Casting high temp lead?

Is there any problem with casting lead at high temperatures?

I cast yesterday at between 900 and 1000 degress to try to get better mould fillout. I've read an occasional post stating that at high temps the tin is affected. Any truth to that?

Also, does the alloy separate into its constituent metals (e.g. does the tin and antimony separate)?

When removing the dross, might I really be removing the tin?

Thanks in advance

tin will oxide much faster at those temps.
the good thing is that you should need less/almost none at those temps for good fill out.

Uh, pure lead , no (except it oxidizes like crazy). Alloys do all kinds of wierd stuff when cast real hot - including also oxidizing like crazy. If your mold gets hot enough that the alloy doesn't set up enough before you stop pouring, the whole boolit contracts rather than drawing lead from the sprue. Of course, there's frosting, which helps fillout if the mold/melt isn't hot enough to do the aforementioned, nor cause severe frosting. Best fillout in terms of boolit size happens with moderately hot molds, and moderate lead temps -again depending on the alloy.

Concerning the alloying elements (tin, antimony) separating, they don't. But antimony oxidizes more readily than lead, and tin oxidizes more readily still. So oxidation loses you your hardening elements.

Drossing is therefore more concentrated in tin and antimony than what is found in your melt. If you bottom pour, cover your lead with something (crushed charcoal) to keep the oxygen away.

If you need to cast at 1000*F to get decent fill-out, there's certainly a problem. Casting at that temp introduces other serious problems and frustrations by itself. Very often, more heat is not the solution.

Adding tin to a lead alloy reduces the required pouring temp. Adding tin and then casting waaaay hot totally defeats the purpose regardless of whether the tin will oxidize to any great extent.

Properly fluxed alloy will not separate inot it's component metals. "Dross" is the powdery crud on the surface of the melt after it's been fluxed. If you are skimming the floating silvery scum off, you may indeed be reducing the lead's alloy content, and affecting the 'pourability.'

Fluxing cures a host of ills. It helps increase 'fluidity' and 'pourability'-- usually to a very noticeable extent, and prevents alloy component depletion. Most any suitable lead alloy-- properly fluxed and maintained-- will usually cast without trouble and give good fill-out.

Hope this helps, best of luck! :drinks:

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Properly fluxed alloy will not separate inot it's component metals.

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I always thought that lead alloys could never be broken down into their "component" metals while casting. Once an alloy is...well....alloyed, then it could not be broken back down. I was always told that such a seperation would require way more force than the heat generated by a casting pot. I could be wrong...

Ill coy, yup, you are barking up the wrong tree, without proper fluxing and a constant temp, you will seperate alloys IMHO

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Originally Posted by prickett

Is there any problem with casting lead at high temperatures?

I cast yesterday at between 900 and 1000 degress to try to get better mould fillout. I've read an occasional post stating that at high temps the tin is affected. Any truth to that?

Also, does the alloy separate into its constituent metals (e.g. does the tin and antimony separate)?

When removing the dross, might I really be removing the tin?

Thanks in advance

---

There is a safety risk with casting at very high temperature. Lead will start to produce proportionally large amount of lead vapor at high temperature. The boiling point is just of 3000 deg. F. I doubt you will be getting that hot. Just be cautious at high temperatures. Part of what makes boolit casting a "safe" use of lead, is the relatively low temperatures that we operate at.

Out of curiosity, what kind of lead pot do you have that is reaching 1000 deg. F? Also how are you measuring that temperature? I think you are either misreading or using the wrong kind of temperature probe.

Tin and antimony are contained in the dross due to metal oxidation. The dross will also contain other heavy elements. If you are using a bottom pour pot, don't be too concerned about what comes up to the top. Let your melt reach FULL temperature, then flux. If you use a bottom pour pot, you can simply fill the top of the pot with a thin, but complete, layer of sawdust. This will keep oxidation to a minimum. Just be sure to never let your pot go below half full. Also when you add more alloy, be sure to flux again and stir from the bottom of the pot up. Also be sure to scrape the sides as you stir. The impurities will come to the surface and bind to the sawdust and/or fluxing agent.

