OOPS. Forgot to rinse dirt off my wheel weights before smelting.

[creature]

In my haste i forgot to hose down a recent batch of wheel weights before i melted them down. Does dirt burn off when smelting? I fluxed the hell out of it and they seem to look as clean as my other ingots. I'm new to this game and just wanted your guys' opinion.

[shadowcaster]

Washing any sort of lead before smelting is a bad idea. Lead is porous and will retain various amounts of water. You don't want the tinsel fairy showing up. All the dirt, grime, and junk will float to the top when fluxing. Flux well using sawdust. You will see some post that they flux with wax. Wax is a reducer not a flux.

Shad

[creature]

I have been fluxing with ground walnut(the same used for tumbling lead) AND wax. So far it has been working okay but I really don't have anything else to compare with. Do you think this method is okay?

Thanks for the help sir!

[btroj]

I don't ever wash lead before smelting.
The grunge floats. A good stirring helps get grit and stuff to the surface. A good fluxing helps too.

I wpuld use sawdust instead of the ground walnut, more surface area. A lot more.

[cbrick]

I have never hosed off or rinsed or cleaned a single WW. Everything/anything on them will float once the lead is melted including the steel clips and the very last thing I want in the pot is water.

I too would switch to sawdust for fluxing. Adding wax won't hurt anything but it won't help much either. The wax is not a flux, it is a reducer for the tin but so is sawdust so what would be the point?

Rick

[Lizard333]

When smelting I add a little wax to the pot with the clips and stir. I find I get more of the lead of of the clips this way. I then flux with sawdust.

[RoGrrr]

I bring my range ore (Ohio range, clay berm so I get plenty of dirt) home in 5 gallon buckets and fill with enough water to cover it. I let it soak overnight and then dump it out near the front of the bed of my dump trailer. I tilt the bed up some and wash with my garden hose. The water and dirt runs downhill and my ore is (relatively) clean. I let it dry in the sun for a day and usually smelt the following day.

When I fire up the furnace, there is usually about 1/8" left from the previous smelt session, which transfers heat to the ore more efficiently than boolits simply laying on the bottom. I fill the pot with ore and put a screen over it and let it all melt, flux with sawdust or planer shavings. Scoop out the jackets and dross and dump in more ore until the pot is full of melt or I run out. With each scoop (usually a large soup can) of ore, I quickly put the screen back over it while I get another scoop. The screen captures some of that devil woman trying to escape but so far, none has managed.

I realize this is in opposition to the norm of NOT washing but it works for me and I have less crep to scoop out. YMMV and I'm not claiming my way is the best way.

I'm a relative noob, having only smelted about a thousand pounds of ingots; I ALWAYS wear safety glasses, (long sleeve) cotton garments and a cotton hat when I fire up the furnace and leather gloves when skimming dross.

[badbob454]

When smelting I add a little wax to the pot with the clips and stir. I find I get more of the lead of of the clips this way. I then flux with sawdust.
i do the same thing the lead rolls right off the clips and is a wonderfull flux and adds some heat too !

[**oneshot**]

Never wash them. The dirt and dust will float on top with the clips, skim it off then flux. At least thats what I do.