Melting range scrap

[GregLaROCHE]

The other day I was making ingots from range scrap. I’ve learned scrap seems to melt faster when it is put into some already melted lead. My question is, will it melt faster when a little by little is put into the pot with the melted lead or if I fill up the pot completely right away? What do others think?

[Walks]

I used to cover the bottom of a 10" cast iron pot with about 2 layers of scrap. Then add it by a hand full as the lead started to melt. And it melted FAST.
It also ALLOWED me to double check the lead scrap that went into the pot. Taking a BIG pair of side cutters to have the jackets busted open even more. Then scooping out the jackets.

But I don't melt range scrape anymore. To much work for too little return.

My back just can't handle it anymore.

[kungfustyle]

yes it will melt quicker if you start it with a melt and keep it going. Just be careful no water is stuck in any of the scrap. Keep the lead at under 700 of avoid zinc and you should be good to go.

[Mitch]

Faster may not be safer when melting any lead.yes thing will go faster with a bit of melted lea in the bottom of the pot.Now there cold be a few problems feeding the pot fast.one is a bit on moisture in something you add or live rounds from anything from the range.if you *** something with some water in it to melted lead there may be a steam explosion.i allways add before everything melts so it gets hot enough for burn off the water eveing if it means shutting off the burner and wating a bit befor I add more scrap.allways be watching for live rounds as you add be sure there are none.starting with a cold pot is your friend Just my thoughts

[country gent]

If your going to add range scrap or materials your not sure of to a molten pot, make a ladle big enough to hold several pounds and still fit in your smelting pot. Sift in to it watching for live rounds zinc tocks and other debis. set the bottom of the ladle in the lead just below the edge of the ladle and let warm and start to melt then add into pot starting over. This allows sorting and any moisture to burn off safely. Basically the ladle becomes a pot of cold metal using the smelting pot for heat. If your smelting large batches then the big ladle 5-8lbs can be a plus when filling ingot moulds also.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’m lucky because I collect from an indoor range from a cement floor. Never had any problems with moisture and since the boolits are shot into a steel backstop, any jackets are fully open if not almost disintegrated.

I did once accept some lead and ended up putting a live .22 into my melt. Lucky it stayed on the surface of the lead when it went. Now I don’t accept anything I haven’t collected myself.

My real question was, after you have everything heated up and have poured some ingots, given you have left some lead in the pot. Do people find it melts faster if you add small amounts over time or just fill the pot up and wait for it to melt. I tend to fill my pot all the way up and that gives me a little time to do something else. I have been wondering if it could melt faster adding smaller amounts over a period of time.

[Rcmaveric]

I start with a puddle and add small bucket fulls at a time. Really speeds it up. If you just load the pot all the way up you have to wait for ever for all of the scrap to get to the same molten temp before it all melts. Little bit at a time melts quick. I can smelt through 400 pounds in a day adding a bit at a time.

[RED BEAR]

I have found that a top on the melt pot helps a lot.

[GregLaROCHE]

I posted this question because from what I’ve noticed, I think it melts faster adding a little bit at a time. Next time I melt, I’ll try the whole batch that way and see if it saves time.

[lightman]

I just fill the pot up and light the burner. In my process, this comes first. While the lead is melting I finish setting up the ingot molds and arranging the landing zone. If I do several batches in a day I will leave a layer in the bottom of the pot. I'm firmly against adding material to melted lead.

[Pablo 5959]

I was rendering some down two week ago. Only leaving an inch of melt layer on the bottom.
Using a cut propane tank.
I had a bucket of scrap that had water get in from the rains, so I put the lid on and let it cook off.
15 minutes later I pulled the lid off and a couple of condensation water drops dripped from the lid.
Using a trenching shovel to push the top lay down.
I got a steam explosion or a live round.
Anyway, thank God I as using a shovel, and the top was not melted yet.
I got a shower of solid scrap and no melt.
Lesson learned, If it’s wet, let it cook. Do not stir.

[upnorthwis]

I worked in a foundry and it was common practice to leave molten metal in pot while adding material. Of course this pot was 5 feet in diameter x 8 feet deep and had cast iron in it.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I work with a RCBS Pro Melt furnace to cast with. I load the pot with ingots over an inch of so of previously melted lead in a cold furnace and set it up with a PID for 600 degrees and let it go. I made the mistake of doing just that and went out into the garage to fix something else. Upon my return to the pot some 20 minutes later I had a disaster. Somehow the spout got open and spilled molton alloy all over everything. The mold was stuck under the pot and completely surrounded by solid alloy. It is still awaiting my efforts to unmelt it. I disassembled the furnace's legs to remove the mess away from the furnace so now I have two metal tubes and the guiding rods and mold rest all melted together with a MIHEC 6 banger alum mold into a solid hunk that my smelting pot cannot melt as my turkey fryer does not have enuf BTU's to melt the whole mess. My next step is to arrange some bricks and make a solid rest for the smelting pot on top of a rocket stove running with charcoal briquets to achieve a sufficient amount of heat to melt everything. I am going to hafta do this out in the desert as I live in a rented house and I cannot build a fire on the lawn. Ya gotta watch that pot all the time.

[Camper64]

Crash, would you be willing to share any pictures?

[turtlezx]

fine to add to pot if your 100% sure its dry with no surprizes like live rd unbroked jacketed bullet
meet these requirements and enjoy faster smelting
other wise play it SAFE

[jmorris]

Lead melts fastest when it is in full contact with the heat source.

Put a bunch of bullets with air everywhere and only point contact between them and it’s going to take awhile. Submerge them in molten liquid and your at 100%.

For safety I have always preferred a large pot from a cold start.

I have had lead make it all the way to a 19 foot ceiling, was very glad I had full on welding jacket, gloves, face shield, etc. That was with print lynotype, must have had some ink on it that didn’t react favorable.

Since then, I’m not in a hurry. With a cold pot bad things are turned into steam before they have a chance to hurt me.

[RED BEAR]

I would think adding a little at a time would be fastest but who knows. I always just fill my pot and let it melt on hot plate while i do my casting. The hot plate i use will not heat up very high. Just throw in a couple handfuls of sawdust and let it go after an hour or so skim off scrap and scum. These come out quite clean. One more time and there is no detectable zinc in the ingots. I don't sort anything wouldn't use ww if i had to sort them.

[fredj338]

The idea of leaving some alloy in the pot is you get 100% contact with the het source. So I leave about 1" on the bottom & just fill the pot up with new scrap. Put the lid on 3/4 of the way & turn up the heat.

[Patrick L]

Another trick I found is to add heat to the top of the pile too. I add metal to some molten metal, then I use a cheap weed burner from Harbor Freight and blast all of the exposed metal on top. As it melts and trickles down, it adds even more heat to what is sitting in the pot.

Of course, all the same precautions about making sure of what goes in (watch for live rounds, wet metal, trapped moisture etc.) applies doubly. EYE PROTECTION too!!!

[John Boy]

Lee Presion says leave 2” of melt in the pot for a reason