Lead smelting terminology

[Lead pot]

Naw, When I do some Smelting I grab the heavy fish dip net and head up the UP Michigan when the Smelt are running and get some Smelt.

[wv109323]

Smelting is a process involving heat that extracts the base metal from ore. Ore is a natural occuring substance from the earth. So technically we do not smelt because we are not using ore. But as long as we know what is being said what difference does it make.
We could dump the term smelting and use extraction metallurgy.

[trebleplink]

My father was an English professor. He taught me that clarity was most important - effective communication. Nevertheless, I was taught "correct" pronunciation.

A while back the dictionary folks accepted the fact that word usage changes over time. At the same time, what do we teach kids - the traditional and "correct" pronunciation, or the latest and trendy mispronunciation? 40 years ago "often" had a silent T. Now, even among educated folks, you frequently hear "off-ten." Sometimes errors morph into accepted use - "homing in" turned into "honing in." So, where is the balance between keeping English standard and tolerating "errors"?

[44MAG#1]

I am of the ignorant clan. I load my pot, turn it on, Flux and skim my metal when it melts and start casting. I couldn't care less about terminology or correct pronunciation.
Hands on is my game, Dummy is my name.

[Lead pot]

I wonder if they will update the dictionary translating the words pronunciation in what the call rap music ?

[alamogunr]

My father was an English professor. He taught me that clarity was most important - effective communication. Nevertheless, I was taught "correct" pronunciation.

A while back the dictionary folks accepted the fact that word usage changes over time. At the same time, what do we teach kids - the traditional and "correct" pronunciation, or the latest and trendy mispronunciation? 40 years ago "often" had a silent T. Now, even among educated folks, you frequently hear "off-ten." Sometimes errors morph into accepted use - "homing in" turned into "honing in." So, where is the balance between keeping English standard and tolerating "errors"?

My mother was an elementary school teacher. She taught me the same things. Your post is the first mention I have seen concerning the use of "honing in" in place of "homing in". I was beginning to think that I had imagined saying "homing in" or thinking my mother was wrong about other things concerning the English language.

Thank you!

[dondiego]

I am of the ignorant clan. I load my pot, turn it on, Flux and skim my metal when it melts and start casting. I couldn't care less about terminology or correct pronunciation.
Hands on is my game, Dummy is my name.

If you smelt, recycle, render, or melt, scrap lead in your boolit casting pot..........you shouldn't.........

[44MAG#1]

If you smelt, recycle, render, or melt, scrap lead in your boolit casting pot..........you shouldn't.........

I have done it for years, wrong or right. Have cast bullets for years. I get clean alloy from a friend that has done the dirty work.
I load the pot, turn it on, Flux and skim and then start casting. It has worked for me. I get Lyman #2 from my friend that mixes it to specific blend to get #2 as set forth from a lab he used to make sure it is #2. Again terminology to me is a mute subject. I am not a production outfit.

[dondiego]

I have done it for years, wrong or right. Have cast bullets for years. I get clean alloy from a friend that has done the dirty work.
I load the pot, turn it on, Flux and skim and then start casting. It has worked for me. I get Lyman #2 from my friend that mixes it to specific blend to get #2 as set forth from a lab he used to make sure it is #2. Again terminology to me is a mute subject. I am not a production outfit.

I have actually done it myself early in my casting career. I just had to clean the pot more often and keep an eye on my bullets. They would sometimes get inclusions of crud in them. I would then drain the pot and remove the stem and clean all of the pot parts well and start over. It can certainly be done. I now use a Dutch oven and a turkey fryer to melt down scrap lead.

[44MAG#1]

I have actually done it myself early in my casting career. I just had to clean the pot more often and keep an eye on my bullets. They would sometimes get inclusions of crud in them. I would then drain the pot and remove the stem and clean all of the pot parts well and start over. It can certainly be done. I now use a Dutch oven and a turkey fryer to melt down scrap lead.

I have been casting since 1980 or there about

[charlie b]

This is a lot like the discussions about clips vs magazines (and mags). Bullets vs cartridges or ammunition. Revolvers vs pistols. Firearms vs guns.

Language is not a fixed quantity. ALL of what we use is a mix of what came in the past. Just look up the etymology of most words. It is changing and will change more. And, yes, many slang words will become common terms as well as changes in spelling and pronunciation.

Having said that...most professional areas have a specific meaning to the terms they use, and those differences are very important in that field. What seem like minor changes can have major differences in the meaning, even if the common person does not use them "properly". Smelting is one of those kinds of words.

Explosives. Huge difference between detonation and explosion. To the common person on the street they mean the same thing. Even dictionary descriptions confuse the issue so how is a person to know if they do use the terms wrong according to explosives experts?

[dondiego]

I have been casting since 1980 or there about

My first cast was in 1966 when I was 15.

[trebleplink]

I think you mean "moot."

... Again terminology to me is a mute subject.

[44MAG#1]

My first cast was in 1966 when I was 15.

I bow to you sir.

[prs]

Exactly! Rendering.

[bangerjim]

Like I tell my nut-job Democrat "friends" these days:

"If I agree with you.............then we both would be wrong!"

[44MAG#1]

I think you mean "moot."

I also bow to you, Sir

[Walks]

I remember My Dad, Uncle & other Family "refining & blending" lead of different compositions to make the alloys needed.
A 100lb Plumbers Pot was used. It was emptied and cleaned every time it was used.
The same pot was used for Dipper casting 8-10 H&G with bottom pour ladles.
I started Dipper casting using a small cast iron pot on a Coleman stove. A 1cav Lyman mold making #356402 or #358432.
I had to wait until I was 8yrs old. 1962