Got lucky & WHAT IS THIS?

[bgokk]

My brother-in-law works at a plant which makes radiators for industrial applications. I had asked him about getting the solder drippings. This was some months back. He said that they no longer use solder, but they had some ingots left. Said he would check and see what he could do. On The 18th he delivered 1200 pounds of large ingots about 50 pounds each.[smilie=w:[smilie=w: I took two of the pieces and melted them, cast into ingots which fit the lee bottom pour pot. These ingots could be any combination of the following.
Solder, 35/64.5 Ingot 35% Sn - 65% Pb
Solder, 35/64.5 Wire Spool 35% Sn - 65% Pb
Solder, 25/73 Ingot 1.25% Sb - 25% Sn - 73% Pb
Solder, 2.5/97 Wire Spool .5% Ag – 2.5% Sn - 97% Pb
The ingots I made with the 2 pieces totaled 49.5 pounds. I ladle poured a few Lee 457-340-F boolits with what ever the alloy is. The as cast weight for 12 ran from 293.3 to 297.1 grains with 6 between 295.0 and 296.0. The hardness tested with a Lee Hardness Tester. The lightest was tested for hardness appx. 2 hours after casting with the Lee hardness tester and it measured .066 for a BHN 11.8. Tested again the next day with the same result. Today 1 week later and with improved lighting and technique with the Lee microscope (PITA) I get .072 = 9.8 BHN and .070 = 10.4 BHN.:confused:

I made an alloy of 5 pounds 1st B. This is the designation given to the first ingots made from BIL’s lead. I added 5 pounds of the clip-on WW’s that I smelted. I cast a few CTL312-160-2R boolits. These tested .066 = 11.8 BHN. I weighed 10 boolits and with a gas check they average 156.69 grains. The weights follow; 155.7, 155.7, 156.3, 156.4, 156.4, 156.5, 157.0, 157.2, 157.5 and 158.2.

After casting the boolits I was emptying the pot by casting the remainder into a Lee ingot mold and while waiting for the mold to cool the spout froze. I turned the pot up and was stamping ingots for ID. When I went back to the pot there was a reddish brown granular substance (dry lumpy) floating on the melt. It was ¼ to ½ inch thick. I skimmed the stuff off and cast it into a block which I stamped Mystery Lead. I tested it for hardness and the dimple made seemed slightly oval so I took measurements at 90 degrees. First was .062 = 13.4 BHN the second was .060 = 14.3BHN. What was the dross which floated to the surface?

[geargnasher]

Nice haul!

Keep in mind that antimony has the effect of hardening boolit alloys over time, usually settling in in about 3 weeks.

Sounds like rust, were these ingots made from the shop's scrap drippings or fresh solder? If scrap there is all manner of junk in there, resmelt and reflux the stuff.

Gear

[bgokk]

Nice haul!

Keep in mind that antimony has the effect of hardening boolit alloys over time, usually settling in in about 3 weeks.

Sounds like rust, were these ingots made from the shop's scrap drippings or fresh solder? If scrap there is all manner of junk in there, resmelt and reflux the stuff.

Gear

I fluxed several times and stirred with a stick while smelting and fluxed again twice in the pot.

The stuff only showed after cooking too long and too hot.

[bgokk]

were these ingots made from the shop's scrap drippings or fresh solder?

I don't know whether it was scrap or not.

[Slow Elk 45/70]

were these ingots made from the shop's scrap drippings or fresh solder?

I don't know whether it was scrap or not.


Ask the fellow that gave it to you....he may know the answer, or be able to find out at the shop, what ever it is the price was right

[geargnasher]

Not tryin' to make you mad Bgokk, but if you fluxed and stirred that many times and cast from your own remelted and refluxed ingots and still got 1/4-1/2" of junk on top of your melt near the end of the pot you need to figure out a better method for fluxing!

I use plain, dry sawdust stirred in thoroughly for a great many reasons, not the least of which is that it seems to soak up dry, powdered contaminants like ash and dirt, and rust, aluminum paint scum, etc and leaves a beautiful, shiny, clean melt surface when skimmed off and the melt stays clean to the last drop. I never end up with anything other than a light layer of tin oxide near the end of the pot. After sawdust you can use a little Califoria Flake or Alox or Snake Oil if you think you must, but I think it is unnecessary.

Other folks here with probably way more experience than me swear by different methods, and I say great if it works for them, but try sawdust once, stir the bejeezus out of the melt a few times and skim it after it smolders to ash. Another thing I do in the winter is add a fresh 1/8" layer over the melt after fluxing and skimming to help insulate it and keep the tin from oxidizing out while I'm casting. Whatever you are doing now obviously isn't working.

If the stuff still won't cooperate, I'll pay shipping if you'll just send it all to me and I'll dispose of it properly :castmine::Fire::Fire::Fire::kidding:

Good luck,

Gear

[bgokk]

I use plain, dry sawdust stirred in thoroughly for a great many reasons, not the least of which is that it seems to soak up dry, powdered contaminants like ash and dirt, and rust, aluminum paint scum, etc and leaves a beautiful, shiny, clean melt surface when skimmed off and the melt stays clean to the last drop. I never end up with anything other than a light layer of tin oxide near the end of the pot. After sawdust you can use a little Califoria Flake or Alox or Snake Oil if you think you must, but I think it is unnecessary.

Other folks here with probably way more experience than me swear by different methods, and I say great if it works for them, but try sawdust once, stir the bejeezus out of the melt a few times and skim it after it smolders to ash. Another thing I do in the winter is add a fresh 1/8" layer over the melt after fluxing and skimming to help insulate it and keep the tin from oxidizing out while I'm casting. Whatever you are doing now obviously isn't working.

If the stuff still won't cooperate, I'll pay shipping if you'll just send it all to me and I'll dispose of it properly :castmine::Fire::Fire::Fire::kidding:

Good luck,

Gear

California Flake is what I used both smelting and in the pot. I did stir the bejeezus out of the melt a few times and skimmed it after it smolders to ash. While smelting I had a layer of the WFCFF on top of the melt and had to clear an opening each time I dipped the ladle to pour ingots. There was WFCFF on top of the casting pot also until I started to cast the left over melt to clear the pot. At that time I stirred it into the melt and skimmed it off. I turned the temp down as I was going to empty the pot.

I cast a Lee ingot mold full (one block) and it was waiting for the block to cool enough to dump it. That's when the spout froze. I turned the pot back up and was stamping ID on some ingots when I went back to the pot is when I found the "what ever it was".

I think that the cooling and then over heating had something to do with the formation of the dross.

So far we are on the same page regarding type and method of fluxing.:veryconfu

[bgokk]

bumped