Smelted For the First Time

[jwber]

Well I've officially smelted for the first time now :grin: I weighed out all the range scrap I picked up last summer, about 65lbs raw and threw it in a large stainless steel pot I picked up at Goodwill. Fired up the turkey fryer and about 45 mins later all my lead was melted.

Came out with about 45lbs of ingots. I used 3 mini mini muffin pans I picked up at the thrift as well as a few of those condiment cups.

Here they are before I picked them all up and got all the little pieces from my bad pour jobs :P

137256

Now I just need to pick up some more scrap. Looking to join a private range sometime in the near future so I can go hog wild picking up free lead.

[Yodogsandman]

Very nice! Free lead is always very nice!

[bangerjim]

Good haul. Just remember........we are only RE-melting lead, not smelting it. Smelting is the act of refining a metal from the raw ore from the ground. All that tough work has already been done for you!

banger-j

[pworley1]

Great start.

[lightman]

Nice Job!

[LUCKYDAWG13]

looks good

[alfloyd]

EPA definition of Smelting:

Smelting (http://www.pollutionissues.com/knowledge/Smelting.html) is the process of separating the metal from impurities by heating the concentrate to a high temperature to cause the metal to melt. Smelting the concentrate produces a metal or a high-grade metallic mixture along with a solid waste product called slag.

Read more: http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Smelting.html#ixzz3XikbgYxr

Lafaun

[tryNto]

EPA definition of Smelting:

Smelting (http://www.pollutionissues.com/knowledge/Smelting.html) is the process of separating the metal from impurities by heating the concentrate to a high temperature to cause the metal to melt. Smelting the concentrate produces a metal or a high-grade metallic mixture along with a solid waste product called slag.

Read more: http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Smelting.html#ixzz3XikbgYxr

Lafaun

Seems to be what we do.

Congrats to the OP for his accomplishment.

[andyt53]

It was only two years ago when I poured my first silver stream into ingots. Been hooked since then. Good job OP!

[WILCO]

Haha! Now you're hooked! http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/eating/hamburger-waving-hello-smiley-emoticon.gif

[jeepyj]

Thy not to spend more time at the range picking lead than shooting. Sometimes it's not easy.
enjoy!
Jeepyj

[sschultz]

This site should post a caution.

Scrounging lead can be addictive enter at your own risk.

[mold maker]

I've found everything related, to be addictive since I first pulled a trigger.
Everything leads to something else. Ie Shooting, to reloading, to casting, to swaging, to making BP, to what ever flips my next Bic.
What else could have kept my constant interest for 60+ years?

[jwber]

5 years ago I only had a few hunting guns since then I started carrying concealed daily, which lead to more shooting, which lead to reloading, which lead to shooting competitions which lead to casting...it just keeps going :)

[bangerjim]

EPA definition of Smelting:

Smelting (http://www.pollutionissues.com/knowledge/Smelting.html) is the process of separating the metal from impurities by heating the concentrate to a high temperature to cause the metal to melt. Smelting the concentrate produces a metal or a high-grade metallic mixture along with a solid waste product called slag.

Read more: http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Smelting.html#ixzz3XikbgYxr

Lafaun

You can find a definition that fits your mindset for almost anything online these daze:

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/smelting.html

I would tend to trust the above link rather than the gubmint EPA pollution garbage.

Last time I RE-melted COWW's I did not use any limestone or coke in the process. And did not have any raw galena ore mined from the earth to process either. Only pre-smelted pre-formed pre-cast pre-alloyed lead weights and boolits.

[borg]

EPA definition of Smelting:

Smelting (http://www.pollutionissues.com/knowledge/Smelting.html) is the process of separating the metal from impurities by heating the concentrate to a high temperature to cause the metal to melt. Smelting the concentrate produces a metal or a high-grade metallic mixture along with a solid waste product called slag.

Read more: http://www.pollutionissues.com/Re-Sy/Smelting.html#ixzz3XikbgYxr

Lafaun

Does that mean that I can "smelt" the zinc out of my alloy in my Lyman pot? :kidding:

[RogerDat]

Language Police need to be called! Must find #11 on my phone so I can call 911! Danger Will Robinson, Danger! Oh bother Pooh! :kidding:

All over the site folks refer to melting the raw ingredients into clean ingots as "smelting" as opposed to "casting" which refers to putting the melted ingots they "smelted" into a bullet mold. When a word gets used with non-standard meaning in the English language or within a cultural group to the point of widespread usage and acceptance with that non-standard meaning that becomes proper usage.

BTW - I'm going to smelt a bunch of WW's tonight so there! [smilie=p: because I'm hooked and not looking for rehab.