Smelting old fishing sinkers and POW!

[500MAG]

I seperated out a 5 gal bucket of WW's last night and most of them came out as lead stick-on's. Well, it is a nice wind free night here and I decided to start smelting. I had a 30 pound box of old lead sinkers I purchased off someone and they are pretty big. These sinkers are old and haven't seen water in who know's? Once I got about 30 pounds of ww's melted down I tossed in about 6 of these sinkers and after about 2 or 3 minutes POW! Lead went flying everywhere. I don't know if it was an air pocket in the sinker or what? I do know that I will keep that darn lid on that pot after adding anymore. Have any of you had a similar experience?:-?

[waynem34]

Just got bit by the fairy.

[500MAG]

2 or 3 minutes???.......That seems like a long time forr a moisture explosion to have happened, Is there any way a primer could have gotten into the box of sinkers????..........But thinking about that is a long time for a primer too. Just how big were those sinkers.????

Golf ball size. No primers, straight from the shipping box and added by hand into a large ladle.

[John in WI]

hmm--that is wierd. You would think if there was a void or cavity in the sinker, it would go all the way to the surface? I know when I cast big "muffin tin" ingots, some alloys develope a crack from shrinkage--but it goes all the way from the outside in.

[tomme boy]

Sure it wasn't a big bug landed in the melt?

[500MAG]

Sure it wasn't a big bug landed in the melt?

No, my wife was in the house!

[runfiverun]

i have had it take a minute or two before the pow too.
wasn't sure if it was a primer a 22lr or water but it cleared the garage roof.
i use a shovel to add to the pot then put the lid on.
but still.....

[MGySgt]

If those sinkers were used you can bet one had a little water forced in by the water pressure.

The same thing happens with diving weights - sit them in the sun for 2 or 3 days and can still get a visit from the tensile fairy.

Anthing that has been in water - start from an empty pot.

[dragonrider]

That's a big sinker. Must have been water in it somewhere.

[sqlbullet]

When melting isotope lead I get all kinds of pots and sizzles when I add material to the pot. Even stuff I am certain is dry.

[fryboy]

+1 "Anthing that has been in water - start from an empty pot."

in fact it's always best to start with an empty pot when smelting of if you must add only add when there's still a top layer of solid stuff , this allows any moisture to be steamed off/out before it has a chance to go under the surface , also range lead ? total FMJ's need the jacket cracked - even if there's no moisture in the middle they can swell up and explode

[xd4584]

I guess you guys are melting down larger lots of lead than I do. I usually put my old sinkers in before I turn on the burner. Then any water thats on or in them will boil off before the lead is molten. Now I have only smelted about 10 or so times so far so maybe I have just been lucky

[Gisli]

I have the small 8 pound Lee furnace, so I have to add to it frequently, when I am casting.

Rule No1 is that no ingot goes into the pot, cold. I stack them up on the rim of the pot
so that when I need them they are hot, in fact quite hot.

[MGySgt]

I have the small 8 pound Lee furnace, so I have to add to it frequently, when I am casting.

Rule No1 is that no ingot goes into the pot, cold. I stack them up on the rim of the pot
so that when I need them they are hot, in fact quite hot.

I also preheat all my ignots. I had a batch that were out side for about 2 years. Even after sitting on the rim of my Lyman Mag Dipper 20 pound pot - they would still hiss (and boil action) if I just added them to the pot. I had to use channel locks on them and let them melt slowly - these are 4 pound ignot.

So - just because you preheat your ignot doesn't mean they can't have water in them. I no longer store my casting ignots out side. I still have over a ton of those ignots I have to remelt, from a cold pot) before they wil go into my casting pot.

Side Note - I was in Reykjavik from 76 - 79.

[lwknight]

Anything that has ever been exposed to water can have it in some cranny hidden till BOOM!!
I have a permanent reminder on my left arm.