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Thread: melting recovered lead shot?

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master



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    melting recovered lead shot?

    I have literally melted tons of scrap lead alloys including recovered range lead, telephone cable sheathing, lead pipe, wheel weights, and etc. Typically, I will make about 500-1000 lbs. of ingots in a session (with help). My set up is the common turkey fryer with a Harbor Freight cast iron dutch oven. My pot will handle about 120 lbs. of melted bullet metal.

    I, through the help of a friend, picked up 100 lbs. of recovered lead shot. It is high antimony shot, reportedly, in a bucket. It apparently has been washed but as most know, it is not "CLEAN", clean. The individual pellets are, of course, "dirty". Now, past experience with lead pipe, tells me the dirt will have absorbed moisture. So, I will NOT be adding dirty shot to melted metal.

    My plan is to start with a pot nearly full of cold, but dirty shot. I will heat it up with the hopes of the moisture escaping SAFELY while the lead shot comes up to melt temperature, then fluxing (liberally), cleaning the melted metal and pouring ingots.

    Now, here is my concern: With the density of the lead shot (packed closely together, unlike bigger pieces) safely allow the moisture to escape, as the shot warms to melt temperature?

    I am NOT asking for a guarantee, here, but merely to benefit from those who have melted recovered lead shot. I DO NOT need a visit from the tinsel fairy.

    Thanking you in advance,
    Dale53

  2. #2
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    Chill Wills's Avatar
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    I think you have good plan. If you start it on a slow fire and get the whole mass above 250 F before the bottom starts to melt, I think you are out of all danger.

    Also, in addition to the above, I often cover and walk away if I have any doubt of content.

    This is somewhat OT but this method also prevents zink WW from melting into a batch of WW metal alloy.
    Chill Wills

  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    When I melt down the scrap recovered from our bullet trap I load up my cut-off propane tank then cover it with the top of the cut-off tank, that pot sits inside my 30 gal insulated barrel furnace and is partially covered with a trashcan lid. Then the burner is lit and after cooking about 15 minutes I take off the trashcan lid and if the gas escaping from the cut-off propane tank top ignites I know its up to a high temperature. Moisture, live rounds, and the debris never do more than make a quiet pop and never have even moved the lids. If you start slow and keep it covered until its hot you'll have no problem. Remember that organic debris will decompose to flammable gases in a covered pot so don't stand over it when opening the lids.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I think you will be ok. I've melted wet stuff before. Wheelweights, range scrap, ect and all of the moisture has always burned away before the lead melts. A cover over the pot is never a bad idea though.
    Last edited by lightman; 07-14-2018 at 01:01 PM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy PBaholic's Avatar
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    It'll be fine. I've heated a lot of wet lead without a problem. The water will steam off. The only time water and lead are dangerous is when water is introduced to liquid lead.

    Just keep the alloy seperate until you are sure you can utilize it. A lot of newer shot contains lots of other undesireable metals that can make pouring difficult.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    If the reclaimed shot is uniform in pellet size and in the 7.5,,8,,9 # sizes,,you can generally sell the stuff for $30/40 per 25# to most any shotgun reloader that shoots skeet,trap and/or sporting clays.
    I don't know if that nets you more $$ than the lead shot is worth as bullet metal after you go thru the smelting process, ect.
    Maybe it's worth more to you because of the high antimony content,,
    Just a thought,,

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I have read that shot contains arsenic and should be diluted with other lead rather than melted into ingots by itself. I'm certainly no expert but a little investigation might not hurt. i'm sure someone with more knowledge than will shortly comment.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master Sasquatch-1's Avatar
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    If there is a chance of moisture, I agree, a lid of some sort should be used. I put an old cookie sheet with a muffin ingot for weight on top. This leaves gaps so the moisture will steam off.
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  9. #9
    Boolit Master trapper9260's Avatar
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    When you melt one that think is wet or along that line like stated start with low heat and then go from there. Empty the pot and then start over. Do not add lead to the mix once it is all melt for you.then you will start to get to have problems with the lead to blow on you if what you add has water in it.
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  10. #10
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    you'll be fine.

    add some type of fire to the mix while your heating things up and after it's all melted.

    don't expect a real high antimony content if this is newer range lead, the most popular shot shell ammo now day's only has 2-3.5% antimony.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    i reclaimed about 500# of lead shot from local trap range. sifted to a rough screen size of about 7.5 shot.
    dumped about 30# of the mix in the pot. heated and melted just fine. no moister issues. most of the "stuff" burned off before lead melted. Skimmed off the junk and have nice lead for the shot maker. It was easier than trying to recover just the shot from the dirt,sand,rocks,wads,clays.....