In my opinion (I could be wrong) fluxing is less about cleaning and more about rebinding the alloy compounds. This is how flux works in welding, as well as low temp brasing/soldering. The flux creates flow and binds the tin within the solder, this promotes better flow and joint fill-out.

Both tin and antimony have considerably higher melting points than pure lead. The tin and antimony remain in micro-crystaline structures, within the molten lead. This is normal, and is not possible to overcome.

My guess is that you would get poor fill-out at very high temperature (especially in a bottom pour pot) because your alloy components would float to the top of the mix. Fluxing will not help you much here. By the time you flux and get your mould ready for a pour, you will have considerable oxidation and the alloy components will separate again. This is where that layer of sawdust on the top can help you. Think of it as an insulating blanket.

Hope this helps. I am no expert on casting, but my family has been in the metalworking business (grandfather was a welder, and uncle is a precision machinist) for a few generations. I have been around various metalworking process' my whole life. So I do understand the nature of alloying and metal plasticity/dynamics.

Bring that temp down. If you are getting poor fillout, my guess is that your mould cavities have some kind of oil/grease in them. Clean that mould well. If that fails, add some tin. Just be sure that you don't get the alloy harder than is appropriate for you specific chamber pressure. I learned this the hard way recently. Harder alloy is not necessarily better, in all circumstances. Alloy BHN should be mated to chamber pressure. To hard of an alloy will not properly obturate, and your barrel will be subjected to flame cutting and premature throat erosion.

Good luck.

:cbpour:

Simple formula for determining proper BHN is this

chamber pressure divided by 1440 = BHN

for example

45 auto
200 gn. SWC
5 grains Bullseye
1.26 OAL
approx. 13000 psi
13000 psi / 1440 = 9.02 BHN (that's right about where air cooled WW would be)

:lovebooli

Very interesting. I always thought the lead alloys we commonly used for casting were solutions and "once dissolved in it couldn't come out." IIRC, this is what the Lyman Cast Bullet Manual states. I will have to re-read that section when I get home. I guess you do learn something new everyday! ;) :D

Two posts ago is right, high temps means LOTS more lead vapors. Check my previous posts to find one I did on lead concentration. I personally don't want to go over 800 or 900, lead concentration is expotential. Below 800 or 900 I feel safe casting indoors.

If you are casting outdoors, then don't worry about temperatures as far as lead vapor concentration goes.

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Is there any problem with casting lead at high temperatures?

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do you mean lead as in pure or is it an alloy? seems everyone is talking about it as it was
a mix of sorts. I know you said tin also. Just trying to understand.

HI,
DO NOT WANT TO STEP ON ANY TOES.
But Pb melts at less than 800*F.
You do Not get Pb vapors at those temp. You get rubber burning, wood burning, & paint burning & other Vapors.
You do not get Pb vapors till it boils at about 1,760*F/C, can't remember which. This is way higher than the temp. we work at.
you are in more danger from inhaling Pb dust or burning yourself.

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Originally Posted by IllinoisCoyoteHunter:aka BB

I always thought that lead alloys could never be broken down into their "component" metals while casting. Once an alloy is...well....alloyed, then it could not be broken back down. I was always told that such a seperation would require way more force than the heat generated by a casting pot. I could be wrong...

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BB,
You are not entirely wrong-- but I think you're referring to 'gravity separation', which you correctly state does not happen. I was referring to the practice of fluxing as a critical and essential aid to preventing alloy component depletion. The Lyman handbook addresses this subject:

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Originally Posted by Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, p57

As the metal melts, a gray scum will rise to the surface, contrasting sharply with the silver brightness of the molten lead. DO NOT REMOVE THIS SCUM. This contains tin, the most valuable component of the bullet metal. Fluxing will recombine the tin-lead-antimony mixture. This operation is extremely important, and should be done carefully.

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If one just skims and doesn't flux the melt when melting raw ww's, he may very well reduce the tin and antimony content of the alloy. Proper fluxing is required to maintain the alloy and prevent depletion of alloy components. An alloy can be a delicate thing, for example: overheated pewter can easily suffer from alloy component impoverishment, and common 70/30 brass kept molten for much time at all will likely suffer from zinc depletion. Lead alloy maintentance is critical to keeping it the component percentages the same as original specs, and fluxing is an integral part of that.

