PDA

View Full Version : Sand in range lead?



fatelvis
09-01-2008, 04:44 PM
I was thinking of scrounging range lead from the berm, but was wondering....what happens to the impacted sand/grit when melting down the scrounged bullets? Does it float or sink in the melt? I have a bottom pour furnace, and am afraid the sand will sink and clog the spout. Thanks-

Meatco1
09-01-2008, 04:47 PM
Floats for me, but I do flux a bit more when using the stuff.

Richard

billyb
09-01-2008, 04:49 PM
I was thinking of scrounging range lead from the berm, but was wondering....what happens to the impacted sand/grit when melting down the scrounged bullets? Does it float or sink in the melt? I have a bottom pour furnace, and am afraid the sand will sink and clog the spout. Thanks-

dirt and sand will float,flux freely skim the crud off . i have used a lot of range lead. BILL

fatelvis
09-01-2008, 04:51 PM
I'm happy to hear that, thanks!

Shiloh
09-01-2008, 06:33 PM
Everything not lead floats.

You need to remove target backer wood, leaves, vegetation ect. This stuff smokes a lot.

Shiloh

Jim
09-01-2008, 07:41 PM
What Billy and Shiloh said.

targetshootr
09-01-2008, 07:59 PM
Before I leave the range I put em in a bucket with water and when I get home dump 'em on mesh and rinse off the mud. Then they sit outside in a milk crate lined with mesh. The sick part is that I have more ww on hand than I'll ever need but it's good exercise picking them up.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/DSCN0050.jpg

:lovebooli

Boerrancher
09-01-2008, 07:59 PM
you might want to melt it and make it in to ingots. This will remove any doubt about unwanted contaminants in your pot. I personally do not put any unsmelted and fluxed material in my casting furnace. The extra time it takes to convert my range lead into ingots I feel is well spent compared to time spent unclogging the valve in the bottom of my furnace.

Best Wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

Bob Krack
09-01-2008, 08:45 PM
What Joe said..

The sand will float, but sometimes impurities will get trapped by some part of the mix -- so go ahead and melt separately (not in your casting furnace) if possible.

Vic

Morgan Astorbilt
09-01-2008, 09:34 PM
I agree with the last two posters. Not sometimes, but almost always, fine sand and other impurities, will cling to the sides and bottom of the pot, rather than float to the top. This is because the difference in mass cannot overcome surface tension, which occurs not only on the top surface of the molten metal, but on all surfaces. In my cast iron lead smelting pot(plumber's furnace), I routinely scrape the sides and bottom with the ladle, which brings this fine black powder to the surface. This is very difficult to do in a bottom feed pot, due to the vertical sides/flat bottom and valve rod.
Morgan

Tom Herman
09-01-2008, 11:42 PM
I was thinking of scrounging range lead from the berm, but was wondering....what happens to the impacted sand/grit when melting down the scrounged bullets? Does it float or sink in the melt? I have a bottom pour furnace, and am afraid the sand will sink and clog the spout. Thanks-

Hi Elvis,

All good advice so far.
Your typical sand (quartz, feldspar and related minerals) has a density of about 2.63. Metallic lead has a density of 11.73, so sand is MUCH lighter than lead, and all of the crud should float to the top except that which is trapped to the side of the pot due to tension.
What I do is to run the back end of a long, straight knife along the sides of the pot. I'll even move the blade in a sort of circular up/down motion, and you wouldn't believe all of the crud that comes to the surface!
I flux quite often, and that effectively ties up all of the sand and other foreign debris which you can then skim off.
The idea of a second furnace or pot is a good one! I run a Pro Melt, and it seems that the pot just gets overly dirty.
My next step will probably be to get a propane powered cast iron pot to melt and salvage lead and wheel weights.
That will clean them up, and keep a lot of crud from getting into the Pro-Melt.
Salvage as much lead as you possibly can! You can use it all one way or another.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom