dirty bullets.

[bryonbush]

ive been snooping around your website for quite a few years now and just joined. i have a question that i hope someone can find a solution for me. recently ive noticed that ive been getting a lot of **** in my bullets. i started fluxing with more wax, and that didnt do much good. took the pot appart, scrubbed it with some brass pad real well to clean it out. started casting this weekend after the good clean, and it started off good. but then it came back. fluxed with sawdust this time and though its better, i still have **** in the bullets. i melt wheel weights in a seperate pot, then flux it, then put it in minni muffin trays so the ingots fit better in the lee pot. any suggestions?

[bigjake]

I had the same problem. make sure you push the sawdust or wax down deep into the melt and scrape the sides and bottom of the pot. both smelting and casting pots.
I still got some dirt in my boolits. but hey, you know what? they shot beautifully, those dirty ********. :razz:

[bryonbush]

yeah i scrape the sides and bottoms. but its true, they still shoot well. i tumble lube so i dont think its hurting the gun much.

[btroj]

Dirt and other crud will not just float to the top even though it is lighter than lead. Some of it stays suspended within the melt. Fluxing helps some but the real key is giving the melt a good stir. This will bring the crud to the top where it can be skimmed off. You will be amazed and what it will bring to the top. I have remelted bullets with a gas check and had the check suspend in the melt until I stirred.

[Bret4207]

Not trying to be a wise guy here, but gee- "make sure you push the sawdust or wax down deep into the melt and scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.". "Fluxing helps some but the real key is giving the melt a good stir." Guys, I'm telling you the God's honest truth- try stirring and scraping with a simple wooden stick! You can use wax and sawdust and dragons blood too if you want, or any other magic compound, but the simple stick gets CARBON (all your wax, sawdust really is) under the surface and the stirring and scraping introduces air into the mix and the carbon from the stick get's rubbed off on the sides and bottom. Plus the stick is moving the melt around.

Just try it, trust me, it works.

[btroj]

A stick works well. My point is that just pushing the flux into the melt is not enough. I like to really stir the lead around. Mix it top to bottom. I think this helps all the crud held under by the weight of the molten lead come to the surface.

[Three44s]

+10 ......... get "on the stick"!!!

I would use a large pot without a bottom pour and re-clean your alloy in a separate run ....... I run all my wheel weights TWICE into ingots before I start making boolits.

Another side benifit is that alloy composition variations are smoothed out more by re-mixing those ingots into another melt .............

.......... and, a BIG POT helps average things out as well.

But by all means ............ get on the stick!

Best regards

Three 44s

[mdi]

I receintly bought some sticks from the local hardware. I think they are wooden "shims", dunno the intended use. They are about 1/4" on one end and taper to a chisel point. About 12" long and 1" wide, of unknown wood. I got a bundle of about 24 for just under $5.00. I like them better than paint stir stick (cheaper and "rough" finished). The tapered end starts to char immediately and it's a good length. And did I say cheap? Works great.

[Iron Mike Golf]

I receintly bought some sticks from the local hardware. I think they are wooden "shims", dunno the intended use. They are about 1/4" on one end and taper to a chisel point. About 12" long and 1" wide, of unknown wood. I got a bundle of about 24 for just under $5.00. I like them better than paint stir stick (cheaper and "rough" finished). The tapered end starts to char immediately and it's a good length. And did I say cheap? Works great.

Yep, those are shims for installing door, windows, cabinets, etc. Cool idea! I have a bunch of cedar ones that I bet will smell real nice!

[WildmanJack]

I have tried and tried to "Push" sawdust and other things "into" the melt. It can't be done!!! But if you use a nice dowel stick or some other kind of wooden stick then u get the "flux" down into the melt. You actually get the wood into the bottom of the pot and when it's there it starts charring. It works like a champ. Oh yeah those door shims are really good for scraping the sides and bottom of your pot!! I use them as well... Just Make sure that the wood is DRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jack

[870TC]

Left over pieces of cedar shingles work great and smell good too!

[truckjohn]

Doing that sort of thing is the only times I have ever had lumps of dross and trash in my boolits.... Stir gently with metal sticks... Don't push too much stuff up under the surface of the lead... Be sure you run your pot sufficiently hot enough so it doesn't get slushy on top. Don't slosh it around.....

After I figured out that the carbon and trash in the boolits was from "Fluxing" too much and from using sticks to stir... I quit doing it and my boolits haven't ever looked better....

It's not that hard....