dirty range lead

[mold maker]

If your worried about the dirt and rock, take a deep fat fryer basket with you to the range. Shake out the dirt, and pick out any large rock. A full bucket of water at home with the basket will finish the cleaning. Spread on pavement and rake through it while it dries in the sun for a couple days.
Look for live rounds and still only do a cold pot at a time. That %*!#(^$* fairy is hiding, and until you've experienced her, you have no idea of her wrath.

[Dusty Bannister]

I am not so sure I would be using that shop vac inside after you expose the filter to a lot of lead dust. I am not particularly nervous about lead dust exposure, but that seems a bit careless, even for me.

[2ridgebacks]

Either keep a heap filter in the vac or use a separate vac for the house. Our indoor range uses hepa filters so I have confidence in them for the vac. Truth be told though, you are probably better off with dedicated equipment.

[dondiego]

A HEPA filter won't last for long on a shop vac!

[Bad Andy]

As mentioned previous, pick big rocks out then just melt and skim. Foutunecookie45lc on YouTube has a start to finish smelting video for range scrap lead. He really does nothing to it before smelting.

[2ridgebacks]

A HEPA filter won't last for long on a shop vac!

I'm not arguing, but in my own experience I have collected roughly two tons of range lead with mine. That would mean about 180, 5 gallon buckets of crumb rubber and lead. The filter is still in good shape. I try to check for exhausted lead by wiping the outlet periodically.

[dondiego]

I doubt if it is a HEPA filter (High Efficiency Particulate Air) They can filter out bacteria and will clog up with a little dust. I can't even vacuum my concrete barn floor with a regular shop vac due to the fine clay dust that clogs up the filter in less than 5 minutes of use.

[2ridgebacks]

http://www.shopvac.com/shopvac-acces...903-40-00.aspx

This is my experience and mine only. I doubt that a filter can be advertised as HEPA without meeting some type of standard. Vacuuming the crumb rubber is not overly dusty and I am constantly emptying the tub which allows a quick hand brush of the filter.

[dondiego]

If it is working for you, great! Mine clogged up so quickly it went in the trash. I am use to working with Class II biological safety cabinet HEPA filters. I question this being a true HEPA.

[trixter]

Throw everything the pot, (except what you can easily pick out[the really big stuff]) and melt it all scoop/skip the top. everything but lead will float to the top. Try to keep everything at about 650º-675º. Have fun, and be safe.

[TES]

you can buy a separate tube for the exhaust vent and send it into a water tank / bubbler...or just vent it outside. No worries in the bubbler and really no worries about outside venting because most that wash their lead on their drive way still get contamination outside. The bubbler is the best way to do it though.

[colt 357]

I came accross this one on you tube. It works pretty good. It dont get out the heavier pieces of dirt and clay piegons. I wash them out on a wash table that I just made up about 97% clean. The rest comes out in the melt. would use the fan method outside and a mask.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm07NSxyMwQ

[QIDPlb]

Throw everything in the pot. All the impurities will rise. I use saw dust to flux.

[Rich/WIS]

I sieve mine through 1/4 in hardware cloth when I dig it up. Pick the obvious scrap out and then dump into 5 gallon pails (about 1/3 pail is max for my back). I start with a cold pot (bottom of propane cylinder), dump in enough to be 2/3 to 3/4 full, light burner and leave the area. I do this inside in my machine shed, with 15-20 feet clearance from anything. Have had one loud pop once in the last 3 years but no tinsel fairy. After 45 minutes I stir through the pot, skim the jackets and any junk I missed, flux and then pour ingots. I don't necessarily wait for the pot to cool before continuing but there is only a small puddle in the bottom, not enough to submerge any of the next batch in. Just add more, leave the area, and wait.

[hanover67]

I started using range lead a couple of years ago. At first I washed it, but hated waiting days for it to dry. I use a cast iron frying pan on a Coleman stove to smelt. I sift the lead through a big metal collander which eliminates most of the dust, then pour some in the frying pan and wait until the lead melts out of the pile and jackets, skim off the dross and pour into an ingot mold. So far so good. I only make about 10 pounds of lead at a time which keeps me ahead of my boolit casting needs.