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moorvogi
11-07-2018, 02:42 PM
can i put bullets that have been coated in lee alox stuff back into the pot? i mean.. i know i can but.. is it safe from "explosions" like water or how should i get that alox off before remelting it?

Old colt
11-07-2018, 02:58 PM
Shouldn't be an issue. If your worried try Putting them in a cold pot. They will burn and smoke so it's an outdoor project.

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Grmps
11-07-2018, 03:01 PM
Agreed, better for smelting in a cold pot- alox should work as a flux :)

robg
11-07-2018, 03:21 PM
Works as a flux ,no problem .

mdi
11-07-2018, 04:07 PM
As stated above; no big deal. The alox will smoke, work so outdoors or with good ventilation, and the alox acts like a flux. Done that many times. Hot pot, cold pot, never made much difference to me...

lightman
11-07-2018, 04:29 PM
I've remelted cast and lubed bullets several times with no problem. I did start with a cold pot. Be prepared for a good bit of smoke.

Mk42gunner
11-07-2018, 07:08 PM
I bought a few gallons of mystery boolits that were coated with Lee's mule snot from a scrapyard a few years ago. I filled my smelting pot full of them and by the time the alloy liquefied there was a blackened layer of burning stuff about an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick on top. It burned with some nasty black smoke, so I will recommend doing doing it outside unless you only have a few.

If your boolits are properly coated there might not be any problem, the ones I had the coating was about fifty thousandths thick.

Robert

Green Frog
11-08-2018, 10:02 AM
You've already gotten your answer here, but I'll just add that I consider remelting lubed bullets as a way of getting free flux into my mix... there shouldn't be any water in the lube (it's a lipid which is hydrophobic) so the only concern is the smoke, and most of my fluxes smoke anyway. It sounds like Mk42gunner above got a little extra fluxing, but other than the mess to skim off, I don't see any danger or major disadvantage there. FWIW, I sometimes intentionally use a few lubed scrap bullets as carriers for my flux! :cool:

Froggie

MGySgt
11-08-2018, 08:35 PM
Light the smoke and it will burn off the nasty smoke and smell.

jimb16
11-08-2018, 08:45 PM
I ignite the smoke myself. As the bullets melt down, I use a propane torch to burn the smoke and speed the melting process.

Chainsaw.
11-09-2018, 11:59 AM
If you have a large batch of bullets, one option is to toss a bunch of the lubed bullets in a platic jar with a heavy splash of mineral spirits. Shake em up, that’ll remove alot of the alox. I did this with many hundred 357 bullets, got them clean enough I was able to powder coat them.

Probably a bit much if you’re just chucking them in the pot, but wanted to share the idea.

dondiego
11-09-2018, 12:01 PM
I just pull a couple of matches out of the book and throw them in the pot. They ignite!