removing white oxide from shot?

[labradigger1]

Bought about 4 gallon of lead shot from the scrapyard while scrounging for lead today. Lead shot looks to be #6-#8 shot size. All the shot is coated with lead oxide powder. I have searched the web and this forum for a good way to remove the powder and have still not found a method.
I have a dillon 2000 and a smaller vibratory tumbler, also have a thumblers rotary. Can i tumble in above tumblers with something to remove oxide?
I also thought about chucking up a 3-5 gallon bucket in my old south bend lathe to make a larger rotary tumbler.
Anyone have any experience cleaning shot? If i can get it clean i can add the graphite back to it, if not it will probably be used for boolits.
thanks, Lab

[GLL]

If the shot got wet (rained on) you may be dealing with lead carbonate rather than an oxide. Test it with a few drops of acid and see if it dissolves (slight fizz). Tumbling lead oxides or carbonates is not a good idea since you will generate fine dust.

Jerry

[labradigger1]

If the shot got wet (rained on) you may be dealing with lead carbonate rather than an oxide. Test it with a few drops of acid and see if it dissolves (slight fizz). Tumbling lead oxides or carbonates is not a good idea since you will generate fine dust.

Jerry
What type of acid to test with?
I have muratic for cleaning brick and battery acid.
The dust is one reason i was thinking of the bucket on the lathe. This way i should be able to wet tumble.
Lab

[dbosman]

For carbonates, muratic acid will work best.
If the residue is carbonate, a dilute muratic solution might be the best way to clean up and neutralize it.

Wet tumbling will probably work to clean up the powder, but the water will be contaminated.
Got any mine tailings or superfund sites nearby where that won't be a disposal issue?

[GLL]

Your muriatic is fine !
If you wet tumble it the lead carbonate is soluble so do not dump the liquid in the veggie garden !

You might consider melting the shot with a lot of saw dust to reduce the lead back into the alloy.

Jerry

[GabbyM]

Using the shot for alloy additive is a valid and easy function.
Everyone here should save there dross. don't tell anyone but I used to cast boolits commercially.
A five gallon bucket of dross would bring something like 40 or more $. Maybe 60. I know I was shocked as I told them they could have it for free and they wrote me a big half days labor $ check. they just looked up the price of dross in there book. When I told them it was dross they didn't know what I was talking about. 5 gallon bucket of any kind of lead is of course about all you can do to lift. Spent Primers cups are brass too. I have a gallon bucket 3/4 full of primers and junk brass cases from just over a year ago. Those clips from wheel weights are worth money too. Toss all your other junk brake rotors, tie rods and whatever. After a year of junk pile you get fifty bucks. Not to workable if you live in a condo. I've a tractor with bucket to load the 55 gallon drum into the pickup.

[MaryB]

Using acid is going to generate another toxic waste problem too, I would melt it down. Wonder if it is reclaimed shot and had been in the ground for awhile.

[beagle]

I threw some in a rotary tumbler, added some powdered graphite and tumbled for a couple of hours and then screened the residue off with a sifter made from 1/4" hardware screen and wire mesh over it. Looked good and loaded good. Handle the residue as if it were lead oxide./beagle

[SOFMatchstaff]

I did about a ton of the same stuff, reclaimed shot that had been mined in a wet field. If you have a Smart & Final store in your area, get a gallon of their cheap($10) store brand lime away, "First Street Lime Gone" . Put shot in a 5gal plastic bucket and just barely cover it with water, then add a cup or so of lime gone and stir it once in a while. Let it soak over night, then pour off the juice and save for the next batch, add more chemical as needed. Rinse and dry, or tumble it then rinse and dry(Desert does that for me,135deg on the backyard concrete) then I tumbled it in graphite and its ready to load.

[labradigger1]

Thanks for the replies thus far. I dont think it is reclaimed shot, i ran some through a thumbler last night and the shot is still very round, i would think if reclaimed it would be somewhat deformed from the setback @ ignition, i could be wrong though. Fwiw, some of the shot came in small heavy plastic bags probably 5#'s each, even most of the bags are corroded. I poured the shot through classifiers to get rid of the large clumps that fused together.
I will try to remove the white powder if it can be done, w/ the price of shot these days it would be a shame to melt it down. I have all the shot i would ever need in my reloading room already. I paid .75¢ a lb for it so if it wont clean i will just melt it.
thanks,
Lab

[SOFMatchstaff]

Doesnt matter if its reclaimed or new, the corrosion doesnt care, same process. Lay the stuff out and break the clumps up mortor and pestle style between flat pieces of steel or tough wood, clean as described and then sieve it to the proper size or grade. Shot is too darned expensive to melt down. .75 a lb is fair, its a buck or better most places out here for reclaimed. Used to be way back when I could get it for $4 a bag un-cleaned, not no more...

[labradigger1]

Ok, i soaked about a quart of shot i meratic acid soloution 2x.
Then ran it for a few hours in a thumbler tumbler wet with comet cleaner. I dont like the idea of using sand as i am not certain i could remove all of it. Decent results w/ the comet as an abrasive. Most shot is clean with some discolored pellets remaining. I anndrying on woodstove and will add graphite when dry. Keep the suggestions coming.
Lab

[labradigger1]

Ok, just an update.
This morning i took a 3 gallon bucket and screwed 3 boards to the inside to act as paddles. Then i screwed an old water pump pulley with fender washers to the bottom of the bucket to accept the lathe chuck. Filled the bucket about 2/3 full of shot and 40-50 large steel nuts to act as an abrasive. Chucked up in the lathe with back gears engaged and used another water pump pulley against the lid with a bull nose tailstock center brought up against it to keep the lid on and help to hold the weight. Tumbled for a few hours and results were great. Ran through classifiers and rinsed off. Now it is in a 5 gallon bucket soaking in a 2-1 water/muratic acid soloution. Later today i will rinse and put in a steel pan on the wood stove to dry. Then tumble with graphite.
Lab