First time casting

[MosinRob]

Hey guys. Casted my first round balls today. It went pretty well overall. Question i had was, I fluxed with sawdust like others suggested. I stirred with a wooden stick and scraped the sides and bottom. I scoped out the stuff that was ontop. Then it was pretty clear. I started casting. Then after like 10 balls, it was full of this green stuff again. So i scooped it out and casted like 10 more then it was all there. Was it something I did or is this normal? Also what is the precedure on after care of the melter and the mold? Thanks guys. Here's some pic's of the work
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f147/r0bb6ub9/2012-10-28_14-46-37_637.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f147/r0bb6ub9/2012-10-28_14-46-43_488.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f147/r0bb6ub9/2012-10-28_14-46-55_23.jpg

[williamwaco]

Not sure about the green color but the continuous formation of oxides on the top is normal.

I notice an infrared thermometer on the bench.
These are useless for measuring the temperature of your melted alloy.
I am thinking your alloy is too hot.

You should not be getting oxides forming in the time it takes to cast ten balls.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

I agree, the initial "shininess" after skimming doesn't last long, but the green color is most likely not entirely an oxides issue. What alloy are you using? I assume it is pure lead for those round balls. And what is the source of your lead?

The source of the green that immediately came to mind is residue from the oils that were on your pot and ladle when they came out of the box. If this is the cause it shouldn't last as the oils will quickly burn off, if the green remains it may be related to your lead.

But judging by the looks of your castings the green doesn't seem to have caused a problem with the end result.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Also, as far as aftercare, for lee molds, not much, since the aluminum won't rust, the handles, etc may a little, but probably won't, for the melter, just reuse the VCI paper that came with it and you'll be fine.

[runfiverun]

okay i gotta say it....
holy shiney balls batman.

just push the dross to the side.

[MosinRob]

My source this time was 7 lbs of old lead balls. I bought a bunch of other lead on ebay that is what i made the ingots with. What thermometer do you recommend? out of curiosity why is mine no good?

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

your thermometer is no good because the surface of the lead acts like a mirror and reflects the infrared beam away, like shining a flashlight on a mirror

[MikeS]

Infrared thermometers don't work well on any shiny surfaces. As a test, the next time you're casting, check the temp of the lead right after fluxing while the surface is nice an shiny, then check it again when there's a layer of oxides on top (when the lead surface isn't shiny anymore), chances are you'll get way different results. A thermometer that's submerged in the lead works much better. I'm Unfamiliar with your thermometer, but many of the optical ones also have a connector on them for an external sensor, if that's the case with yours, you can get an external probe that would sit in the lead pot to display the temp of the alloy in the pot. Or you can get an analog dial thermometer that also sits in the lead, with a clip to hold it to the side of the pot. Tel-Tru (or is it Tru-Tel I always get it mixed up when going from memory) for anywhere between $15.00 - $35.00 depending on where you get it, and they work fine. Just make sure you get a thermometer (or probe for yours) that's rated for up to around 1200F. My first thermometer was a cheap electronic one I bought on eBay, and while it worked fine, it didn't last too long. After that I went with an analog thermometer, and now I use an electronic PID controller to maintain the alloy at the temp I choose. If you're handy with wiring things, it's a fairly easy thing to build a PID controller to maintain your pot temp.

[HARRYMPOPE]

My nuclear shielding lead also does this.Its annoying but the balls shoot very well.The color i get is more of a blue purple with a hint of green though.They also come out very shiny.

George

[Sabaharr]

Just starting out you can get an OK thermometer at the supermarket in the grilling section of accessories. I got one that goes to 800° for $7.95. The spike on back is 10 inches long so you can hold the actual dial in your hand and not get burned. It also has a clip to hook to the edge of the pot. Good luck.