What temp should we be smelting at ?

[mac1911]

When smelting down WW or Flashing or any other alloy what temp should be be smelting at for ignots . When I cast boolits in the lee pot that 675/725'F range works well for casting bullets

Is the same temp good for "smelting" in the big pot?

ex if Im blending 25lbs COWWS , 25lbs Flashing/soft , adding 2% tin should I be running the pot hotter to get the mix to alloy better or should I run closer to the "liquid" melt temp?

[lightman]

I melt everything that I use at about 700º. I have a tab welded onto the side of my smelting pot that holds a thermometer. I keep an eye on it and it slowly creeps up as the pot empties. Your 675 to 725º range should work well.

[No_1]

I keep my melt at 700 degrees.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I have never used a thermometer in smelting , I do make sure any wheel weights are lead and no live rounds , then I turn on the propane and keep a eye on the melt , when its range scrap with debris or roof flashing with tar and other stuff on it , I add a little used motor oil and some scraps of wood along with sawdust and let the pot burn , skim garbage out when lead is melted turn heat down as needed , to me it has always been a process that was visual , for casting a thermometer and or PID is a wonderful thing , though for years I used none .

Your melt will blend in just fine at 700 it does not need to be hotter to mix .

[Michael J. Spangler]

mac, I believe Glenn Fryxel talks about this or eludes to it in an article on alloy maintenance. Or maybe it was on fluxing.
He said not to flux until everything is completely in solution. That temperature being dependent on alloy. Fluxing being one of the main parts of smelting it needs to be done at the right temp or it’s a waste.
Something along those lines. It’s been a while.

[kevin c]

Like FLINTNFIRE, I've never used a thermometer to monitor temp in my processing pot. I just want the melt to be completely molten and stay that way in the ladle and until it fills the ingot mold. The burner is turned up in the beginning to speed the melting, and then turned down. How much seems to depend mostly on how cold and windy it is and how much lead is in the pot. Even with an insulating jacket and wind breaks, cold and breezy conditions rob the metal of a lot of the heat, though less so when the pot has 250# in it.

Casting pot temp I'm more particular about, using a PID to keep it steady. Still, casting outdoors, there's some variation because of weather changes.

I do wait for full liquidus before fluxing.

[mac1911]

mac, I believe Glenn Fryxel talks about this or eludes to it in an article on alloy maintenance. Or maybe it was on fluxing.
He said not to flux until everything is completely in solution. That temperature being dependent on alloy. Fluxing being one of the main parts of smelting it needs to be done at the right temp or it’s a waste.
Something along those lines. It’s been a while.

Went through alot of those articles but was not finding much at my first glance. Im always going through his articles and picking up on new things. Seems I end up having "problems" after i read and then need to go back and read again to "remember" good stuff
I ask because I came across a tin full of dross from years ago. It weighed far to much to just toss it. So i smelted it down with the last few lbs of LP i had in the tank. Tank was so low the flame was weak and i just reached the melting point. i was stumped to how much alloy i pulled from the mess. Temp was low 625'F by my thermometer. i should have casted a few bullets to see what they weighed out at to compare to known alloy. i feel like I skimmed off alot of oxidized tin in those early runs. I tossed the few pounds into some unknown scraps and blended the lot.
Comes in at 10bhn by pencil test and cast well so good there.
While using both my lyman thermometer and my infrared laser thermometer to adjust the setting i found I generally run the pot hot 700+ so now im thinking running the pot hot has really led to oxidizing more stuff than ideal.
Im going to play around.
Although more money than i would spend for such a hobby i seen a PID controlled LP set up at a nieghbors beer making set up. Was pretty cool

[ioon44]

I think we are recycling not smelting but I run my pot 700 to 725 Deg F.

[glaciers]

I end up about 600 to 700 degrees for bulk melt to make ingots. For casting I will rarely approach 750 it's just not needed. Keep in mind that zinc melts at 785 degrees.

[Conditor22]

When blending/alloying know materials you can go hotter but I still keep everything I do with lead under 800°

It is just as important to flux well when blending/alloying as it is with smelting to help everything get incorporated thoroughly


**a good lid on your smelting pot will trap the heat in speeding up the melting and contain/control the smoke**

** a windbreak and a cut coffee can funneling the heat to your pot also saves time and conserves fuel **

[toallmy]

I use a longer tel-true thermometer when melting down scrap to keep a eye on what's going on . I especially like to use it when melting down coww .