Smelting range scrap

[nonferrous]

I have smelted most varieties of scrap lead with good results but not range scrap. The other day I came into a few buckets of range scrap and am looking for a little direction.
It is very dirty due to the nature of the berm, most of the bullets have sand and dirt imbedded in the lead. It has been raining non stop down here for a while so I assume that there is moisture under the jackets.
I intend to let it dry out in the garage for about a month, and I assume that all the impurities will simply flux out.
If this is good please let me know, my biggest concern is adding scrap to the melt once I get going.
Thanks

[MT Gianni]

The obvious part is to not smelt in your casting pot but a cast iron separate pot to reduce contaminants. You should probably smack the fmj's with a hammer to make sure any trapped moisture can escape before turning to steam.

[captain-03]

I have melted down a lot of this type lead ... some pointers:

1. Let it dry out as much as possible; however, once you put the initial amount in your pot and get it melted -- NEVER -- NEVER add more material to a pot of molten lead. Regardless of how long you have let it dry ... there will be some moisture present ...
2. Always use a lid on your pot -- it is fairly easy to miss a live 22 round or other type round in this type mix of stuff ... regardless of how careful you are in checking the stuff ...

[truckmsl]

Make sure it is dry, throw it all in a covered pot and melt it as usual. I have found that if I pour it out onto a 1/4 inch hardware cloth screen over a wheel barrow first, much of the sand falls through, making it a bit cleaner when skimming.

I don't worry about jacketed with the lid on. Works great for me. I just melt it all and spend no time sorting or whatever. Many hundreds of pounds of ingots this way with no problems.

I do add more to the molten lead, but with a face shield and very carefully.

[justingrosche]

I have melted down a lot of this type lead ... some pointers:

1. Let it dry out as much as possible; however, once you put the initial amount in your pot and get it melted -- NEVER -- NEVER add more material to a pot of molten lead. Regardless of how long you have let it dry ... there will be some moisture present ...
2. Always use a lid on your pot -- it is fairly easy to miss a live 22 round or other type round in this type mix of stuff ... regardless of how careful you are in checking the stuff ...

I concur with the captain. Never add any more to an already molten pot. Tinsel fairies will come visit you.
Justin

[nonferrous]

Good points, well taken, thank you.
I really was a little concerned about adding to the melt and now I can see that it will be no problem to start with an empty pot for each batch and bring up the temperature slowly.
Thanks again

[Jon]

If you want to add to the melt, just turn the heat down until it hardens up a little, and add to the top. Never put range scrap into a pot with molten lead. Yes, I've been visited by the tinsel fairy by doing this. :-)

I use a HF dutch oven over a turkey fryer burner. I fill the dutch oven about 3/4 full when it's cold. I then put the cover on top, and light the burner. Normally, I'll let it "cook" for 20 min or so, and then go out and use a large spoon with holes in it to get the junk off the top. You'll have to shake the hollow points a little bit to get all the lead out.

[Centaur 1]

Use all of the precautions against moisture that everyone has mentioned, and use LOTS of flux. The lead wants to stay stuck to the jackets and the flux will release it from the copper. Range scrap also produces a lot of slag which will cling to your lead, flux and stir until the dross loses it's silvery color.

[Hafast]

In addition to the other suggestions, I would recommend whacking the j-word bullets with a 4 pound hammer. This make sure no steam builds up and ruptures one of those hummers.

[alamogunr]

Make sure it is dry, throw it all in a covered pot and melt it as usual. I have found that if I pour it out onto a 1/4 inch hardware cloth screen over a wheel barrow first, much of the sand falls through, making it a bit cleaner when skimming.

I don't worry about jacketed with the lid on. Works great for me. I just melt it all and spend no time sorting or whatever. Many hundreds of pounds of ingots this way with no problems.

I do add more to the molten lead, but with a face shield and very carefully.

Several years ago I rigged a screen of 1/4 in hardware cloth to fit over my smelting pot. As the material in the pot was melting and coming up to temp, I placed the next charge of WW/range scrap to dry on the screen. Remove the dried scrap, pour up ingots, introduce dry scrap to the melt. Repeat. Never had an accident.

John
W.TN

[lwknight]

You have been lucky so far John. It would be hard to know that no moisture is trapped by just being dry unless you know for sure that the temp was up to like 250 degrees or better.
I have a scar on my arm from a suposedly dry piece od lead pipe getting into the melted lead.

[sagacious]

Good points, well taken, thank you.
I really was a little concerned about adding to the melt and now I can see that it will be no problem to start with an empty pot for each batch and bring up the temperature slowly.
Thanks again
That's the safest way to go. With this practice, and preemptive checking for live rounds, no luck is ever required. Some good advice in this thread so far.

[alamogunr]

You have been lucky so far John. It would be hard to know that no moisture is trapped by just being dry unless you know for sure that the temp was up to like 250 degrees or better.
I have a scar on my arm from a suposedly dry piece od lead pipe getting into the melted lead.

