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Thread: Film floating on alloy.

  1. #1
    Boolit Bub
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    Film floating on alloy.

    I'm smelting a BUNCH of clip on wheelweights. What is that bluish/purpleish film floating on top of the melt? I always flux/stir it back in before casting the ingots. Poured 152 approx 1lb ingots today.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Pure lead or almost pure lead has that purplish color.. i just melted 20lbs of bullet cores and it had that color. The 80lbs of mystery hard lead didnt have that hue.

  3. #3
    Boolit Bub
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    This is 100% clip on wheelweights. Didn't think the pure lead would seperate and float on top. The ingots are plenty hard.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    Link to a rather extensive thread that explains what you are seeing and why you are finding in in the WW alloy. From the archives.......
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/arch...p/t-63550.html

  5. #5
    DOR RED BEAR's Avatar
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    Nothing to worry about i pretty sure i asked the same question in past.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master

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    prolly just oxidation

  7. #7
    Boolit Bub
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    Thanks for all the replies!

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Lee - would you mind posting the temperature when you melted COWW's to ingots Good indication of the melt color
    Last edited by John Boy; 06-04-2019 at 02:36 PM.
    Regards
    John

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Turn your temp down. You’re oxidizing your metals.

  10. #10
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I've seen this in the past when I overheated the melt. I tack welded a tab onto the side of my smelting pot to hold a thermometer so I can monitor the temps. As the lead level gets lower my pot temps tend to rise.

    I melted a bunch of reclaimed shot about a year ago and the oxidation and coating covered and insulated the melt. When I stuck the thermometer in the pot the temps were 900+º. It didn't hurt anything but I didn't mean for it to get that hot.

  11. #11
    Boolit Bub
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    osteodoc08, You hit the nail on the head. I dug out my ancient Lyman thermometer for my last melt/pour and it pegged at 900F. No wonder I've been using so much propane! Good thing I was super careful in the sorting cuz if I had missed any zinc it might have ruined the whole melt. For future melts I'll be careful to turn down the heat. So far I have cast 542 approx 1# (+-) ingots of clip on wheel weights with many more to go before starting the stick on wheel weights. Then I've 12 to the top pails of recovered range lead to do. That is if doing all this work in the summer heat doesn't kill me first.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Been there and done that. One you do it a while you’ll get a feel for it with your equipment.

    As another tip, I keep my slag as well to put into the next smelt session. It often times has a bunch of tin in it you can reclaim.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master

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    When I smelt scrap a purple color means it is too hot. I think what you are seeing is a lead oxide film forming an interference filter mirror like you see from an oil slick on water.

  14. #14
    Boolit Bub
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    The clips from the wheelweights go bye bye. Any slag or clips that have any lead stuck on them plus any spills and the flash clipped off the ingots goes back in the pot with the next melt. Don't want to waste anything.

  15. #15
    Boolit Bub
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    Made this melt/pour yesterday (Sunday). Started late afternoon about 3PM. Notice the amount of steel clips resulting in 149 ingots is just about the same in volume as the lead yield. Took everybody's advice and dialed down the heat. After a bit of trouble regulating I kept the temperature between 600-700F. No blue/purple film on alloy. Took more time to melt when adding more wheelweights than before when I had the temp at 900F. Used a LOT less propane and not nearly as brutal working the pot than with the temp so high. Will endeavor keeping the temp at a more reasonable level for future melts/pours.

    (can't get the image to stick -- sorry)

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Agree................you are just waaaaaaaaaaay too hot! 900F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OMG

    Cool you pot off and all will be well.

    banger

  17. #17
    Boolit Bub
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    Yep - lowering the temp made the melt take a bit longer but makes the chore much more pleasant and uses much less propane. Glad I found my ancient Lyman thermometer from many years ago.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Did you melt all of that at once? If so it should yield a pretty consistent alloy. I know there is some variation from WW to WW so if you did just small batches...they may not all be the same. The same thing goes for Range Lead. I try to smelt the largest batch I can to keep all my ingots consistent.

    And you're doing the right thing by keeping it in the 700* range.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

  19. #19
    Boolit Bub
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    With the amount of steel clips generated it's not practical loading the pot to overflowing with clip on wheelweights and just melt it down. I start with about one inch of frozen lead from the previous batch and load the slag from the previous batch (minimal at the lower temperatures) and load wheelweights, flux and scoop the clips. Fluxing throughout the melting and ingot pouring. Repeat till the pot is full and pour ingots fluxing while letting the ingots freeze. Dump the ingots and refill until I'm down to about an inch in the pot. Then either refill the pot as before or call it a day due to the summer heat. Not a young man any more. Fluxing multiple, multiple times results in a very clean/consistent alloy in the ingots.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master redhawk0's Avatar
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    Then it sounds like you do make a large batch...just built up over time then draining the pot. That's good. Better consistency that way.

    I know what you mean...I'm not that young either....its tiring. My pot holds 200# and my ladle holds 2.5# per scoop. It doesn't take long before you feel the ache.

    redhawk

    The only stupid question...is the unasked one.
    Not all who wander....are lost.
    "Common Sense" is like a flower. It doesn't grow in everyone's garden.

    If more government is the answer, then it was a really stupid question. - Ronald Reagan

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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