My First Smelt

[Dickenscpa]

Did Lord knows how many stick on wheel weights to get 25#s of ingots. Don't know if I want to do that again. Buying ingots might be my ticket.

In my box of goodies I had a few of these ball shaped things that appeared to be really soft lead. They were 1/2-1oz apiece and marked accordingly. When added to the pot they would spurt, once sending lead out of the pot in all directions. Barely missed me.

Any idea the cause?

Brad

[Freightman]

Sounds like they had some sort of liquid inside! next time hit them with a hammer to be sure. I smelt a lot of range scrap and it is 90% cast boolits there are some jacketed and some of these that are TMJ (total metal jackets) and when they get hot some squirt like a clam. Buying is a option I have sold some smelted lead on the trader and notice there are someone selling all the time. I would trust all the ones I have traded with or sold to to give you a good product. Most of us here are honest and dependable and fair. This is the best board on the internet period. Welcome hope you learn as much as I have.

[Sonnypie]

That sounds dangerous. :shock:

What you describe sounds like fishing weights. Maybe some trapped moisture in them? :confused:
You could smack them like Freightman suggested. Or cut them in half.
I think I would slow melt them, bringing up the temperature slowly, so if there was entrapped moisture it has time to vent off at a safer (Non-molten) temperature.
Maybe when nobody is home you could bake them in the oven to make sure they are dry.
I'd be real gun shy of a popping pot of molten lead. I'll watch from back here. [smilie=s: :popcorn:

[Dickenscpa]

That sounds dangerous. :shock:

What you describe sounds like fishing weights. Maybe some trapped moisture in them? :confused:
You could smack them like Freightman suggested. Or cut them in half.
I think I would slow melt them, bringing up the temperature slowly, so if there was entrapped moisture it has time to vent off at a safer (Non-molten) temperature.
Maybe when nobody is home you could bake them in the oven to make sure they are dry.
I'd be real gun shy of a popping pot of molten lead. I'll watch from back here. [smilie=s: :popcorn:

They weren't fishing weights, they had something to do with motorcycles. I would have thought as old as they were they would have been dry, at least as dry as the wheel weights since they were all in the same container. I wish I'd got online last night and seen this. I have a couple left and could take a pic.

Between my time schedule and the nastiness I'm gonna have to come up with a different plan. I've probably got another 15-20 ingot yield of clip-ons and I'll finish these. But with my limited time, when I melt lead I need to be making boolits so I can be reloading. I'll either buy ingots or work a deal with someone where if I find the wheel weights they'll smelt them for a portion of the yield.

Brad