I have no idea how high the temp got on the material on the screen but it had to be above 300ºF. I try to keep my melt at around 700º or a little lower just in case I missed some zinc weights(and I usually do). I've never been fortunate enough to find any lead pipe but all my scrap WW and range scrap is usually dry before I start. I lay it out in the sun on a piece of corrugated roofing. I'll bet some days that would get it over 200º

John
W.TN

[imashooter2]

I always turn my range scrap out into a wheel barrow and load the pot with a long handled garden shovel. Gives me one last chance to look over the scrap for dud .22s and if i should miss one, at least I'm not standing right over the pot.

[snuffy]

All good tips so far. I lucked into about a ton of indoor range scrap last year. Most was jacketed, but some was .22 lead only. Here's some of the .22 stuff going on the heat.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P4110009.JPG

Most of it looked like this.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P4110016.JPG

Turned into ingots, we got nearly a ton. It took about 15 tanks of propane, and a few big candles. Otherwise it was free!

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P4110001.JPG

Often, the tubs of scrap got wet from rain. After draining, I simple put the wet lead in a cold,(under melting temp), pot. Then brought the heat up to melt the filled dutch oven.

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P4110015.JPG

I used a variety of molds, even one made from a couple pieces of 3" channel. Lyman and lee ingot molds, two sizes of muffin tins,(including one teflon coated alum.).

http://photos.imageevent.com/jptowns/arrow/websize/P4110011.JPG

[deltaenterprizes]

[QUOTE=captain-03;988778]I have melted down a lot of this type lead ... some pointers:

1. Let it dry out as much as possible; however, once you put the initial amount in your pot and get it melted -- NEVER -- NEVER add more material to a pot of molten lead. Regardless of how long you have let it dry ... there will be some moisture present ...
2. Always use a lid on your pot -- it is fairly easy to miss a live 22 round or other type round in this type mix of stuff ... regardless of how careful you are in checking the stuff ...[/QUOTE

That's the way I did it in the past

[lwknight]

15 tanks to smelt a ton!! OK there is something wrong with that.
I have smelted 1200 pounds with 1 20# tank.
You need to get a cowling to direct the heat all to your pot or something.

[imashooter2]

15 tanks to smelt a ton!! OK there is something wrong with that.
I have smelted 1200 pounds with 1 20# tank.
You need to get a cowling to direct the heat all to your pot or something.

He did say it was wet. That takes a bunch more BTUs....

[justingrosche]

7of 7 and I smelted about 1200 lbs one day and used a single 5 gallon LP bottle. My smelting set up a little over kill for most applications, My pot will hold 275# of lead and leave me 4" from the top.
Justin

[geargnasher]

POUR A CUP OF DIESEL OVER THE COLD STUFF IN THE POT AND LIGHT IT AND THE BURNER AT THE SAME TIME.

This will cure the dampness, add fluxing soot, and keep oxygen out of the pot while heating the scrap. What it won't fix is live rounds or TMJ stuff that can go pop bigtime, but if there is a live round in there it will likely go off before there is much molten lead, so it helps mitigate the disaster. Wear adequate safety gear including a FULL face shield and hearing protection. Don't stand over or near the pot until it's molten, etc. etc. Work like the pyrotechnicians do, that is in a state of constant expectation and preparedness for a total blowup.

Gear

[lwknight]

He did say it was wet. That takes a bunch more BTUs....

Well.. yea , but , not 10 times more fuel. Thats bizzare.

[alamogunr]

He did say it was wet. That takes a bunch more BTUs....

Starting with a cold pot for each charge uses a lot of BTU's too.

John
W.TN

[snuffy]

It was cold out, late spring, early summer. I didn't think it was excessive fuel, it may have been fewer than that, didn't keep exact track. Lots of wind too. It wasn't all wet, in fact most was quite dry. Oh, I was using a weed eater to top heat some of the smelts.

I suppose a shroud would be a help, but not all that much heat was wasted.

Anybody have a pic of your shroud? I could look for some sheet steel to make one from?

[snuffy]

Starting with a cold pot for each charge uses a lot of BTU's too.

Actually, I only let the previous melt cool enough to go solid. Then the wet stuff can be dumped on top of the hardened previous melt.

Yes the first smelt of the day takes a LOT longer to melt.

[zxcvbob]

Every time I go to the pistol range, I take a 1-gallon ziplock bag and a trowel with me. If I'm the only one there, I scoop up about 15 or 20 pounds of scrap and take it home and melt it on an electric hotplate. I've gotten a couple of hundred of pounds of lead this way in the past 2 years.

Other folks scrounge brass (I do too, but only if I find some .380's), and I scrounge the lead.

[geargnasher]

I scrounge lead at the local range too if I get a chance. It's nice to come home with more than you left, I just don't get out there much because I have my own and use traps.

Gear

[captain-03]

I scrounge lead at the local range too if I get a chance. It's nice to come home with more than you left, I just don't get out there much because I have my own and use traps.

Gear

That has always been my goal - bring back more than I left!!

[Oyeboten]

Yes indeed!

I got into scrounging spent Lead form the Pistol area of the Range I shoot at.

After Shooting, it is a relaxing passtime to root around and gather up five pounds or so.


Made it all ( about 35 lbs ) into Ingots a while back, and, been casting Boolits from the Ingots.


Seems to be about a Br of 12 or so.


I just have a small set up, and low volume needs compared to some...