Big_Blue
04-06-2013, 10:21 PM
I thought it might be fun to share my first smelting experience with everyone. Should be entertaining for the old timers, and educational for those just getting into casting.
I just finished smelting 420 pounds of wheel weights. It was an educational experience, and in a twisted way—an enjoyable one.
RESEARCH
First things first. I read all I could find on the subject including a few hundreds posts on this forum as well as a couple of papers downloaded from the internet. I bought Lyman's book on bullet casting and studied the chapter on metallurgy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DWBKQY/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I didn't understand it all, but I did glean enough from it to understand the importance of temperature control.
SUPPLIES
I ordered all the gear I figured I needed. I got a 14” cast iron pot and a propane burner from my local Academy Sports store (http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_27870_-1?ICID=CRT:0269-40251-0003) and (http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_676213_-1__?N=578846088&Ntt=propane&Ntk=All). I got a temperature gauge and two sets of Lyman ingot molds from Midway USA online (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/357906/rcbs-lead-bullet-casting-thermometer?cm_cat=Cart&cm_pla=ProductDesc) and (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/496285/lyman-4-cavity-ingot-mold-with-handle). I got a full face shield and a pair of welders gloves from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BO6RIE/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MRQAJG/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I picked up a metal dipper, a metal slotted spoon, and a metal spoon (without slots), three cookie trays, a pair of coveralls, and a baseball hat from the local Goodwill store. The ingot molds were on back order for weeks, so I also picked up three muffin pans from the local Goodwill—two were bare metal and one was stick free.
HUNTING WHEEL WEIGHTS
I loaded up a dolly, a scale, and a couple of empty Home Depot buckets into the back of my pickup truck. I did some arithmetic and figured I could drive 16 miles round trip for a pound of wheel weights and not spend more on gas than I was saving by casting my own lead bullets. I headed out to find wheel weights by stopping at every tire and auto repair shop I could find. On day one I headed south and drove about 40 miles round trip. I came back with about 90 pounds of wheel weights. The next time I went out I headed east and drove about 30 miles round trip. I came back with about 110 pounds of wheel weights. The last time I headed out I went south east. I traveled about 20 miles round trip and came back with about 220 pounds of wheel weights.
On each outing I played it like I was for doing it for entertainment. I told each stop that I was starting up a new hobby and was looking for cast off wheel weights. I made it a point to never look hungry and tired. If it looked like they were about to turn me down I quickly said that of course I would pay them for being allowed to salvage their weights. I probably hit 20-25 places in those three days and scored various amounts of weights at 5 or 6 of the places. Everyone was friendly, whether they had weights or not, and whether or not they were willing to give or trade them to me. In general I found the major chains a worthless effort. Not a single one was willing to give or sell me weights. All said they had a contract already setup for salvaging their waste. It was the Mom and Pop places that I did the best at. The smaller and dirtier the place the more successful I was.
SMELTING
This was the most fun part, and it was the hardest work. My first attempt took three days. On the first day I started after I got off work and only had about two hours before dark. I poured 165 pounds of wheel weights into the pot and started it cooking. I ended up shutting off the gas and letting the pot cool and its mixture solidify overnight. The second day was after work as well, but this time I removed about 45 pounds of weights from the top of the solidified mixture and started re-melting the remaining 120 pounds. Again I ran out of time and had to shut down for the evening. Day three was a day off, so I got started much earlier in the afternoon. This time I was able to complete melting the 120 pounds of wheel weights, I skimmed and fluxed, then poured 87 pounds of muffins. I was amazed at how heavy the dipper full of lead was. And each muffin tray seemed to weight a ton when I had to lift it and flip the muffins onto the cookie tray. I knew lead was heavy but it wasn't until I actually had to handle it that I fully realized just how heavy it was.
My second smelting effort was much better. I waited until I had a full day. I only put about 50 pounds of wheel weights in the pot at a time. I melted it down and skimmed off the floating stuff, then added another 50 pounds of weights. I repeated this a number of times and ended up with about 225 pounds of lead in the pot. Here's my honey shot (http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y390/Michael_R_Mardis/Reloading/Fullcauldron_zps48bf15af.jpg). By melting only 40-50 pounds at a time I found that the weight of the unheated weights on top did not hold the melted clips beneath the surface of the melted lead. This meant the unheated weights were able to touch the surface of the melted lead and were themselves then melted. This method also allowed me to skim the non-lead stuff off. On my first attempt I was never able to see the melted lead, much less skim anything off its surface. Here's the result of my second day's labor (http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y390/Michael_R_Mardis/Reloading/Muffinsareready_zpsa4f2df8c.jpg).
