Scrubbing my WWs clean!

[lefty_red]

I had to smelt down some WWs for more alloy to cast with, but they were really nasty. So I fiqured I would "wash" them before hand. I thought hard and long, at least two beers, and decided to run them through the car wash! Well, Its a sprayer/washer. I used three five gallon buckets for two full buckets. I wanted a little free space on top so they didn't splach in the wife's minivan since my work car was getting new read brake drums. I filled the buckets up with the degreaser/tire cleaner and let them sit for about two hours. I them just put a water hose in each one to rinse them off. I was IMPRESSED! Those suckers are clean and good to go.

Just though I would past that along, since I've "taken" so much from you guys these past weeks.

I put in about thrity minutes total on the rinsing part. I'm going to set up a "strainer" bucket when I get a spare one. Drill holes in it for the water to drain out and such. But for right now, I'm using a solid one. I just take the WWs out of the old one, sort through the crap and tire stems and things and put the WWs in the other bucket whle the water rinse them. I didn't have that grease film or nothing on my hands like I usally do.

$1.50 and a couple of hours, and you got clean WWs!

Jerry

[keeper89]

That has got to translate into a significant decrease in noxious fumes coming off the melt==which has to mean better for your health I would think---but you might feel funny as the toxin levels in your bloodstream begin to thin out...............:-D

[PDshooter]

I just melt my W/W down into bars . Before they go into the lee elec, pothttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/PDshooter/casting/lead2.jpg

[13Echo]

Make darn sure they are bone dry before melting unless you like the idea of steam explosions in molten lead. Very exciting.

Jerry

[lefty_red]

My coleman stove went out on me last weekend. So I had to look at other options, for now. Plan on getting other and one of those big Lyman ladles for making bars, but for now, this seems to be working alot better than just plain throwing them in the Lee and letting them burn off the junk.

I've set them WWs out in the sun for a couple of days. When it not raining, they dry pretty quick!

Jerry

[snowtigger]

Make darn sure they are bone dry before melting unless you like the idea of steam explosions in molten lead. Very exciting.

Jerry
If you put cold WW in a cold pot, you won't get a steam explosion. PERIOD. Even if the pot is half full of water, it will evaporate and cook off long before the WW reach melting temp.
I always let my pot cool to the point that leftover alloy "freezes". Then I add WW, even if they are soaking wet. No problems.... DO NOT ADD WET ANYTHING TO THE MELTED ALLOY.. this WILL result in a steam explosion.....

[Bucks Owin]

If you put cold WW in a cold pot, you won't get a steam explosion. PERIOD. Even if the pot is half full of water, it will evaporate and cook off long before the WW reach melting temp.
I always let my pot cool to the point that leftover alloy "freezes". Then I add WW, even if they are soaking wet. No problems.... DO NOT ADD WET ANYTHING TO THE MELTED ALLOY.. this WILL result in a steam explosion.....

I will add "Don't even put lead in a "hot" mix that is even remotely damp"! (eg ingots that sat overnight in cold weather) It was more excitement than I needed!!!

(Accidentally of course)

Dennis :castmine:

[Bucks Owin]

I just melt my W/W down into bars . Before they go into the lee elec, pothttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/PDshooter/casting/lead2.jpg


How does that "bracket" fit into the scheme of things? Is it just a "trivet" for the hot pan?

Just curious,

Dennis

[ddixie884]

Are you refering to the "custom" ingot mold? It's a nice one, well made.

[Beau Cassidy]

Washing them is a waste of time. Just sort out the stick-ons and melt away. Pick out the trash as you go. All that grease is pretty good flux. Using a big pot like that should allow you to flux pretty good. Worried about smoke? Stand upwind.

Beau

[JohnH]

I'm with Beau on this one, seperate for stick on weights, they can be treated as pure lead for our purposes, anything else will burn off and will act a flux, and as Beau says, if you have concerns, stand upwind.

[stocker]

Smelting dirty is only an option if you have a bit of yard room and space away from neighbours. We're in an 80 unit duplex strata set up with very small yards. Too much smoke might bring complaints here. The neighbors are actually quite tolerant but no point in stressing it. If not for that I wouldn't do much cleaning at all.