moses
03-01-2012, 06:24 AM
I recently got some foundry type, OK it might be monotype, how do I know?
Anyway, when I was smelting it, it got real slushy and no matter how long I let it sit on the propane burner it still had some of this silver slushy looking stuff on top, so I fluxed with wax and it looked like the slush turned to a powdery looking dirt, I then scooped this stuff off and after fluxing again I poured the ingots.
I was concerned that this stuff might be antimony, then tonight I read this
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletAlloy.htm
Below is the paragraph that concerns me.
"Lead/antimony alloy drosses considerably. As your melt reaches liquidus temperature that silvery, lumpy, oatmeal looking stuff floating on top is antimony. Skimming it off seriously depletes the alloy; it needs to be fluxed back into the melt."
I fluxed a few times trying to get this stuff to mix back in the alloy but it wasn't happening.
Is this stuff antimony or is it just **** that was in the foundry type?
BTW the ingots I poured are very very hard so I know there is antimony in them.
I tried to put a mark on the ingots with my finger nail and it doesn't even come close to making a mark, or scratch.
I can take pics of what the stuff looks like if that will help, as I saved it.
Thanks for any help.
Anyway, when I was smelting it, it got real slushy and no matter how long I let it sit on the propane burner it still had some of this silver slushy looking stuff on top, so I fluxed with wax and it looked like the slush turned to a powdery looking dirt, I then scooped this stuff off and after fluxing again I poured the ingots.
I was concerned that this stuff might be antimony, then tonight I read this
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletAlloy.htm
Below is the paragraph that concerns me.
"Lead/antimony alloy drosses considerably. As your melt reaches liquidus temperature that silvery, lumpy, oatmeal looking stuff floating on top is antimony. Skimming it off seriously depletes the alloy; it needs to be fluxed back into the melt."
I fluxed a few times trying to get this stuff to mix back in the alloy but it wasn't happening.
Is this stuff antimony or is it just **** that was in the foundry type?
BTW the ingots I poured are very very hard so I know there is antimony in them.
I tried to put a mark on the ingots with my finger nail and it doesn't even come close to making a mark, or scratch.
I can take pics of what the stuff looks like if that will help, as I saved it.
Thanks for any help.