Is this normal?

[Indiana shooter]

When I smelt lead down I always have a powdery substance at the bottom of my pot. Is that normal?

My smelting process is as follows:
1) melt the lead (obviously)

2) clear off the bulk of the crud (jackets, clips ect) without skimming the surface.

3) reduce any lost alloy with beeswax (stir a lot)

4) flux with sawdust X3, I leave the second flux sit on top about 10 min and reduce again before skimming. I spend aprox 5 min stirring and scraping the sids and bottom on each flux.

5) after the last flux I add my tin and/or mag shot, reduce one last time, remove any graphite from the shot and pour my ingots.

[StrawHat]

Here is a bit of a read for you. It will explain a lot of what you need to know to cast good boolits.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Contents.htm

Kevin

[Yodogsandman]

I would pour off ingots prior to adding anything to them. That way, you could get an accurate weight for when you do add tin or mag shot to the alloy.

Weigh ingots, remelt, add determined amounts of tin or mag shot, flux, reduce and pour new ingots.

I'd suspect that the residual powdery substance is graphite.

[Sasquatch-1]

When I smelt lead, after pouring ingots, there is always a powder fine to sandy dust in the bottom of the pot. I figured this is dirt and other contaminates from the range scrap I use.

[zuke]

When I smelt lead, after pouring ingots, there is always a powder fine to sandy dust in the bottom of the pot. I figured this is dirt and other contaminates from the range scrap I use.

Same here

[jcren]

Yep, good old dirt. The surface tension will trap some against the pot. Thnis is why many use a different rig to clean/alloy than they cast with.

[georgerkahn]

A+1 on jcren's note! Two added benefits for me are 1/ If, God forbid, some "bad stuff" gets into melt (e.g., zinc) -- you're out only that amount in smelt pot (which, I suspect could be used to make great down-rigger weights, etc.) without ruining your pot; and 2/ My casting rig -- an RCBS pro-melt -- holds significantly less than the 1/2-size Freon container I use over a propane burner for wheel-weight melting. Plus, it is nice smell/smoke/fume-wise to perform first melt and flux outdoors, up wind! Still, after adding only pre-fluxed ingots to casting rig -- I also get that powder you referenced. My thought is it is oxidized "whatever"; my only real fear of it is in restricting/clogging the bottom pour orifice. I've gotten into the habit of just pouring some melt through, regularly, interspersed with casting -- to keep this from becoming a problem. Some casters I know empty their pots after each session; I'm on other side -- generally having my pot about 1/2-filled of mix, with a couple of inches or so of thrown-back reject boolits atop it.
BEST!
geo

[big bore 99]

Sounds like lead oxcide.

[jsizemore]

It's hard to get rid of that last bit of dross. Your sawdust is the sponge that collects it but it's next to impossible to get the 2 in contact. Some grind their stir and scrape utensil to match the contours of their smelting pot. When I get to the bottom of the pot I pick it up and pour a couple ingots being careful to keep the dross to a minimum. After pouring the dross with the clips and such, I put those pot poured ingots back in the pot and let melt. When cool, I mark with a Sharpie it's alloy content and use it for starter next time I smelt. It helps cut down on errant zinc contamination at startup.

[popper]

You'd be surprised what a heavy layer of lead will hold at the bottom. I ladle/pour and leave an inch or so in the bottom of the pot so the next smelt doesn't take much time to melt. It is interesting that some think leaving melt in the casting pot will reduce rust. Pb isn't glued to the pot side, so moisture trapped can't escape.

[bangerjim]

I use a good gasket scraper to work over the sides of my casting pot. And skim the sand black garbage out. Beeswax only.

For re-melting, I clean it every batch. There will always be stuff in the bottom and on the sides of any lead pot. No amount of fluxing with any magical substance will stop it. Just do the best you can and pour carefully into your ingot molds.

[Indiana shooter]

Thanks, sounds normal to me.

Yodog, when/how I add my tin or shot has to do with what that ingot is going to be used for. When I make ingots intended for plinking ammo I don't concern myself with exact alloy, I know my pot holds 40ish pounds of lead. I add 5 lbs of #9 mag shot and 3/4 lb of tin to my range scrap and I just add 1/2 lb of tin to my COWW. When I'm mixing alloys for hunting or testing I generally start with roof flashing and mix it as you suggested.

[Mk42gunner]

I always got the crumbly dirt/rust stuff when I used a cast iron dutch oven to smelt in. I went to a steel pot made from schedule 80 iron pipe and still got some.

I have thought about making a stainless pot to see if that would help, but buying stainless pipe to try it could get expensive.

Robert

[Sasquatch-1]

Stainless is no better. It is something in the mix.


I always got the crumbly dirt/rust stuff when I used a cast iron dutch oven to smelt in. I went to a steel pot made from schedule 80 iron pipe and still got some.

I have thought about making a stainless pot to see if that would help, but buying stainless pipe to try it could get expensive.

Robert

[leftiye]

Use a stick to stir the melt. Rub the sides and bottom of your pot. It won't get everything, but it will reduce oxides stuck there as you go. My casting pot (bottom pour) is never emptied, and I never have inclusions. These ingots are smelted (I know...) in a 5 gal. reworked propane container, and the **** and rubber that's on the wheel weights is all the flux that we use.

[Mk42gunner]

Stainless is no better. It is something in the mix.

Good to know. I will cross that off my scrounging list.

[Sasquatch-1]

I have used a stainless steal pot from Big Lots, a Freon tank cut in half and a cast iron Dutch oven. By far the Dutch oven has worked the best. I do a fair amount of range scrap and have found that a lid of some sorts not only speeds up the melting process but protects me from the occasional live 22 that finds it way into the pot.


Good to know. I will cross that off my scrounging list.

[w5pv]

Good info,I can imagin what a .22 would din the smelt.I dropped a cast 45 cal with lube and powder on it and it almost caused the tinsel fairy to visit me and it would have if I hadn't placed a mold over the top of the pot for preheating it caught the blurp without hitting me or the table.I will use a pot with a lid from now on.As I think about it I will make me a lid to go over the top of my pot to keep it there until the melt is up to temp.

[Mica_Hiebert]

I used saw dust, skim, then parafin wax stired/light on fire to reduce smoke then skim again, I dont like using flux all the "dross" it pulls out is mostly all your tin.