LESSONS LEARNED
1. Don't shirk the safety equipment. Wear a hat, a full face shield, long sleeve shirt, welder gloves, long pants, and shoes/boots. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Keep water, kids, and pets away.
2. Keep a scale, an empty bucket and a pair of work gloves in the back of your truck or trunk. Stop at anyplace you think might have a stash of wheel weights.
3. Consider getting a lift. I got this one from Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-1647.html).
4. Recognize that some people will see your request in the same light as a pan handler on the street trying to get something for nothing. I combated this negative impression by stressing the hobby aspect, not the money saving angle.
5. Realize that some people will see you as a business opportunity. Recognize this quickly and be ready with a starting price per pound or per bucket. A five gallon bucket can hold about 150 pounds of wheel weights. Also be ready to negotiate a higher price. Know how high you are willing to go.
6. I'm getting about 73% yield on the wheel weighs. For every 100 pounds of wheel weights I'm smelting down about 73 pounds of lead.
7. I've had people give me weights for free, and I've had them charge me 10, 25, and 35 cents per pound. The current going rate for pure lead is 92 cents per pound (http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead.html). This means I could pay up to 1.26 per pound and break even (assuming my effort, time, and gas were free). Each of you will have to decide what maximum price you'd be comfortable with.
8. Only melt as many wheel weights as you are able to skim. Too many wheel weights will mean the stuff at the top doesn't melt and it keeps you from being able to skim the surface of the melted lead. In my 14” cast iron pot this limited me to 40-50 pounds per skimming round.
9. Lead is heavy. We all know this, but be ready to be surprised with how HEAVY LEAD IS. Make sure that whatever work tables you may be planning on using are able to handle the weight.
10. Melted lead is hot. Again, we all know this, but be ready to be surprised (again). Make sure that you plan on everything having a thick layer of wood or tile underneath it. This means the pot in which you're smelting the lead, the pan into which you're putting the skimmed clips and other non-lead things from your pot, the ingot molds (muffin pans), and the cookie trays you're planning to flip the ingots/muffins onto.
11. Make sure you have enough time for a smelting session. Anything less than 3 hours was a waste of effort for me. On my second attempt I spent 7 hours smelting 307 pounds of wheel weights.
I just finished smelting 420 pounds of wheel weights. It was an educational experience, and in a twisted way—an enjoyable one.
RESEARCH
First things first. I read all I could find on the subject including a few hundreds posts on this forum as well as a couple of papers downloaded from the internet. I bought Lyman's book on bullet casting and studied the chapter on metallurgy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DWBKQY/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I didn't understand it all, but I did glean enough from it to understand the importance of temperature control.
SUPPLIES
I ordered all the gear I figured I needed. I got a 14” cast iron pot and a propane burner from my local Academy Sports store (http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_27870_-1?ICID=CRT:0269-40251-0003) and (http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_676213_-1__?N=578846088&Ntt=propane&Ntk=All). I got a temperature gauge and two sets of Lyman ingot molds from Midway USA online (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/357906/rcbs-lead-bullet-casting-thermometer?cm_cat=Cart&cm_pla=ProductDesc) and (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/496285/lyman-4-cavity-ingot-mold-with-handle). I got a full face shield and a pair of welders gloves from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BO6RIE/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MRQAJG/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I picked up a metal dipper, a metal slotted spoon, and a metal spoon (without slots), three cookie trays, a pair of coveralls, and a baseball hat from the local Goodwill store. The ingot molds were on back order for weeks, so I also picked up three muffin pans from the local Goodwill—two were bare metal and one was stick free.
HUNTING WHEEL WEIGHTS
I loaded up a dolly, a scale, and a couple of empty Home Depot buckets into the back of my pickup truck. I did some arithmetic and figured I could drive 16 miles round trip for a pound of wheel weights and not spend more on gas than I was saving by casting my own lead bullets. I headed out to find wheel weights by stopping at every tire and auto repair shop I could find. On day one I headed south and drove about 40 miles round trip. I came back with about 90 pounds of wheel weights. The next time I went out I headed east and drove about 30 miles round trip. I came back with about 110 pounds of wheel weights. The last time I headed out I went south east. I traveled about 20 miles round trip and came back with about 220 pounds of wheel weights.
