An interesting melting session

[UKShootist]

I fill in at a gun shop a couple of days a week. Looking in my gun cabinets I think it's true what someone has told me, that I'm the last person that should be working in a gun shop, but that's another story. However, the shop has a quite busy air rifle range and I was given the sweepings one day. A large plastic crate half full of flattened air gun pellets, BBs, and a lot of crud, including wood splinters from target frames & supports.

So, home today after a range session in the morning, put the melting pan on the gas ring outside, and away we go. There's that much crud in the mix that it's almost self fluxing. A smelly horrible job. Now, here's the thing. One of the targets at the range is a steel, coke bottle shaped thing into which you place a number of Flobert .22 blank cartridges. They make a satisfyingly loud crack when hit with an airgun pellet. There's something else about them. When someone changes out the shot cases, they aren't always all spent. The effect of one unspent cartridge reaching critical temperature on the top of molten lead which is in turn covered by semi melted pellets and dross is a wonderful tonic, and adds excitement into an otherwise slightly dull job.

[osteodoc08]

Ha ha. I've heard tell of a loose primer making its way into a pot. Never done it personally but could only imagine.

[country gent]

Another good reason for a heavy cover on the pot.. I was given lead from an indoor pistol range that had a few live hand gun rounds in it. When a 45 goes of it a real bang and tinsel firy is put to shame if the pot isnt covered

[OS OK]

Dang big surprise...don't think I'd hang around sniffin the pot like when Momma makes her stew! Light the burner and take cover for an hour or so!
How was the lead...did you get that far?

[Bob in St. Louis]

Wow. That's some GREAT information for an up and coming caster. Just.. "WOW".

Wow.

[dverna]

It would not have happened if you had been smelting. Lol

Glad you are safe

[JSnover]

It would not have happened if you had been smelting. Lol

Glad you are safe
[smilie=b:

[Bob in St. Louis]

It would not have happened if you had been smelting. Lol

Glad you are safe

uhmm... pardon me chiming in... I'm a noob.
But isn't the lead melting at the same temp when you're smelting ingots as it is when you're melting ingots into bullets?

[Geezer in NH]

uhmm... pardon me chiming in... I'm a noob.
But isn't the lead melting at the same temp when you're smelting ingots as it is when you're melting ingots into bullets?That was a joke son I say a joke.:kidding:

Reference to another thread.

I thought it was funny but I am sick

[Bob in St. Louis]

Oh. Sorry, I didn't see the other thread.

[UKShootist]

It would not have happened if you had been smelting. Lol




Ore not, as the case may be. :groner:

[William Yanda]

This is getting deep

[Sasquatch-1]

Yup, always use a lid. I have had a couple of live 22's go pop in the pot. I usually have an old cookie sheet on top with an ingot to hold it down. I have been visited by the Tinsel Fairy, and it ain't pleasant to say the least.

[44man]

I use lead I know not sweepings. Airgun pellets today can be anything, many are not lead so you can have a pot of contamination. Let alone something live. The Fairy has been around so long she looks like a witch.

[dudel]

Pellets can be a number of things other than lead. The higher velocity ones are an "alloy" (I've heard of Zinc being used). If you control the temp to the lead melting point, you can skim off any zinc without contaminating you (s)melt.

[runfiverun]

you can use sulpher to pull the zinc level down to a manageable one.
be prepared to still cut the alloy some for best results.

[gwpercle]

I saw that one coming !
As soon as he said sweepings and melting pot without without the all important sorting and inspection step....but I thought it was going to be a 22 round that didn't fire and was just ejected onto the floor.
Got to look at what goes in the pot, don't want no surprises.
Gary

[Echo]

I bought my first SAECO pot from a local gunshop owning rummy who was retiring. Included was a box full of solder snippets, very useful for spiffing up a pot. Good thing I checked it thoroughly - included in the ~5 lbs of solder snippets were 6 SR primers...

[Handloader109]

Single primer going off in my 4-20 sent about2 pounds of lead to the floor and ceiling. Check your sweeping.

[milsurpcollector1970]

Had a 22 short go off and splatter lead all over my new Carhartt coat including the hood. I shudder to think what I would look like without the hood on. Was able to save the coat but my new Nikes did not survive.

[blikseme300]

One of the things I admire of the Brits is their dry sense of humo(u)r. I had to learn a different spelling when I immigrated to the US as well.

I had a single experience of a primer in the pot to cure me of trying to scavenge all lead alloy I could find. Tinsel fairy deluxe, no, tinsel beach!