When to flux while smelting?

[lightman]

I have been lucky to have a good source of isotope lead for many years. And, as you point out, it is far cleaner for the most part than many other items. At least the 31.5 lb technitium cores.

Most of the other containers are painted, and gas off some pretty bad smelling vapors during the melting process. This has lead me to use flux options that will readily burn, to burn off the paint as quickly as possible. There is also the issue of a covered pot having a build up of flammable vapors that burst into flame when you crack the lid a bit.

But, the real sphincter squeezer is when you occasionally get something in the bottom of the pot that won't melt. Go ahead, check your periodic table for elements that have a high enough melting point to not melt in a 750° pot, and a high enough density that they won't float in liquid lead. Most of them are not elements you want to expose yourself to.

First time it happened I waited a long time before I finally grew the courage to fish it out. It is tungsten, and I now have a fair collection of different tungsten shapes on my desk.

But every time I still clench just a bit.

That would be scary! The large 30 something pound containers are the only ones that I ever got. Mine came in a plastic bucket with some info printed on the side of them and the half life was ridiculously low. But man, finding something that won't float and won't melt brings up thoughts best left unthought!

[kmw1954]

But man, finding something that won't float and won't melt brings up thoughts best left unthought!

This just raised a thought for me as I haven't mined any berms yet but for those that do what happens to any small rocks that end up in the pot? Do they float?

[Mr_Sheesh]

Rocks are usually running a specific gravity of 2-3 or so and Lead is at 11.35 so yep,the rock floats like a cork! (Iron runs 7.87)

[kmw1954]

Thanks for the reply because until today that thought had never crossed my mind.

[Mr_Sheesh]

I did a lot with a mining co. that wanted to automate their organization; Unfortunately they had major theft issues (Pretty sure I ID'ed the thieves, the boss there wouldn't do anything about it though?!) They had a D9 Bulldozer (among other things) vanish. Pretty much put me off on that niche of work.