I hope this explains my point a little better. Good luck! :drinks:

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Originally Posted by BOOM BOOM

HI,
DO NOT WANT TO STEP ON ANY TOES.
...
You do not get Pb vapors till it boils at about 1,760*F/C, can't remember which. This is way higher than the temp. we work at.
...

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I definitely do not mean to step on any toes either, but if I recall correctly, lead starts to outgas at closer to 1100*F, well before the boiling point. Working with lead at around 1000*F would pose some risk, and is inadvisable.

Keep on keepin on! :drinks:

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Originally Posted by BOOM BOOM

HI,
DO NOT WANT TO STEP ON ANY TOES.
But Pb melts at less than 800*F.
You do Not get Pb vapors at those temp. You get rubber burning, wood burning, & paint burning & other Vapors.
You do not get Pb vapors till it boils at about 1,760*F/C, can't remember which. This is way higher than the temp. we work at.
you are in more danger from inhaling Pb dust or burning yourself.

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Sorry, but you are completely wrong. My B.S. in chemical engineering calls BS on your chemistry skills. While I don't remember a ton of schooling, vapor pressure isn't one of the hard concepts, especially when I FINALLY found a vapor pressure curve that included lead. Everything has a vapor pressure. Water, alcohol, gasoline, even lead.

If your statement were true, then we shouldn't have water vapor in the air until water boils at 212 degrees F. My white front yard though says that isn't the case.

Also, nothing would ever burn since it is the vapors that burn. If nothing gave off vapors until it boiled very few fires would start.

Here are the values, based on a pressure temperature curve I found online for lead (a scan of an academic book).

I found an OSHA letter stating the max lead concentration for an indoor range is 50 micrograms per cubic meter (this should be the PEL, permissible exposure limit, based on breathing this for an 8 hour shift).

At lead's melting point (621F) the vapor pressure is 4X10^-7 Pa (400 parts per trillion)
@815F its 1X10^-4 Pa (1 part per billion)
@1300F it is 1Pa (10 ppm)

So, at 815F that is 12 micrograms per cubic meter, at the molten leads SURFACE, 1/4 of OSHA's PEL (and you KNOW they are conservative!)
800 would be a good casting temperature. At 1300 it would be significantly higher, 10,000 times higher actually.

870 degrees - 5X10^-4 Pa - 60 micrograms per cubic meter (just above OSHA PEL)
925 - 1X10^-3 Pa - 125 micrograms per cubic meter (2.5 times OSHA's limit for an 8 hour shift).
1000 - .01 PA (.1 ppm) = 1200 micrograms per cubic meter.
1100 (Added in on the edit just because this value was mentioned above) - .13 PA - 15,600 micrograms per cubic meter, three hundred times the OSHA guidelines.

The academic book I found the vapor pressure temperature curve at:

http://books.google.com/books?id=S20...ead%22&f=false

While I have no qualms casting indoors, I base than on NOT going above 800 degrees. Telling people 1000 degrees is no big deal is not just wrong, but it is irresponsible as it is TWENTY FOUR times osha's permissible exposure limit.

To be fair, the vapor pressure concentration is at the surface of the molten lead. The vapor will slowly permeate the room, but would take a long time for the entire room to reach the above levels.

Temps should never get to 1000 degrees for a good cast. That being said, some molds cast better a [I]bit[I] hotter than other molds. I have a custom Hoch nose pour that casts best between 850 and 900 degrees. It's a big 550 grain 45 caliber boolit. Any of my Lyman molds get above 750, and there is frosting (not a big deal) or finning. I would check the venting on that mold. If air isn't being pushed out on the pour, then you'll have bad fill.

Regards,
Bill

Thanks for the clarification Sagacious.

