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View Full Version : Measure temp to keep out zinc turds (tip) Too cheap/frugal to buy a thermometer



randyrat
04-04-2009, 07:46 PM
Today i smelted/melted WWs and i threw in a couple peices of pure soft lead. You see pure or almost pure lead melts at 621 degs F, WWs melt (molten at 500 or so degs) and Zinc melts over 700 degs F...As long as you don't melt the soft lead you are preventing the Zinc from melting.BTW- i'm finding more and more Zinc in my WWs all the time
Now for you guys that want a thermometer, go ahead and buy one. I'm too cheap to buy one and zink has never been a problem for me.
Just use your chunk of lead as a general guide to prevent your WWs from getting too hot to melt Zinc. One more tip important tip; stir a little to even the heat out.
Spring is here in Wisconsin!....it's only a 20% chance of snow tonight and tomorrow

243winxb
04-04-2009, 09:07 PM
WWs melt (molten at 500 or so degs) Its higher than that IMO.

randyrat
04-04-2009, 09:09 PM
505 degs f

Daniel964
04-04-2009, 09:57 PM
Can anyone recommend a thermometer to use. I've looked at the Lyman and RCBS. What others are their and what would be the best one to use. I've got 8 buckets of WW to smelt when the weather gets better. Getting the equiptment together to start that in about a month.

Lead melter
04-04-2009, 10:44 PM
Spring is here in Wisconsin!....it's only a 20% chance of snow tonight and tomorrow

Hey Randy,

I mowed grass today for the first time, 73F, flowers are blooming and the babes are starting to try on their spring shorts and tight blouses. Jealous yet?

GabbyM
04-04-2009, 11:00 PM
Just don't add to deep a pile of WW into your pot at one time. Then skimming off the zinc weights before they melt is no problem. I use a measure of one shovel full at a time. I don't have enough ingot molds for a full pot anyway. So I fill my molds then scoop in more WW. Like to leave the pot about 1/3 full to help melt the WW.

I have a thermometer but never use it to melt WW. Those big burners use plenty of propane so as soon as the lead melts it's going into the ingot molds.

Steelshooter
04-05-2009, 12:38 AM
Daniel964
rotometals has one for $39.00. They say it is the same one rcbs sells, but is about $10.00 cheaper. The banner is at the top of the page.
Chuck

randyrat
04-05-2009, 12:47 AM
Hey Randy,

I mowed grass today for the first time, 73F, flowers are blooming and the babes are starting to try on their spring shorts and tight blouses. Jealous yet?
Babes yes i'm jealous...Cutting grass NO.... I'm just starting to see a slight tint of green around here and dang if that weather man dosen't let the air out of the balloon.
Just wait till that N Carolina heat N humidity kicks in Mark, that cutting grass isen't going to be fun anymore and all those cute little babes will dive in the nearest air conditioning building not to be seen untill Nov again. He he he he.
Or they all come up here for vacation. I just can't figure out how they stay so perfect after eating that delicous southern BBQ pork.

Echo
04-05-2009, 01:06 AM
Speaking of babes & AC - the toughest time I had in teaching @ UAz was one summer. We had a brand new building, and the AC hadn't been calibrated yet. So the coeds would walk to class in the 100* weather (no underwear, of course), develop a light film of perspiration on their bods, and walk into the 60* Harvill Building. Sproing. And there I am trying to teach the Central Limit Theorem..

OeldeWolf
04-05-2009, 11:54 AM
Where I am, I have cut the lawns for aout the 5th time (yeah, I should cut it more often, but....), and we had the cutest little babe getting her car fixed last week, daisy dukes and a tight white tee .... (sighs) Haven't been to the park yet, but the bikinis are already showing up on the streets occasionally.

Course, it will likely hit 116F in another month... lol
:hijack:

snuffy
04-05-2009, 12:06 PM
I mowed grass today for the first time, 73F, flowers are blooming and the babes are starting to try on their spring shorts and tight blouses. Jealous yet?

I agree with Randy, I visited nawth carolina a couple years back, ft Bragg/fayetville area. My son was stationed at Bragg, man you can keep that hot humid weather of mid July! :veryconfu

I got to the task of smelting that indoor range lead I posted about earlier. It went well, despite NOT getting the Rowell ladle I ordered 10 days ago from the antimony man. I used the 1.5 pound ladle I've had for years. I had planned to take the camera, but my alleged memory failed again!

I failed to empty an 8# propane cylinder after smelting 500# of the range lead,( at least I think that was an 8 pounder). AND it had already re-melted 270# of lead last year. Each batch took 25 minutes, the 6 qt. dutch oven was ¾ full each time. Here's my set-up;

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P7210033.JPG

I leave an inch or so of melted lead in the bottom to ease the start-up of the next batch. This stuff has been stored outside with a leaky tarp over it, so it was soaked by our march rain/snow/sleet and whatever else fell from the sky!:( Easing the wet stuff into the melted lead caused some hissing and spitting, but no visits from the tinsel fairy!:mrgreen:

dirtdobbertwo
04-05-2009, 03:38 PM
http://www.surpluscenter.com/sort.asp?numrec=20&lastrec=20&sort=1&search=THERMOMETERS&UID=2009040514255769

i bought a thermometer here awhile back ..they had them 200-1000 degrees with 4 and 6 inch stems then.

Down South
04-05-2009, 08:20 PM
I have several thermometers but I hardly ever use them when cleaning WW. I’ve found out if I skim the clips as soon as possible that the temp is still low enough that the zinc doesn’t melt.

compass will
04-05-2009, 08:39 PM
I got mine from surplus center also.

I did here someone hear post that news paper turns brown, but does not burn at the correct temp to melt lead.

If you don't have a thermometer, bring the temps up slow, and watch the pot. You can see the lead start to melt, level off the temps and start scooping the clips and zinc off.

captaint
04-06-2009, 09:56 AM
steelshooter -
thanks for the rec on the thermometer - just ordered one up!
cast on Mike