Alloy sticking to ladle

[ryan28]

I ladle cast some bullets from range scrap lead, and had a bit of an issue with alloy sticking to the ladle and plugging the spout. I usually use 20/1, and have never seen this before. Would that be antimony causing this?

[John Boy]

Would that be antimony causing this?
No
When you flux the melt in your pot, put stir the melt with the with your ladle - it will clean the dross also. Q: What is the melt temperature when the ladle spot plugs up?
PS: First ever post with this issue!

[country gent]

WHat does the top of your melt look like? when you start getting the dull look re flux it to get this back into the melt as lead oxidizes this surface coating can and will plug ladles. I also occassionally boil my ladles in dish soap and water for 5 - 10 mins. Youll be surprised at the crud that comes out of what looks like a clean ladle. My ladles have the spouts opened up to .200 dia also. I also lightly polished the ladles with a nylon bush in a dremil tool and simichrome metal polish to smooth the surfaces.

[Yodogsandman]

Are you preheating the ladle by leaving it in your alloy for a little bit? Trying to cast too many boolits before re-dipping the ladle for fresh alloy (allowing the ladle to cool)? Alloy not hot enough? Dipping from the surface or completely submerging the ladle? Allowing dross or surface oxides to enter the ladle when dipping?

[runfiverun]

mold release.
this is the number-one thing it's actually good for.

[62chevy]

Bought a Lyman ladle this year and had the same problem and all that was needed was letting the ladle get to temp and it started flowing again.

OK this ladle is heavy cast iron and floats on top of the lead so it needs to be keep full of lead.

[ryan28]

The melt temperature was 750, ladle was hot enough. This scrap was all pistol bullets, many with lube on them still. I didn't flux this batch, thinking all that lube in there ought to be enough. The bullets had a frosty, almost powdery look on the bases. I had also used that ladle to fill the ingot molds earlier, so maybe the melt and the ladle were not clean enough.

[B.C.Jay]

I've had what you are describing. I'm not sure if it's excess antimony or some impurity.
Some alloy seems to get really 'sticky'.
More tin might help, more lead might help.

I had one batch that I re-smelted at a low temp and ended up with a really weird 'spongy' material at the bottom that alloy would seep out of. I attribute that to some impurity in our canadian wheel weight alloy, and not neccessarily zinc. It was better after that.
I also started skimming any lumpy dross off the casting pot once it first melted and before fluxing it.