got my lead quick question....

[colbyjack]

well made it out to grandpas and got the lead he said i could have. alot is poured into small ingots. and he claims it mixed already. looks pretty hard, cant scratch it with my thumb nail. its been sitting out side. and kinda dirty from the ground.

should i wash it with the hose and soap? or power wash it in the drive way or just forget about it and start melting when my pot comes.

not sure how many pounds i got but heres a couple pics in the back of my jeep.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/lead001.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/lead003.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f186/hawgz/lead004.jpg

what should i do to clean it? -chris

[NVcurmudgeon]

Nice haul! If it was me, I'd blast it with the hose to get rid of loose dirt and leaves, then sun dry it to keep the Tinsel Fairy at bay. It looks a lot like my FIL's stash from under his house.

[lar45]

I would say to just brush off the obvious dirt and then flux when it's melted. It might be good to spread them out on your driveway and blast with a hose. The more dirt you keep out of your melting pot, the less fluxing and happier you'll be. Just make sure the ingots are dry before you put them in a pot that is melted.
Once melted be sure and flux to get the impurities out. You can use a small piece of candle wax or lube. To flux get an old spoon and push the piece of candle down into the lead, stir it slowly and scrape the sides. When all the junk is on the top, skim it off and you should be good to go. You might do a search on fluxing as there is piles of good info here somewhere.

Be sure to have a good pair of leather gloves on.

[snuffy]

should i wash it with the hose and soap? or power wash it in the drive way or just forget about it and start melting when my pot comes.

Are you going to melt it in the same pot you're going to cast boolits from? If so, I'd get them as clean as you can BEFORE putting them in the casting pot. If you're going to smelt them in something else first, then they can be left dirty. BUT fluxing is VERY important to re-claim as much good metal as you can.

[AZ-Stew]

Dishwasher. Wash, rinse and even a "dry" cycle. Do this while wife is out shopping.



















:kidding:

Regards,

Stew

[Trez Hensley]

Stew,
Your a sick man or at least you will be if you do this for long. :kidding:
Sometimes I like to yank on that chain too.:mrgreen::wink:

[NVcurmudgeon]

[QUOTE=AZ-Stew;269251]Dishwasher. Wash, rinse and even a "dry" cycle. Do this while wife is out shopping.

There is a theory that the advanced water system of the Romans help speed their decline because of lead pipes. Will lead-contaminated dishwashers be our downfall? Lengthening my message to at least five characters on orders from the system. IMO, communication equipment
any newer than the quill pen is unreliable.

[mroliver77]

Wow are you lucky!Still have a grandad and he gives you casting supplies. Does he still shoot? looks as though he has not cast in a while. Can you get him fired up to help get started casting? It would be very neat to have gramps around to play with. Jay

[colbyjack]

Wow are you lucky!Still have a grandad and he gives you casting supplies. Does he still shoot? looks as though he has not cast in a while. Can you get him fired up to help get started casting? It would be very neat to have gramps around to play with. Jay

he says he'll show me a bit. he cant remember some stuff, gettin up there in age. he still shoots rifle. but gave up on pistol. cant get his arm up fast anymore. he gave me his mec cause he cant handle the shotguns anymore. he gave up 4 position small bore so i bought his target rifle. ever since his best bud/neighbor died a few years back. he hasnt shot much at all. and they did all the casting so now he doest do it. its kinda hard on him still, losing a life long bud/neighbor ever since his return of WW2.

ive always been into shooting and stuff. and im keeping his interest going. ive been trying to get him to come shoot IPSC with us and just walk thru the courses. i think he may try this year if hes healthy. i found him a older dillon 450 so maybe he can load a lil faster than the rockchucker. but he let me take his dillon tumbler and seperater home he said i use it more than him and if he needs shells clean he knows where i live... lol

hopefully this year will be a good one and lots of shooting will be had. and maybe he can teach me a thing or 2 about casting. if not seems like the cast boolits cure will whip me into shape. lots of good info here. keep it coming guys. -chris