IMO, if your using a bottom pour spout, you could leave the crud on top of the melt if you wanted to. It is only when your using a ladle where your pouring lead scooped off of the top of the melt that you really have to be concerned with the crud. Obviously you don't want to cast it into your bullets.

 

[CrackStock]

Most lead gives an irridescent sheen, but this is not a problem.

You should make some attempt to skim the crud off and toss it into a container that will not be damaged by the heat. However, there will always be a very thin bit that defies removal and this can be ignored.

You can use one of the Lyman lead ladles. This will give a better pour. It is a ball shaped ladle that has a pour spout which allows crud to float up away from the spout as you pour. It is far better than the traditional ladles.

CS

 

[MikeChapin]

The skin you get on top of a clean pot of lead is just oxidized lead. It gets that way just from contact with the atmosphere. I use a pot and a burner to cast with and get quite a bit of "skin" on top because I am constantly exposing new metal to the air. I have to skim it off every once in a while when it gets too obnoxious. With a bottom pour pot I would just leave it alone. Once the skin forms it will prevent more from forming on the top.

 

[sequoia]

I have one of the small Lee electric pots and when I'm done I always have a pile of crud next to my pot that I skimmed off my lead. I get my lead from a roofing company. It's used flashing material. First I melt it down in an old aluminum pot on my coleman stove. That's where I clean a LOT of junk such as tar and paint out of my lead.