A green Smoke

[Johnch]

Sunday a freind and I smelting indoor range lead
This stuff was probely 75% jacketed , 20% hard cast and 5% 22 bullets

We had 10 or 11 full 5 gallon buckets of cleaned range lead ( washed to remove paper , wood ect )

I was hauling a propane tank from the truck when I saw him stirring the smelting pot
A strange green smoke was coming off the smelt

He had let this batch get HOT and cook for a while , as nature had called And I had run home to get another propane tank

I helped him skim the junk off the top , it seemed to mainly be copper jackets and ash from the saw dust

I figured the copper from the jackets and the saw dust flux was the cause of the "Green" smoke

Would I be correct in that idea ??

But I was also wondering
Would the high prolonged smelting temps , allowed more of the copper to have disolved into the lead ?

I kept this batch seperate to see if the ingots are harder after time

As I use this stuff as my main pistol and low velosity rifle lead

John

[Buckshot]

.............Yup, prolly copper was the culprit. They used to have those fireplace logs, and also pellets that would produce some coloration of the flames. One was copper acetate (IIRC).

................Buckshot

[shotman]

I dont think it will change hardness. The base of most jackets is very thin so it will tend to burn like Buckshot said. You can sell the jackets as brass just run magnet over them to get the steel jackets out

[Boerrancher]

You were Oxidizing copper is all and it shouldn't have any effect on the hardness. Also save the jackets for now and store them some where the bottom dropped out of the scrap market. The stuff was selling for $1.80 a lb, and is now down to like $0.25 a pound.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch

Joe

[DLCTEX]

If you had it hot enough to oxidize copper then the lead was surely oxidizing, an unhealthy situation. Also the tin may be lost to excessive oxidation. Overheating is best avoided.