You're in more danger if you get lead on your hands (from handling) and fail to wash than vapors (from lead) will ever get you into. Vapors from your fluxing agent are probly vastly more dangerous (especially if you use Marvelux - waxes and wood shavings, and such aren't good, but aren't strongly toxic) and we don't even worry about them. As was said the vapor pressure is measured at the surface of the lead, and this concentration only involves a couple of cubic inches. It reduces exponentially for every inch you get further away from the lead. And as was said, unless you cast for many hours straight the concentration will not reach high enough levels to be of concern.

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BB,
You are not entirely wrong-- but I think you're referring to 'gravity separation', which you correctly state does not happen. I was referring to the practice of fluxing as a critical and essential aid to preventing alloy component depletion. The Lyman handbook addresses this subject:

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Gravity separation can and will happen when there is significant antimony without tin as a binder. You could never dip off pure antimony but definitely could dip off a very concentrated mixture. Even at 6% antimony tries to float some off till you get the tin up to about 2%. I'm not talking about dross from oxidation but the oatmeal looking stuff that you can make a hole in with a spoon and watch it fill with liquid lead.

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Originally Posted by leftiye

You're in more danger if you get lead on your hands (from handling) and fail to wash than vapors (from lead) will ever get you into. Vapors from your fluxing agent are probly vastly more dangerous (especially if you use Marvelux - waxes and wood shavings, and such aren't good, but aren't strongly toxic) and we don't even worry about them. As was said the vapor pressure is measured at the surface of the lead, and this concentration only involves a couple of cubic inches. It reduces exponentially for every inch you get further away from the lead. And as was said, unless you cast for many hours straight the concentration will not reach high enough levels to be of concern.

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not so. the reason that lead vapor is more dangerous, is because it enters the bloodstream through the lungs. the digestive tract is a very poor way to enter the blood stream. lead vapor is a very real hazard. not trying to argue, just trying to clarify.

the chances of getting overexposure at low temperatures are very low. over 1000 deg., however, in an enclosed space, without adequate ventilation. well i would rather not take my chances. the scariest part, is that you wouldn't even see signs of poisoning for 6 months to a year.

i agree that the dangers are blown WAY out of proportion, by a lot of policy makers, that have no understanding of the facts. there is, however, a reason to play it safe.

what is the chance of a 1911 hammer falling on it's own, without the safety engaged? damn near nil. yet we still put the safety on. best to keep that practice with ALL firearms related topics, right?

:brokenima

If you don't have a copy of Lyman Cast Boolitt Handbook 3rd Edition, it is of much value in understanding of the alloy separating or not separating. There is also a section on casting at high temperatures and melting and fluxing of cast alloys. It is very informative.

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Originally Posted by prickett

Is there any problem with casting lead at high temperatures? I cast yesterday at between 900 and 1000 degress to try to get better mould fillout.

There are several disadvantages associated with the use of unnecessarily high casting temperatures. Aside from the issue of vapor pressure as discussed by others in this thread, wear of the equipment is unnecessarily increased. In addition, maintenance of the alloy constituents becomes increasingly more difficult.

Consider this: Pure lead melts at 621F, and, to the best of my knowledge, alloying anything else with that lead will lower the melting point. Nevertheless, all usable lead alloys for bullet casting that I have come across are going to melt at or below 621F and become solid at or above 464 F.

Taking into consideration that the highest melt temperature we're likely to come across is 621 F, we can obtain a general idea of how hot to keep the melt for practical casting.
Not only do we need to have a liquidus state (where all of it is molten), we need to keep the melt substantially above that temperature in order to compensate for the immediate heat loss as the lead is extracted from the pot; after all, it does us no good to have the lead start solidifying before the mold cavity is full. For most, practical experience has indicated that the best temperature range to keep our melt is somewhere around 150-250 F degrees above the actual melting temperature.
Using the highest melting temperature of pure lead at 621F and applying the commonly accepted increase just stated, one can easily see why 775-825F is the commonly accepted temperature to keep the melt in the pot (when casting pure lead). Use of the various lead alloys allows us to run the pot at still lower temperatures, and we should do so whenever possible.
Currently I can think of only two reasons (although there may be others) why one would ever want to run excessively high temperatures:
1. Casting in colder atmospheric conditions- Obviously people doing outdoor casting in colder weather may need to keep the melt hotter, but under those conditions the increased heat of the melt itself will begin to introduce problems concerning oxidation.
2. Excessively slow rate of pour- Individuals relatively new to casting are often amazed (and frustrated) that the lead can become solid so quickly; this is simply due to not yet establishing a suitably fast rate of pour (this is assuming that the mold itself is at a suitable operating temp). Also, those casting comparatively large/long bullets sometimes find that elevated temps (above "normal") make for easier casting.

