Did I ruin this batch?

[bullpen7979]

Was recently able to score a bucket of ww. Good stuff.
I melt in an electric hotplate w junk 2 qt saucepan. Filled first batch pretty full, and when I came back in the normal 40 min to check progress, I noticed as I was scooping off clips that some of the melt had the dreaded "oatmeal" texture. I presume this was some zinc that got too hot because of the size of the batch retained heat a little better than it normally does. (In general I find them floating on top of the mix, still in solid form, and just scoop 'em off, but my pan is generally only about 2/3 full, this batch was more like 5/6 full.)

As I poured into my trusty muffin tin, I noticed that the majority of the sludge stayed in the pan, while the molten lead poured out mostly okay, but did have a bit of lump to it.

My question is, are these ingots clean/safe to cast with? It's only about 9 of em, so if I need to discard to be on the safe side, that's ok.

Could I remelt and just monitor? Is it possible to "clean" the lead this way? If there is zinc in the mix, won't it still melt at the higher temp, and therefore if I monitor the melt progress, won't they separate again?

[mac1911]

I had some problems with my early smelting days....purchased a lyman thermometer Once I see that my lead is starting to melt I cut back on the gas a bit and re check my temps often.
I also take the time to shuck out the zinc weights....at least most of them to avoid such things.

I have taken my possible zinc spoiled lead and made slugs and 00 for the shotty. I also cast fidhing weights from the zincy lead and straight Zinc

[Sonnypie]

How do you tell the zinc ww from others? :confused:
(Sorry, very new to casting)
I just got started yesterday... :roll:

[Jon]

Most of the zinc weights will say ZN on them. You can also try to bend them with pliers. Lead is softer. After awhile you can tell by just looking at them.

[BLASTER62]

Drop them on the concrete, they have a tinny sound lead a thud. This is my scientific method.

[mac1911]

sonnypie try this http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=40765
a newbie not long ago myself best is try the stickies on the top of the home page
Get some coffee and enjoy.

[bullpen7979]

Uh, ok. As far as the question I had...anyone have any input?
I don't have a thermometer. Can I salvage these by remelting?

[xr650]

bullpen,
You said you use an electric hot plate and this batch is larger than normal.
I am thinking your melt was not hot enough to liquify all of the lead. I'd be real surprised if you have zinc.
Drip a little muriatic acid on your ingots and see if it bubbles, or better yet cast a few boolits and see how it works. If it casts good boolits, don't worry and shoot them.

[lwknight]

I'm thinking like XR650. If it takes 40 minutes to melt and you had a larger batch , your heat is probably barely adequate.

[metweezer]

Ebay sells a TruTech Thermometer that measures up to 1000 degrees for only $12.99.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400225309670&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

[madsenshooter]

I hope you kept your slush, it was mostly the antimony I imagine. Like the others said, just didn't get hot enough to melt it.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

bullpen,

Drip a little muriatic acid on your ingots and see if it bubbles, or better yet cast a few boolits and see how it works. If it casts good boolits, don't worry and shoot them.

were do you get this is this the stuff you put in pools

[xr650]

I bought my muriatic acid at Ace Hardware A quart for a few dollars. I figure I have enough for several lifetimes.

[geargnasher]

Uh, ok. As far as the question I had...anyone have any input?
I don't have a thermometer. Can I salvage these by remelting?

I agree with xr650 and Lwknight, the "oatmeal" is probably the last phase of the alloy to liquify, and it wasn't hot enough on top to get all the constituents fully molten.


bullpen,
You said you use an electric hot plate and this batch is larger than normal.
I am thinking your melt was not hot enough to liquify all of the lead. I'd be real surprised if you have zinc.
Drip a little muriatic acid on your ingots and see if it bubbles, or better yet cast a few boolits and see how it works. If it casts good boolits, don't worry and shoot them.


I'm thinking like XR650. If it takes 40 minutes to melt and you had a larger batch , your heat is probably barely adequate.

Wheel weight alloy and similar "ternary" or three-element alloys don't go molten all at once or solid all at once, they have a "mush" or "slush" phase, and it can be hot enough at the bottom of the pot to be fully molten, while the part at the top is cool enough only to melt the lead, whereas the antimony and tin (mostly antimony in wheel weights) at the top is still solid in the lead solution, making oatmeal. No harm done, in fact you probably didn't change the proportions of your alloy much by skimming the oatmeal mix, you can just remelt it and carry on.

I don't know of too many hotplates that can get a pan full of molten WW hot enough to melt zink. Most WW metal is fully molten around 550-590 degrees, zink has to be well over 700 to melt in, a tall order for a 500-watt hotplate.

Gear

[Bob Krack]

A little reminder or FYI if ya didn't know..... Muriatic acid WILL eventually permeate the plastic bottle and the minute fumes wreak havoc with most metals in the near vicinity.

Really not too much to worry about, but do not store the bottle in an enclosed space with ferrous (iron/steel) metal objects nearby.

Bob

[odinohi]

I had some problems with my early smelting days....purchased a lyman thermometer Once I see that my lead is starting to melt I cut back on the gas a bit and re check my temps often.
I also take the time to shuck out the zinc weights....at least most of them to avoid such things.

I have taken my possible zinc spoiled lead and made slugs and 00 for the shotty. I also cast fidhing weights from the zincy lead and straight Zinc

Not to steal this thread, but how did it go making sinkers with pure zinc? What kind of molds did you use? Steel/Aluminum? I've been hoarding a little zinc to do the same thing. Thanks, Tom