alloying question

[twc1964]

Ok guys, I'm preparing to smelt for the first time. i was given 25lb of nasty old lead sewer pipe and fittings and i have about 40lbs of coww. i need an alloy i can use for my 45acp and 38-357. Should i mix these to make the near pure lead pipe a bit harder? Any help would be appreciated. thx

[Dusty Bannister]

If you are new to the hobby, you probably should consider smelting and cleaning the soft lead scrap and pouring that into ingots. You will know what things look like as you perhaps get it too hot, or not hot enough. You will see the changes that the lead passes through. You will see what fluxing and reducing with saw dust does, and then what fluxing with bees wax does and of course you will skim off the junk and put it in a container for future disposal. While that is happening, you can sort out the zinc, iron, and unknowns of your wheel weight ingots and that will then be ready to melt down, reduce, flux and cast into ingots.

Since there is usually some loss of product during the cleaning and fluxing process, you will be starting with known amounts of soft lead scrap and clean ww ingots as you make your first casting alloy blend. A 50/50 mix of these two sources should be fine for the calibers you list. This may be the time to consider adding about 1% tin to the casting alloy. Please do the smelting in a seperate pot, not the casting furnace or you will also learn the finer points of cleaning and reconditioning your casting pot to stop the dreaded dripping that dirt in the nozzle will cause. Please follow the usual safety conditions, and clean up after you are done.
Dusty

[runfiverun]

I'd throw it all together and use it up.
look for any soldered joints and hold those out [and melt separate] they are generally put together with 50-50 solder so can be used to make the alloy flow a bit better.
if you only have one or two joints then throw everything together and go for it.
you should end up with an alloy of about 10 bhn.

[bangerjim]

Download the free alloy calculator in Excel format from here. Will help you with questions like this in the future.

banger

[Hawkeye45]

I agree with Dusty, if this is your first time. I didn't do that the first time, 30 yrs ago, and had to do a lot of adjusting for the right mix. JMHO

Mr. Ed

[twc1964]

Dusty, i should have explained in more detail, but smelting into ingots is what i had in mind. i guess i really do need to get some plumbers solder to aid in fill out too. i have amassed a good sized bag of pine sawdust from work and have a huge bar of candle wax also. i aquired a cut in hslf propane tank with a magnet on a rebar t- handle to skim off clips. I'm really gettin the itch to make some bullets but i eant to cross sll my t's and dot the i's so as to minimize screwups lol.

[Dusty Bannister]

That is a good start with the half tank for a smelting pot. You may find a slotted spoon is cheap and moves a lot of clips and other trash out of your melt as you go along. Besides, once you get hot metal on the magnet, it will get weak and then what? If you are not familiar with sorting WW's , you can ruin the entire melt if you accidently melt some zinc WW into the mix. That is a pretty good reason to melt seperate lots and pour your ingots and mark them well to avoid confusion.

The soldered joints for the lead waste pipes is probably 50/50 solder and you can melt that off with a propane torch. If you melt a little of the lead no big deal and no big deal if you leave a little solder on the fittings either. Take a little time and learn what overheated lead or WW looks like so you can avoid doing it again the next time. Unlike some, I do this because I like making bullets out of someone elses junk. Going shooting is just the icing on the cake. Take your time and enjoy the process. Dusty

[twc1964]

Thanks guys, i appreciate all the help. guess i will be making lead corn cobs this saturday then.

[Nose Dive]

Believe Dusty is good... Smelt in different batches, clean each...flux well...pour into ingots and keep separate. Then...in small batches you can experiment with what you have. Small batches...test and see how they pour out.

I have about 100 lbs of 'stuff' from friends who have given me their 'special' recipe and cannot tell what they have...or what I now have. Three different batches...well...really more like 300 lbs of this mixed stuff. So...in little bits... I mix and match to see what I have. And to date...None of MY mixes of their 'stuff' has poured well... and is Very Hard. So... trip to scrap yard for 'pure' scarp yard stuff and am still mixing... It will come..... So.. avoid all this if you keep your 'stuff' separate and mix in batches to find one the works for you....

Nose Dive...

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.