Conclusion: Unless one is dealing with extraordinary circumstances, it is usually best to maintain the lowest temperature possible while maintaining acceptable casting results. The use of excessively high temperatures almost always adds complications.



I've read an occasional post stating that at high temps the tin is affected. Any truth to that?

The applicable use of tin has long been a topic of discussion among us (bullet casters). We each utilize tin for different purposes.
Irregardless of why we include tin in our alloys, we recognize that it is the most expensive component, plus the fact that it is desirable to maintain alloy content once we do introduce it.

So, do higher operating temperatures have an effect on tin content? Most certainly. In order to gain some understanding of what is happening, and why temperature has an effect, lets go back to the beginning.

From a mining perspective, tin is commonly available in the mineral known as cassiterite, or tin dioxide (SnO2). To obtain tin from the mineral, the chemical reaction that takes place is:

SnO2 + 2C -----> Sn + 2CO

For the less chemically astute among us (and that certainly includes me!), what this means is that if we chemically react cassiterite with carbon, we will obtain tin and carbon monoxide.
Anyone want to take a guess on how our forefathers got their tin? Since I wasn't there, and I'm not a metallurgist, nor a geologist, nor a chemist, I can only speculate. But upon analyzing the formula above, I can easily see where smelting cassiterite mineral with burning coal would produce the tin.
Note: To all the chem geeks out there, I am too computer-illiterate to know how to properly insert the subscript and proper arrow symbol in the formula. But that is of no significance to us, as this discussion simply pertains to boolit casters helping each other.
Interestingly, one can deduce from the equation above that taking oxides of tin (you know, that grey scum they tell us not to skim off) and combining them with carbon will again reduce the tin back into the alloy. Essentially, whenever we use a carbon-based flux, we are doing the same thing that was done to get the tin from the cassiterite mineral.

So now that we know that tin is subject to chemical reactions for the purpose of obtaining it, the question arises- what do we need to worry about concerning our casting temperatures?

Keeping in mind that a lead alloy is nothing more than a solution, the constituents of that alloy (especially tin in our discussion) are subject to chemical reactions, such as oxidation. Oxidation, by definition, occurs by combining something with oxygen. This reaction can take place without our help- for example, leave steel sitting unprotected and the result is ferric oxide, or rust. Leave lead sitting in an unsuitable environment (outdoors, etc.) and pretty soon it will start getting "crusty"- those are oxides.
Knowing that some chemical reactions can occur without aid, we also realize that there are some things that speed up a chemical reaction:
1. Increased concentrations of the reactants.
2. Use of a catalyst.
3. Increased temperature.

So, if increased temperatures aggravate the tendency for tin to oxidize, how hot do you want to run your pot?


Also, does the alloy separate into its constituent metals (e.g. does the tin and antimony separate)?
I am not qualified to give an accurate answer to this. I do know that tin and antimony combine to form the intermetallic compound SnSb, and I also realize that the constituent preference order of oxidation is:
1. Tin (most suspect to oxidation)
2. Antimony
3. Lead (least suspect)

As I understand it, all components of the alloy are subject to oxidation, and by now we realize that our best practice is to limit oxidation by:
a. Limiting temperatures to a low, yet practical, level.
b. Limiting available oxygen to the alloy constituents by use of a barrier; e.g., charcoal, kitty litter, sawdust, etc. Also, the initial layer of oxides themselves serve to reduce further oxidation.
c. Minimized disturbance of the melt- aggressive stirring introduces oxygen into the melt; this is also why the ladle caster needs to flux on a regular basis.


When removing the dross, might I really be removing the tin?
If you understood everything above, your question is already answered. If you did not, then the answer is yes, more than you think.

