Prevent Oxidation on Ingots?

[dRok]

I have been wiping down all my ingots with a rag with auto oil on it before I stack them. Im thinking this will prevent oxidation down the road. Does anyone else do anything similar or am I wasting my time?

[geargnasher]

If it amuses you, it isn't a waste of time. Just be careful when adding those ingots to a pot of molten lead, the oil will find any pits or inclusions in the surface of your ingots and won't do well when submerged suddenly in hot alloy. Have you met the "Tinsel Faery" yet? If not, you want to keep it that way.

Gear

[dRok]

Yeah, Ive done that inadvertently. Ive found that oil/grease on wheel weights doesnt explode like water does when submerged in molten lead, it just bubbles mostly. Im not getting them really oily, the rag just puts a thin layer on the lead. It will probably collect more dust now I suppose.

[sargenv]

Hmm.. this wouldn't be treated like flux? I know ppl use motor oil for flux..

[Jon]

I don't think I'd worry about it unless you want them looking pristine on a shelf. I have some ingots that are 3-4 years old, that look like I just poured them.

I would think the oil would work like a flux, but I'd put them in a cold pot if you can, or drop in slowly.

[MBTcustom]

I've heard of folks being stingy with lead but this is taking it to all new levels. Why does oxidization bother you anyway?
In my experience, the best way to prevent oxidization is to keep the alloy in a dry, temperature controlled, climate. To try a fun experiment, take a container (scull and crossbones of course) and put about an inch or two of water in it. Drop a few boolits in there and leave it for a day or two. Next time you look at those boolits, they will look like civil war relics and there will be white places on the container where they were resting. Therfore, keep your ingots dry and controlled to prevent moisture/sweating, they will stay nice for a long time. Besides, you dont want all that nasty oil in your mix, gumming up your pot. Use sawdust for flux, its much cleaner.

[dRok]

I read that "The most common sources of lead posioning are from lead oxides..." so I figured if you can wipe the bars down to prevent oxidation of lead, exposure to it would be less risky. Im not so concerned about it for myself, but it is stored in my garage, to which my children have access, so the less oxidation that occurs, the better everyone will be probably.

Also, when you melt lead, does the oxide vaporize (creating a fume danger) or just float to the surface so it can be skimmed off?

I havent been soaking my bars in oil by any means, when you touch them you can barely tell they are just slightly oily. These are larger ingots, 5-6lbs each that are likely to sit there for the next decade or so.

[a.squibload]

I've had ingots in the garage more than a decade with no oxidation,
but it is dry here.

[runfiverun]

the oxides will float on top of the alloy and a proper fluxing will return them back into the melt.
you need to get the white covered ones really warm before putting them in a pot the white oxides will hold moisture.
i see no problem with wiping them down if you want to.

[zuke]

I store my ingot's stacked along the back fence out in the weather.
What little oxidazation does happen is of no concern to me.

[Stick_man]

Covering your ingots in oil... hmmm, pre-fluxed alloy!

Have you considered possibly running your ingots through a vacuum sealer? Remove all the moisture and oxygen from it, I would bet it wouldn't oxidize. Would it be worth it? Depends on how bent you are on preventing any oxidation. As said previously, a little oxidation is not going to hurt your ingots.