smelting today

[twc1964]

Ok, i have my burner, my half lp tank, ladle and slotted spoons and sawdust and candle wax. I'm smelting a small amount, 55lbs of pipe and coww. i don't have my thermometer yet but I'm gonna give it a go this time. my coww has been sorted several times with nippers and all cut easily so no zinkers. any last minute tips from all of the old pros? well, time to dive in. thx

[NewbieDave007]

Ingot molds?

[waltherboy4040]

Flux with clips in the pot.

[Magana559]

Flux with clips in the pot.

This!

[zuke]

NOT a windy day! Suck's the heat right out

[Teddy (punchie)]

Use stove (burner outside) in sunny spot, if cool out. Make a short small wind shield for pot. Use enough wood (saw dust) fold it in, like mixing egg whites. Wear enough protective clothing. I use a cut thin piece of metal, cut to fit pot to skim and come up the pot edge. Have fun.

[twc1964]

Well, i made a batch of ingots but i don't think i cleaned the lead enuff. after pouring, i can see specks of black stuff in most of the ingots. since it was a small batch, i guess i will remelt and flux and skim a few more times. all in all though a good smelt. i still have fully intact and unburned skin and jumped into a fun hobby, what's not to like lol.

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Flux with clips in the pot.

Why? Just curious. I've always fluxed after I had it clean up a bit. Thanks.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

twc1964,

Don't worry about those black specks. If your smelting, you just might be going through a lot of metal and my goal is to get it as clean as possible and then during the melting in my casting pot it gets fluxed and skimmed a number of times.

I smelted about 120lbs Saturday, and another batch of about 172lbs today, and there is no time to worry about some black specks.

Of course, I cast from an open top cast iron pot on top of an OLD Coleman gas stove. The pot holds about 40 - 45lbs of alloy, so fluxing and skimming is just part of the casting process.

What is handled as a normal part of the casting process, could be a pain with a bottom pour, which is just one of the reasons I don't go there.

Probably have 3 - 400lbs more WW to get smelted, but thankfully saw the last of the newer and zinc fouled WW today. The rest is years old and I just haven't gotten it smelted. Time to get er done!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[AndyC]

What Coot said.

The specks and grit can be fluxed/skimmed just before casting boolits; don't fret over it during heavy smelting, clean as best you can and ignore the rest.

[twc1964]

Call me anal, but i just resmelted my ingots. mucho better and nice and clean. oh well, i need the practice anyway. just wish it was not so dam humid!! Thx all for you comments.