Scored 75lb of solder drippings ... now what?

[aussie460mag]

Scored enough solder to last me years today and free!! My question is now how do I get it out of the steel drum? once the loose stuff was removed the rest is molded to the dented drum.

Perhaps I need to cut it out and get a bigger cast iron pot? Any suggestions?

[a.squibload]

Hmm.

First thought was to invert drum and bang away with a hammer.

Or maybe heat it up and pour it out (how good a drum is that?).
If it's a good drum you could melt, flux, and ladle the stuff into ingot molds.

And what are you doing up so late? :kidding:

[aussie460mag]

I thought about melting in the drum but don't trust it, I could bash it out then try and chop it into bits to fit my cast iron pot.

[leadman]

Set the drum on its side on bricks or something, put an pan or something under it and heat the bottom with a propane torch. Might be able to reach in with the torch to heat the metal directly.

[geargnasher]

Lay it on it's side, but at a slight angle with the mouth a few inches higher than the base. Prop the mouth and sides with firebrick, rocks, whatever, so it won't roll or fall flat. Build a hot wood fire under it and put a shovelfull of sawdust or wood shavings in the drum. The stuff will melt into a long, thin ingot along the side of the barrel and the sawdust will help flux out the junk. Let it cool, knock out the ingot with a hammer, cut it up with a hatchet into pieces that will fit in your normal smelting pot, and smelt it again with lots of sawdust and as little heat as possible to keep the tin oxides reduced back into the melt. Skim and pour ingots.

Your other option is drill a hole in the side near the bottom, cut a slot on either side of the hole with a sharp cold chisel, grab the tab with needlenose pliers, and peel a strip all the way around like opening a can of Spam. Should be easy to get the bottom off then.

[edit] like opening an OLD can of Spam, the kind that came with a key and tab, I think they're all pull-tabs that open on the top now.

Gear

[GLL]

I have had the same situation but in heavy duty 5 gallon steel pails. I turn them completely upside down and smashed the bottom about five times with a 12 pound sledge hammer. The deformed 60/40 solder slab fell out in a large single 30 pound mass. Pail was destroyed though ! :)

Jerry

[clodhopper]

If you build a camp fire to heat the the solder and pour it out, any thing that leaks out will be a nice glob in the ashes tomorrow.

[badbob454]

cut your can 1" form the solder set in a campfire 15 gallon drums will hold up, and skim the dross off and ladel out in ingots or a cast iron (import ) skillet or whatever you have on hand

[aussie460mag]

Hmm.

First thought was to invert drum and bang away with a hammer.

Or maybe heat it up and pour it out (how good a drum is that?).
If it's a good drum you could melt, flux, and ladle the stuff into ingot molds.

And what are you doing up so late? :kidding:

Started to heat it in the drum.. had steam coming out of the hole i punched in the side so scraped that idea .. ended smashing it up with 8lb hammer while warm ... fell out ok, once on the ground broke up after a couple of hits.

[lwknight]

I love melting cruddy stuff like that and making pretty little clean ingots out of it.

[aussie460mag]

I love melting cruddy stuff like that and making pretty little clean ingots out of it.

I agree .. I now have enough solder to sweeten appox 600kg of ww!! ... now i need more WW!!!!