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View Full Version : Blue and gold stuff in pot?



RU shooter
07-23-2007, 06:41 PM
I melted up the ingots I had made from stick on WW to make some TC maxi balls for my dad tonight ,Turned on the pot and went to eat dinner ,came out and the top the the melt was covered with this film of gold and bluish stuff, So I skimed it off and refluxed and in 1 minute it was back ,Is this tin seperating from the lead? or what is it was my pot too hot? or ? I usually dont see this when I'm melting straight WW But I did insulate my pot yesterday by wrapping it in 1"ins. and a pc. of 22 ga. steel . I am hoping the boolits werent too hard as there the nicest ones I've casted yet ,Man is a pleasure using something other than a lee mold! Where did I screw up AGAIN!!!

axman
07-23-2007, 06:52 PM
What I think is going on is heat oxidation for lack of the correct term it is just like tempering colors on steel, i've noticed it mostly when I smelted 3 tons of pure a while back, the bars were blue sometimes, I cant see it hurting any but your bullet quality will tell when to hot or cold.

NuJudge
07-23-2007, 07:03 PM
If you are running a bottom pour furnace, leave it alone.

The bluish surface is normal with Lead.

CDD

bigborefan
07-23-2007, 07:09 PM
Nothing to worry about. I asked the same question here a while back and was told it was normal for pure lead. I had been casting bullets for over 35 years but just recently started casting for BP cartridges. I was used to wheel weights and Linotype where this color does not show up. Thanks to the kind gentlemen on this site, I was reassured that this is normal for pure lead.

Ron.D
07-23-2007, 07:28 PM
RU., Axman's on the right track. I've been plumbing long enough(43 yrs.) to have melted many leadpots full of the stuff. Molten lead (and we used pure lead) goes through many colours, close to the colours of the rainbow. The temp. can be judged by the speed it goes through them. If it's just above melting, it spends a lot of time being blue. If it's a lot hotter, it goes through blue quickly and through the rest of the colours including gold quickly as well. There's nothing wrong with your melt. it's just being lead. Ron.D

RU shooter
07-23-2007, 09:54 PM
Well Atleast I know now it was nothing I did for once. It may be normal but that gold/blue scum really gunks up my laddle though ,It was like it was pulled to it like a magnet and stuck to the bottom of it .Maybe its time to get a bottom pour pot and not have to worry about whats on top of the pot! Thanks all.

Springfield
07-24-2007, 11:08 AM
Mine only turns colors if I heat it too much or leave it sitting while heating. If I just heat it up till it melts and then pour/ladle I never get the colors. Try not running so hot.