Thanks in advance

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Hope this clears some things up.
And to the metallurgists and chemists out there, please take it easy on me regarding any inaccuracies; I have not had to think in this way for nearly 25 years.

Good Luck.

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Originally Posted by rob45

Hope this clears some things up.
And to the metallurgists and chemists out there, please take it easy on me regarding any inaccuracies; I have not had to think in this way for nearly 25 years.

Good Luck.

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Wow! Thanks for all the great info everyone!

I cast w/ several diff kinds of alloy & never have to resort to temps much more than 750. Your technique &/or mold are in question. I "pressure" cast w/ hand held molds. That is putting the pour spout into the sprue plate & filling the mold. When full, back off a tiny bit to form the sprue. THis always results in good mold fill-out, even w/ HP molds. Make sure your molds are clean. I find heating htem up a bit on the top of the pot, then hitting them w/ degreaser works to remove any oils.

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Originally Posted by lwknight

Gravity separation can and will happen when there is significant antimony without tin as a binder. You could never dip off pure antimony but definitely could dip off a very concentrated mixture. Even at 6% antimony tries to float some off till you get the tin up to about 2%. I'm not talking about dross from oxidation but the oatmeal looking stuff that you can make a hole in with a spoon and watch it fill with liquid lead.

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This is not separation caused by gravity, or differences in specific gravity or density. It's a separation caused by antimony's fickle solubility in lead, especially-- as you note-- in the absence of tin. For example, molten Pb60/Sn40 solder will not 'gravity separate' into a tin-rich layer on top of a lead-rich layer. The reason is due to the miscibility/solubility of those two alloy components, even though the density of lead and tin is quite different.

"Gravity separation" is a myth that keeps getting repeated. Let's put it to rest:

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Originally Posted by Cast Bullet Alloys and Alloy Maintenance by Rick Kelter

It is a common misconception that because they are less dense than lead, antimony and tin may undergo gravity separation from the melt. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the absence of oxygen or oxidizing materials, melted lead alloys will remain stable and mixed virtually forever. And from Lyman, [3]Perhaps the single most significant error in all the bullet casting literature is the misconception that lead-tin-antimony alloy melts gravity segregate.

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Beginner and advanced casters alike can read the whole article here: http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletAlloy.htm

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Originally Posted by Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook p43

Perhaps the single most significant error in all the bullet casting literature is the misconception that lead-tin-antimony alloy melts gravity segregate. Bullet casters have been lead to believe that unless they flux a melt on a regular basis, the less dense tin and antimony will separate from the lead and rise to the surface where they will no longer be available to harden the alloy. This is absolutely wrong, and in fact quite the opposite is true; tin and antimony, either as individual additives or in combination, literally dissolve in molten lead to form true, stable solutions, just as table salt or sugar will dissolve in water. And, with the exception of oxidation or an electrochemical potential, once the solutioning has occurred, there is no force, gravitational or otherwise that can separate the constituents.

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I'm sure you know this, but I think it's important to note it here for those still learning. :drinks:

Vapor pressure cannot be in units of "parts per million" it is in units of pressure.

I think the units you are looking are Pascals, a proper metric unit of pressure. You cannot
predict the parts per million unless you know air exchange rate in the room and the
surface area of the molten alloy and the partial pressure, etc. It is not something that
you could "look up", since it is a concentration in the air not a basic property of a
material like vapor pressure vs temperature is.

IIRC, the vapor pressure is very, very low at any remotely resonable melt temperature,
like a fraction of 1 mm of mercury (a pressure measurement; 760 mm of Hg represents
normal sea level air pressure of 14.7 psi)

Using very large fonts is the online equivalent of screaming and is not appreciated in
the polite discussions that we have on this site. Occasional caps is resonable for emphasis,
but we need to be polite and respectful.

Bill

I at least agree entirely that tin in lead is like soap in water. Once you mix it , you cannot unmix it without fractionalizations or other chemical precipitant process.

Antimony in lead is more like sand in water. Except in reverse. There will be a lead rich layer in the bottom and an antimony rich layer at the top. I do concede that it will not totally separate but, will partially segregate.