On each outing I played it like I was for doing it for entertainment. I told each stop that I was starting up a new hobby and was looking for cast off wheel weights. I made it a point to never look hungry and tired. If it looked like they were about to turn me down I quickly said that of course I would pay them for being allowed to salvage their weights. I probably hit 20-25 places in those three days and scored various amounts of weights at 5 or 6 of the places. Everyone was friendly, whether they had weights or not, and whether or not they were willing to give or trade them to me. In general I found the major chains a worthless effort. Not a single one was willing to give or sell me weights. All said they had a contract already setup for salvaging their waste. It was the Mom and Pop places that I did the best at. The smaller and dirtier the place the more successful I was.
SMELTING
This was the most fun part, and it was the hardest work. My first attempt took three days. On the first day I started after I got off work and only had about two hours before dark. I poured 165 pounds of wheel weights into the pot and started it cooking. I ended up shutting off the gas and letting the pot cool and its mixture solidify overnight. The second day was after work as well, but this time I removed about 45 pounds of weights from the top of the solidified mixture and started re-melting the remaining 120 pounds. Again I ran out of time and had to shut down for the evening. Day three was a day off, so I got started much earlier in the afternoon. This time I was able to complete melting the 120 pounds of wheel weights, I skimmed and fluxed, then poured 87 pounds of muffins. I was amazed at how heavy the dipper full of lead was. And each muffin tray seemed to weight a ton when I had to lift it and flip the muffins onto the cookie tray. I knew lead was heavy but it wasn't until I actually had to handle it that I fully realized just how heavy it was.
My second smelting effort was much better. I waited until I had a full day. I only put about 50 pounds of wheel weights in the pot at a time. I melted it down and skimmed off the floating stuff, then added another 50 pounds of weights. I repeated this a number of times and ended up with about 225 pounds of lead in the pot. Here's my honey shot (http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y390/Michael_R_Mardis/Reloading/Fullcauldron_zps48bf15af.jpg). By melting only 40-50 pounds at a time I found that the weight of the unheated weights on top did not hold the melted clips beneath the surface of the melted lead. This meant the unheated weights were able to touch the surface of the melted lead and were themselves then melted. This method also allowed me to skim the non-lead stuff off. On my first attempt I was never able to see the melted lead, much less skim anything off its surface. Here's the result of my second day's labor (http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y390/Michael_R_Mardis/Reloading/Muffinsareready_zpsa4f2df8c.jpg).
LESSONS LEARNED
1. Don't shirk the safety equipment. Wear a hat, a full face shield, long sleeve shirt, welder gloves, long pants, and shoes/boots. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Keep water, kids, and pets away.
2. Keep a scale, an empty bucket and a pair of work gloves in the back of your truck or trunk. Stop at anyplace you think might have a stash of wheel weights.
3. Consider getting a lift. I got this one from Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-1647.html).
4. Recognize that some people will see your request in the same light as a pan handler on the street trying to get something for nothing. I combated this negative impression by stressing the hobby aspect, not the money saving angle.
5. Realize that some people will see you as a business opportunity. Recognize this quickly and be ready with a starting price per pound or per bucket. A five gallon bucket can hold about 150 pounds of wheel weights. Also be ready to negotiate a higher price. Know how high you are willing to go.
6. I'm getting about 73% yield on the wheel weighs. For every 100 pounds of wheel weights I'm smelting down about 73 pounds of lead.
7. I've had people give me weights for free, and I've had them charge me 10, 25, and 35 cents per pound. The current going rate for pure lead is 92 cents per pound (http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/lead.html). This means I could pay up to 1.26 per pound and break even (assuming my effort, time, and gas were free). Each of you will have to decide what maximum price you'd be comfortable with.
8. Only melt as many wheel weights as you are able to skim. Too many wheel weights will mean the stuff at the top doesn't melt and it keeps you from being able to skim the surface of the melted lead. In my 14” cast iron pot this limited me to 40-50 pounds per skimming round.
9. Lead is heavy. We all know this, but be ready to be surprised with how HEAVY LEAD IS. Make sure that whatever work tables you may be planning on using are able to handle the weight.
10. Melted lead is hot. Again, we all know this, but be ready to be surprised (again). Make sure that you plan on everything having a thick layer of wood or tile underneath it. This means the pot in which you're smelting the lead, the pan into which you're putting the skimmed clips and other non-lead things from your pot, the ingot molds (muffin pans), and the cookie trays you're planning to flip the ingots/muffins onto.
11. Make sure you have enough time for a smelting session. Anything less than 3 hours was a waste of effort for me. On my second attempt I spent 7 hours smelting 307 pounds of wheel weights.