noob on smelting, I have questions?

[allen16323]

Was smelting yesterday for the first time, and heated everything, skimmed off the junk and all was going well. I fluxed the melt with candle wax, stirred, skimmed, and stirred and skimmed some more. What does the top of a melt look like? I don't have a thermometer yet and was getting a kinda tan color to the top of the pot? What was I doing wrong?

[BIGRED]

That is normal, the top layer is in contact with the air and is being cooled quicker than the rest. you will get a light coloring with sometimes a rainbow of color. just stir it back in.. BTW try to use some wood chips/sawdust as well for fluxing... works better than anything else. sawdust fro home imp stores is usually free, just ask for it. or pet bedding wood chips (pine) from pet store.

[RogerDat]

Might be better to go with a bag of pet bedding, home improvement stores can have some funky glues or even treated lumber sawdust. I was using bees wax until someone on the forum got me looking at sawdust, and it really does work better. Little wax after the sawdust seems to help too.

[twc1964]

+1 on the pine sawdust or shavings. just be darn sure its really dry! nobody wants a visit from the tinsel fairy and the possible hospital visit that it can cause.

[country gent]

I sprinkle the pet bedding on top and let sit and wait for it to start to discolor char then stir the pot bring the lead up and working thru the swa dust scraping the sides and bottom as much as possible. Bu letting it "heat" any moisture is cooked off before it becomes an issue. On very dirty lead or for peace of mind I sometimes add a little beeswax or parrafin to the sawdust also. I normally stir scrap until the sawdust wood chips are only ash left.

[bangerjim]

-10 on the home improvement FREEBEE sawdust.......too much pressure-treated and flake board garbage in there that is hazardous to YOU.

Wax (I use ONLY beeswax) should be reserved for your casting pot to reduce the Sn back in. Wood dust is best (3x) when smelting WW's. But basically any carbon-based life-form will work as flux. Even old motor oil......uuuuck! I even use dried leaves. You can add a bit of candle wax if you want, but it tends to flair up very bad. Beeswax, having a higher melting point, does not flair up as easy.

Pure Pb will turn all colors of the rainbow when it gets overheated. Will not hurt it. But you do not want to over heat alloys as that rapidly oxidizes the Sn and Sb out. And you just have to flux more.

Have fun!

bangerjim

[RogerDat]

.....
But basically any carbon-based life-form will work as flux. Even old motor oil......

Have fun!

bangerjim

If I understand this correctly you might have just moved an ex-mother in law from a total waste of carbon into the relm of possibly useful. Hmmm.
Does said carbon life form need to be dry first? Be just like her to call down the tinsel fairy.

[plmitch]

Sound like everythings ok. Just use a wooden stir stick and sawdust.

[bangerjim]

Yes..................I TOTALLY recommend fully-dried carbon-based life forms!!!!!!!!


Any moisture will cause all kinds of problems, including Ms. Fairy.

I have Chinese Chestnut trees around my back shop and those leaves (once dried totally) work very well and almost smell like a sweet pipe tobacco!

banger