Film floating on alloy.

[leeshall]

The exact (borrowed) pot, burner and ladle I'm using can be seen here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSgQ82Kqhzo

I'm not at all concerned with trapped moisture with the wheelweights (both clip on and stick on) but when I begin the recovered range lead I'll have to modify my technique to avoid steam explosions as this material was recovered from an outdoor range.

[Dusty Bannister]

Quote:
I'm not at all concerned with trapped moisture with the wheelweights (both clip on and stick on)

Perhaps you might rethink that comment. You should always be concerned about moisture in the pot. There is no vaccination that you can get to cure the hot lead measles. Dusty

[leeshall]

Dusty you are right - &#@% happens. These wheel weights have been stored indoors in a dry place for many years. No place for moisture to hide. However I'm gowned up and have a face shield and welders gloves on as a precaution. Now the recovered range lead, on the other hand, was obtained from an outdoor range. The range was bone dry when the lead was collected but there could be a drop of moisture trapped between a bullet core and jacket --- POP. That's why I plan modifying my technique and be much more cautious if I ever get to the range lead.

[Walks]

I used to counteract moisture 2 ways, first I start with a cold pot filled with cold scrape. I lay the scrap spread out on a tarp in the sun. Cover with 2nd tarp at night.
That also allows you to check for weird stuff to reject before it goes into the pot.
I preheat my ingots on my hotplate before they go into the lead pot to replenish the molten lead. Turn the hot plate down after I pull the molds off to start casting. Do a few fills to heat up the molds. And then lay ingots around, hanging over the edge, so I can grab them with channel locks.

Now I just buy alloy. There is no scrap available around here at all anymore.
A few of the guys here sell Great alloy.
In particular Jetsfan-24.#