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Originally Posted by rob45

Hope this clears some things up.
And to the metallurgists and chemists out there, please take it easy on me regarding any inaccuracies; I have not had to think in this way for nearly 25 years.

Good Luck.

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Golden....Your excellent post, simply re-enforces, what I already believed to be true. Makes me feel better about my current state of knowledge. You, sir, are a gem among the slag.

:lovebooli

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Originally Posted by MtGun44

Vapor pressure cannot be in units of "parts per million" it is in units of pressure.

I think the units you are looking are Pascals, a proper metric unit of pressure. You cannot
predict the parts per million unless you know air exchange rate in the room and the
surface area of the molten alloy and the partial pressure, etc. Bill

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I am well familiar with Pascals. In fact, if you double check, I gave the partial pressure IN pascals. I then converted that to parts per million (which is easy to do since we know that we are usually close to 1 atmosphere of pressure), and I think I even gave the disclaimer that yes, that is at the molten leads surface and that it will take some time for it to disperse around the room.

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Originally Posted by Spudgunr

1000 - .01 PA (.1 ppm)

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See, .01Pa (ok, I capitalized the A when I shouldn't have, my bad).

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Originally Posted by Spudgunr

To be fair, the vapor pressure concentration is at the surface of the molten lead. The vapor will slowly permeate the room, but would take a long time for the entire room to reach the above levels

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And again, my disclaimer saying that the concentrations would be at the surface of the molten lead.

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Originally Posted by MtGun44

IIRC, the vapor pressure is very, very low at any remotely resonable melt temperature,
like a fraction of 1 mm of mercury (a pressure measurement; 760 mm of Hg represents
normal sea level air pressure of 14.7 psi)

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And even a fraction of 1mm of mercury is a whole lot of parts per million. Just because the number is small doesn't mean it is benign.

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Originally Posted by MtGun44

Using very large fonts is the online equivalent of screaming and is not appreciated in
the polite discussions that we have on this site. Occasional caps is resonable for emphasis,
but we need to be polite and respectful.

---

I was TRYING to be screaming when I mentioned a number that is 60 times OSHA's PEL, that was previously stated to have no lead vapors, indicating that there is no harm in it. While I will be respectful, I will NOT be polite when it comes to matters that are clearly dangerous. Safety must be emphasized. If I were in the reloading area and somebody stated that you could just swap components and keep the same charge I would likewise be "yelling" (emphasizing with bold and large font).

Would anybody else now like to de-emphasize the point that lead DOES make vapors at a considerable level not much above our working temperatures? Again, I've made the personal decision to cast indoors, but not at super high temperatures, because I can see by the math once you start getting up above 800 degrees the lead vapors go up quick.

And to address the tin thing. I'm not a metallurgist, I'm a chemical engineer. I cannot address the separation component. However, you can and will deplete your tin still. Your tin will oxidize on the top surface of your lead. If you skim that, you will now expose the metal again to oxygen, oxidizing your lead and tin. But, tin will oxidize faster. Skim and repeat until your tin concentration is significantly depleted. That is what fluxing fixes, it reduces the tin oxide back to tin, then you can stir it back in to the solution.

So, no, it won't gravity separate, but it will deplete over time, worse at high temperatures.

Botton line is that there is just no sense in casting at 1000 degrees. If you cant get the job done at less than 800 degrees , something else is WRONG!

Spudgunr,

I appreciate and agree with your final point, and heartily recommend not heating lead
alloys to unecessarily hot temperatures.

I think the ppm calc is invalid as far as having any useful relationship about how much
lead is in the room air when casting at too high a temp. Thousands of casters have regularly
had their blood lead checked. The cases of lead levels higher than safe are always
traceable to ingestion rather than breathing vapors.

We need to take lead safety very seriously, but we need to focus on the things that are
really likely to make someone sick.

So - you are 100% correct - it is not smart to heat lead alloys above 800F or so. However,
the real world situation is that very few people do this and the real and serious risk that we
need to educate people about is eating, drinking or smoking around the casting or reloading area.

Bill