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lead-1
12-11-2009, 12:06 AM
I tossed about four pounds of stick on weights that had been melted, skimmed and turned into ingot into my LEE pot. I set the heat on high and went to another project while it melted, on the second check I noticed that not only had it melted it was an orangish cast, obviouslt too hot but there was about one half cup of yellow powder on the top of the melt. Is this just a product of letting the lead get too hot?
Shiloh
12-11-2009, 01:11 AM
Did it reduce back in when fluxed ?? It sounds more like something in the metal or oxides coming of the side of the pot from scraping it.

Shiloh
lylejb
12-11-2009, 01:22 AM
It's lead oxide. I've had small amounts of that before when I let my temp get out of hand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_oxide

Has a picture. Mine looked more true yellow. This picture looks more orange to me.
lead-1
12-11-2009, 02:01 AM
I wasn't sure what cause it, i figured the heat but not knowing I just skimmed it off and set it aside.
It looks a lot like the corrosion powder that forms on a cars battery terminal only its yellow. I will
be sure to try and not let the pot get that hot again.
lwknight
12-11-2009, 02:20 AM
One time I got the bright idea to try rosin flux in my lead pot. I got a lot of rank sulpher smelling smoke and a lot of yellow dust on the sides of my pot.
Maybe something other than normal oxides. I would skim and toss it.
Marlin Hunter
12-11-2009, 02:28 AM
It's lead oxide. I've had small amounts of that before when I let my temp get out of hand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead(II)_oxide

Has a picture. Mine looked more true yellow. This picture looks more orange to me.




From wikipedia:

[I]Niche or declining uses

A mixture of PbO with glycerine sets to a hard, waterproof cement that has been used to join the flat glass sides and bottoms of aquaria, and was also once used to seal glass panels in window frames. It is a component of lead paints.
runfiverun
12-11-2009, 01:26 PM
lead oxide is orange.
at least the oxide we used to get for electroceramics from the foundries was.
it was heated mixed dries and compressed and machined for a ton of uses from the little igniter in your bbq to military sonars, to nasa stuff.
also lead oxide compoments were the first thing man made to touch the moon.