Coated spoon problems?

[Idontknow1]

I did my first smelt today and everything seemed to be going fine. Used a turkey fryer and cast iron pot. Then i noticed the slotted spoon that i had been using to stir the melt had a coating that was burning/flaking off. Immediately i thought this is bad and fluxed and skim and fluxed and skimmed. After i did that four or five times, I went on and poured a few ingots and let them cool and they looked like dross had collected on the tops of them.

Did i ruin 30 pound wheel weights?

Thanks for any help.
Chris

[wallenba]

Sounds like it was chrome plated. I have not read anything about the consequences of that, but I'd bet it was on top of the melt and not blended in.

[jmh54738]

How about telfon coated? Inhale deeply, don't

[lwknight]

They got a skin on them just because thats what lead alloy does.
Stick the spoon in the burner and roast it royally to get rid of whatever will rid.

[Idontknow1]

Thanks for the replies fellows. So should the lead be fine? I had pretty much already decided to get a different spoon and remelt as long as the lead wasn't completely messed up.

Chris

[canyon-ghost]

If you just have dross in the lead, remelting will let you skim it out.

Ron

[Idontknow1]

Thanks, I just hope its just dross and and not that chrome plating or whatever was on the spoon. By the way, do you think that plating has hurt anything?

[ReloaderFred]

You'll be fine using your ingots for bullets. Whatever is on there is lighter than the lead, unless it's gold. All my smelting spoons are coated with residue from many, many years of stirring molten lead.

You don't need to over think lead smelting. After all, the mountain men used to recover their bullets from the game and remelt them into bullets over the campfire.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[woodyubet]

What are you fluxing with?

[Idontknow1]

Thanks for all the help everyone.

Woodyubet- I am using candle wax. I see you are from N. Miss too, it's good to see someone fairly local.

[mold maker]

If ya put a big spoon full of dry saw dust in the pot before the candle wax, you'll soon forget the wax. Better flux and as a side effect, your tools and pot will be much cleaner.
What ever was on your slotted spoon wont melt into the alloy. It just couldn't stand the heat. Since it was made in China there's no telling what it was plated or coated with. At any rate it's gone now.

[Idontknow1]

Thanks mold maker and everyone else. I've read and lurked for a long time, guess some things you just don't know or find out until you actually try. Again everyone, thank you.

Chris

[canyon-ghost]

Guess I got lucky, the spoons I picked up as teaspoons at the local store were all stainless steel. No coatings to deal with.

Ron

[lwknight]

I love stainless wares. no stick and no rust.