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master



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    Thanks to all that contributed. Considering the present heat wave, it may be a while before we actually do it. I will report further when it happens.

    Dale53

  13. #13
    Boolit Bub CeeHoo's Avatar
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    Today I was at trap range doing some trial scrounging. Not much time left before the winter. Right in front of the range, beyond sound barrier, terrain includes some rocky plains which are covered by pellets, fired since 1970s. It seems the pellets can be sweeped and collected with fair amount of effort. Took me a couple of hours to collect about 97 lbs. I'm planning to make another visit as no one else will need the stuff anyway.

    It will be interesting to see if these will make into good ingots, or better yet, boolits. Probably too hard for muzzle loader?


  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    Nice score! Worth the hard work.

    It will be a mix of mostly hard and some extra hard shot, both will have antimony and arsenic, extra hard will have more.

    If you are water dropping or oven hardening, and your alloy already has some antimony, adding just a few ounces of shot per 10 pounds will provide enough arsenic to assure the lead/antimony will harden well. Plus you won't be diluting the current antimony content when you add it, unlike pewter, solder or tin.
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    I always cover mine, low slow heat, and burn a pile of wood shavings on the top. You sbould be fine doing it the way you have planned.

  16. #16
    Boolit Bub CeeHoo's Avatar
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    Thanks for the advice. My ingot reserves are made mostly of pistol range scrap so some additional hardness wouldn't hurt.

    Today's visit at trap range yielded another 120 lbs of pellets. Arrival with empty buckets feels like Tuco entering Sad Hill cemetery!

    Last edited by CeeHoo; 11-14-2018 at 11:35 AM.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    I recently made ingots from about 250 lbs. of shot; some was old but unused and some was reclaimed. Won't do that again as it's a lot of trouble with the residue and mess. Some say trade shot for bullet alloy and that's probably the best way to do it if you don't have to mail it.

    Shot probably varies in hardness, but bullets cast from my ingots are very close to 15 BHN, somewhat harder than I like to use for most bullets.

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I recently helped a friend melt some reclaimed shot. The batch was between 350 and 400 pounds. I think I may have posted some pictures of our smelting set up at the time. This was my first time melting only shot. It took longer to melt than any other scrap that I have ever melted. We heated and stirred and tried to crush the pellets against the sides of the pot. We ended up with a dutch oven full of dross. I kept 1 ingot but have not had it tested yet. The ingot was shinier and noticeably harder than most of the other stuff that I have melted.

    Hopefully Dale will post up some pictures when he gets around to melting his shot.

    CeeHoo- That looks like the motherlode!

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy
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    If you have a generator and a shop vac, its the way to go from reclaiming shot from hard surfaces. Take yout time and empty often. If tou leave it on the truck or trailer, you can overload the casters real quick.

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Water boils at 212* and turns to steam a little higher above that. You shot will probably be molten around 700-750* by then any moisture will be gone. Always starting with a cold pot empty pot is a good idea. Getting past the Steam stage makes heating takes a little longer if wet because the steam carries heat away with it.

    You might consider starting out with 15-20 lbs of lead ingots in the pot with the shot this gives some clean lead and helps with fluxing and skimming as there is more liquid in the pit. I cleaned up around 5000lbs of indoor range lead ( mostly jacketed bullets) in a 400lb pot and the jackets / crud was heavy to the lead making stirring and skimming tricky. Starting with some cold lead in the bottom helped with this. When heating what may be damp wet material I don't cover it and let the steam moisture rise as fast as possible also. Spread out in the sun in a tray will dry it quickly also.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check